The Abuse No One Wants to See

Written by John Horvat II

In these times of great concern for children, sexual abuse and gun safety, there is an alarming government report on abusive behavior that seems to have gone unnoticed by major media.

The report deals with the culpable misbehavior of a large sector of the population. The number of yearly victims – some 20 million – is mindboggling. Half of these are youth – some as young as 10 or 11 – who will be scarred for life. The economic consequences of these acts are costing billions of dollars.

Such a report should have raised a firestorm. There should be loud cries of “Save Our Children.” It should have at least triggered a congressional inquiry as to the cause of this massive abuse.

But this particular problem exists in a vacuum. The crisis can easily be avoided but no one seems to care. This abuse is looked upon with indifference because it involves moral values. It is simply not politically correct to complain.

The behavior is promiscuity especially among the nation’s most sexually active sectors. The consequences are illnesses and death. The new report issued this week by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) claims that America is suffering from an “ongoing and severe epidemic” of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that is costing the nation’s healthcare system an astounding $16 billion in medical costs per year.

The report documents an estimated 20 million new cases of STDs a year that are a “severe human and economic burden” on the entire country. Youth bear a substantial burden of these infections. CDC estimates that half of all new cases occur among young men and women. Moreover, this is only part of the whole picture. The new cases plus the ongoing infections add up to an aggregated total of 110 million cases of those now suffering from these diseases largely caused by immoral behavior.

This epidemic is the result of abusive and frenzied lifestyles. The media are all too ready to cry hysterically against a so-called gun culture. And yet no one blames the Hollywood stars, media personalities, pornographers and other accomplices who have created this truly destructive culture that encourages promiscuous behavior and destroys so many lives.

Not even the financial costs appear to be cause for alarm. Some STDs, such as HIV and AIDS, require lifelong treatment and care; they are extremely costly. Others that are curable also require expensive care. The $16 billion price tag for treatment does not include the downtime of those infected and other related costs.

In other words, promiscuity is not a private matter. It weighs heavily upon the nation and the economy since over one third of all Americans are affected. Morals and economy are linked. Unless America returns to the fundamentals of Faith, family and community, there will be no end to these problems. That is but one more reason why a return to order is needed.
 


The Abuse No One Wants to See