London, June 10, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Telegraph reports that the cross-party Commons health committee report says Britain faces a public health emergency caused by the failure of ministers over many years to confront the issue of sexual disease. The committee members recommend the immediate introduction of a national screening programme for chlamydia, a disease that infects one in 10 sexually active young men and women and can cause infertility. MPs also criticise sex education for placing a “mistaken emphasis” on sex at the expense of young people’s wider concerns about relationships. The Telegraph report says syphilis rates in Britain have increased by 500 per cent in the past six years and rates for gonorrhea have doubled. Rates for teenage pregnancy remain the highest in Europe. At the same time, poor adherence to HIV treatments is promoting the development and transmission of resistant strains of HIV. MPs warned of their “serious concerns” that the spiraling cost of HIV drugs would continue to deplete the resources needed by support services for sexual health. David Hinchliffe, the committee chairman, was reported as blaming the spread of sexual disease on people being unwilling to talk about sex openly, resorting instead to a nudge and a wink.
The Telegraph report does not mention that there were discussions about what has been elsewhere proving to by far the most effective solution to the sex disease crisis – a program to change sexual behavior with an emphasis on chastity and faithfullness. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/06/11/nstd11.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/06/11/ixhome.html