Unprotected Soldiers
STDs Threaten Military
Fani Bogiatzis
Issue date: 5/1/09 Section: Opinion
Currently, there are an estimated one million men and 200,000 women deployed in the military who fight to protect the rights of the American people. But are their rights being protected? United States military policy strictly prohibits any form of sexual activity amongst those deployed and serving. Though these are the rules, if sexual activity occurs amongst soldiers, there is an unsaid 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. If they do tell, however, they face severe consequences that could result in the ruining of their careers and dishonorable discharge. Therefore, soldiers that do have sex risk being exposed to sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy without medical care.
There are really two sides of this debate. There are those people that believe that men and women that are deployed and serving in the military know that any form of sexual intercourse during deployment is strictly prohibited and that, by breaking the law, they deserve the consequences of their decisions, if any. On the other side of this debate, there are those people that believe while the policy is widely known and should be respected, the health of men and women is more important and should be taken care of as opposed to being worthy of repercussion.
Regardless of the stance, military sexual transmitted disease rates are estimated to be as high as those in colleges. In 2008, the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center found that soldiers infected with Chlamydia increased by 23 percent, infecting 12,039. In 2008, 2,058 soldiers were infected with gonorrhea. Major Palm, currently serving in the United States Army, stated that though women receive gynecological exams for these and several other sexually transmitted diseases, men often go untested and therefore, untreated. "We don't routinely test for gonorrhea and Chlamydia in men, unless they request it. It's just not something we do automatically…there probably won't be a change in mandatory testing. There have been studies at certain posts with urine tests, but that wasn't found to be overly effective."
There are really two sides of this debate. There are those people that believe that men and women that are deployed and serving in the military know that any form of sexual intercourse during deployment is strictly prohibited and that, by breaking the law, they deserve the consequences of their decisions, if any. On the other side of this debate, there are those people that believe while the policy is widely known and should be respected, the health of men and women is more important and should be taken care of as opposed to being worthy of repercussion.
Regardless of the stance, military sexual transmitted disease rates are estimated to be as high as those in colleges. In 2008, the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center found that soldiers infected with Chlamydia increased by 23 percent, infecting 12,039. In 2008, 2,058 soldiers were infected with gonorrhea. Major Palm, currently serving in the United States Army, stated that though women receive gynecological exams for these and several other sexually transmitted diseases, men often go untested and therefore, untreated. "We don't routinely test for gonorrhea and Chlamydia in men, unless they request it. It's just not something we do automatically…there probably won't be a change in mandatory testing. There have been studies at certain posts with urine tests, but that wasn't found to be overly effective."
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