Happy Birthday Sexual Health
Seven years ago this month, then-U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D., issued a broad, bold decree in the name of sexual health. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior, it was called, put forth in plain language the need for the country to come together and embrace sexual health as a integral part of human life and responsible sexual behavior as a common goal. Satcher called it, “Only a first step … to begin a mature, thoughtful, and respectful discussion nationwide about sexuality.”
In the seven years between then and now, the nationwide discussion around sex and sexuality in the United States has not always been as civil as Satcher had hoped. Neither have the statistics that Satcher put forth changed dramatically. In many communities, and around the globe, we battle the HIV pandemic, sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy, sexual abuse, sexual discrimination, and irresponsible strangleholds on honest, accurate sexual health information.
But as science edges out ideology time and again, and as we learn more about the failings of abstinence-only education and interventions, there is hope that the work that educators, health care provider, lawmakers, and individuals do every day in the name of positive sexuality is making a difference. The struggle continues because, as Satcher said, “Doing nothing is unacceptable.”
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