Wrap It Up!!!

It's no secret that STD and pregnancy rates have skyrocketed, even more so in the state of Mississippi and then even more than that in the black community. It is more likely that a new diagnosis of HIV/AIDS is that of a black person than any other race and that a black girl will get pregnant before finishing high school than that of any other race. Oddly enough though, we still see nothing wrong with playing Russian Roulette with our bodies and lives by still having unprotected sex. What are we thinking? That it can't happen to us? That because he/she said they're clean means it's true? That because he/she doesn't look like they have anything they must not? None of these are clear indications of whether or not that one heated night of passion will leave us with some life altering issue we can never get rid of. The only sure fire way to prevent getting any STD's or unwanted pregnancies is abstinence, which is most likely the ONLY sex "education" we're getting here in Mississippi and the reason, some would argue, that we have such high STD and teen pregnancy rates. My point is this, although it is true that abstinence is the only 100% way to stay free from STD's and unwanted pregnancies, most of us aren't willing to abstain from sex, so with that being said WRAP IT UP! Do you know that Jackson, Ms, not even the whole state of Mississippi, was number 11 on the top 25 cities for HIV? Or how about that in 2009, which by the way really wasn't that long ago (that also means the rates are most likely higher now), blacks/ African Americans made up an estimated 50% of new HIV diagnoses? Or that black teens between 15 and 19 are more likely to get pregnant, 126 per 1,000 women? Or that Mississippi is one of the top states for teen pregnancy, in 2006 it was number 3? We have got to do better! We need to learn that contraceptives are there for a reason, because we need them We need to protect ourselves from STD's and unwanted pregnancies and HIV/AIDS. We need to WRAP IT UP! I can't say it enough, if you're going to do it, at least protect yourself. WRAP IT UP!