By Troy Hudson

If you’re reading this newspaper, chances are you’re an adult. Even if it doesn’t quite feel like it yet, trust us — deadlines, complicated relationships of all kinds, the looming knowledge that you will one day have to repay your student loans — this is the stuff of adulthood. So as adults, let’s clear the air — there’s something we’re not talking about enough in our culture, and the consequences of this collective neglect are frankly alarming. We’re talking about sex, of course, and the absurd reality that nearly a third of Americans have unprotected sex “every single time.”

The disturbing statistic above is taken from a survey conducted by Superdrug Online Doctor, in which the online prescription service interviewed 1,000 Americans and 1,000 Europeans about their sex habits. What they found was a surprisingly common neglect for basic sexual protection even among people who seemed to have the most to lose from an unwanted pregnancy. Of the participants who answered “yes” to the question “I would be devastated by an unplanned pregnancy,” 19 percent said they still have sex without any protection “every single time.”

Wait, this is 2017, right? After decades of mandatory sexual education in public schools, can this statistic really be representative of our country’s attitude toward safe sex? Unfortunately, even though it is well documented that comprehensive sex-education programs are substantially more effective than abstinence-only programs offered at most schools, decentralized curricular standards make it easier for schools to provide the kind of sex education that will offend the fewest number of parents, rather than offering adolescents practical strategies for self-protection. According to surveys conducted by the National Survey of Family Growth, the number of people aged 15 to 19 who have received any formal education at all about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases has progressively declined since 2006, while exposure to abstinence-only education has increased.

What this means for college students is that many will arrive on campus with no idea of the risks they take when having unprotected sex — risks with totally unnecessary and potentially agonizing consequences. Furthermore, because sex isn’t spoken about frankly in our culture, we often don’t feel comfortable seeking out information (and no, porn is not a reliable source). Despite the cultural awkwardness around the issue, this is a case where what you don’t know actually can hurt you. So allow us at The Beacon to briefly remind you just what’s at stake should you decide to have unprotected sex.

The three most common sexually transmitted infections in America are chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. How common are they, exactly? In 2016, over 2 million new cases were reported in the U.S., the highest number ever recorded — and keep in mind these are just the cases that get reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that nearly 20 million new cases of STIs occur every year in this country. The “it can’t happen to me” argument simply doesn’t hold water in the face of such overwhelming frequency.

Of these three diseases, chlamydia is by far the most common, accounting for 1.5 million cases reported to the CDC last year, the highest number of occurrences of any kind of infection ever reported. Chlamydia affects both men and women, and is characterized by a burning sensation when urinating, but in 70 to 80 percent of cases there are no apparent symptoms at all. Women who contract chlamydia are at high risk for pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause scarring of the reproductive organs and complications with future pregnancy.

Gonorrhea and syphilis are less common, but no less serious a risk. Both can cause serious difficulties not only for those directly infected, but for children born to those individuals. We do not recommend Googling “congenital syphilis” unless you need further convincing. These diseases have haunted our species for thousands of years (accounts of gonorrhea date back at least to the Old Testament) and they have taken a terrible toll on us as a species, but the real tragedy is that today they are more rampant than ever despite the fact that we know how to prevent them. And prevention can mean nothing more complicated than a simple piece of latex (or latex alternative), available for free right now in the lobby of Spring Point Residence Hall.

As we have acknowledged, we’re all adults here. And it’s probably safe to say we’re adults who aren’t ready to contract STIs that may haunt us the rest of our lives and even affect our children. Yet we are facing a sexual-infection epidemic that we’re not talking about, and it’s getting worse. Like all things creepy and crawly, it thrives in darkness. So let’s cast a little light on the issue and start treating sex like the adult matter it is.

Our bodies are ours and ours alone, and we have absolute autonomy over our sexual decision-making. If anyone presumes to lay claim to our own sexual sovereignty or to pressure us into a risky situation, we can and should refuse unequivocally. And when we do find the right partner, proper protection doesn’t present so much a barrier to intimacy as total freedom of mind, a release into the moment rather than a spiraling into anxiety. For both men and women, there is no excuse to not carry a condom if you are heading into a potentially intimate situation. If you are of the opinion that condoms dilute the sexual experience, perhaps you should give the latest generation of ultra-thin condoms (still just as effective at preventing STIs) a try.

When there’s a chance you or your partner might have an STI, it’s common for shame and embarrassment to prevent us from seeking treatment. But these diseases are treatable as well as preventable, and the earlier a disease is diagnosed, the better the prognosis. If you’re ever not sure about something related to sex, start with a reputable online source like the American Sexual Health Association’s website at ashasexualhealth.org. And most importantly, take ownership of your own health.

Adult life has plenty of challenges and pitfalls in store for you, but by taking precautions when having sex, a devastating STI or unplanned pregnancy doesn’t have to be one of them.