By L.A. Williams
Christian Action League
October 13, 2023
Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise across the nation, and the Tar Heel state is no exception. In fact, a recent report based on CDC statistics from 2021 ranked North Carolina 10th among the 50 states with a total STD rate of 922.2 per 100,000.
Across the nation, the STD rate of 762.7 cases per 100,000 people represents a 6 percent increase from 2020 to 2021, the most recent year for which stats are available. More than 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported that year. Since 2017, gonorrhea rates have gone up 28 percent, and overall syphilis rates have increased 74 percent with congenital syphilis — the infection passed from a mother to her baby — increasing a whopping 203 percent in the past five years.
“These increased rates of STDs are alarming,” said the Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League. He said efforts to curb the spread of disease — comprehensive sex ed, increased awareness, promoting safe sex, partner notification programs, telehealth, regular testing and vaccinations — no matter how well-intentioned, are obviously not stemming the tide or improving public health outcomes.
In NC, the chlamydia rate is 603.3 per 100,000, the gonorrhea rate is 271.2 per 100,000, and the syphilis rate is 47.7 per 100,000. The CDC says sexually transmitted diseases disproportionately affect people under 25, racial and ethnic minority groups, and gay or bisexual men.
“North Carolina public schools used to teach only abstinence in sex education classes, but when Obama was elected and Democrats had strong majorities in both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly, as well as a governor in the executive mansion, the law was changed, requiring public schools to teach both abstinence and comprehensive sex education. However, it has come to my attention that a lot of our public schools are not teaching abstinence but only comprehensive,” the Rev. Creech said. He encouraged parents to check with their school districts to find out what is being taught, and/or to request to sit in on a class to see for themselves.”
Ultimately, he said rather than rely on sex ed classes or government programs to address the problem, the nation should look to wisdom from God.
“I recognize how outdated this may sound to many, but the Bible’s solution emphasizes the importance of a commitment to sexual purity and fidelity within the context of marriage. We can talk about ‘safe sex’ or ‘safer sex,” but the bottom line is sex outside of a marriage between a husband and wife in a committed relationship of mutual fidelity, is never safe,” Creech said.
“The Bible solemnly warns, ‘Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honor God with your body.’ (I Corinthians 6:18-20).”
“I think it was Dr. James Dobson who once compared sex to nuclear energy in that, when harnessed and governed, it emerges as a formidable force of immense benefit,” Creech added. “However, in the absence of control and responsible management, this potent energy source can swiftly transform from a boon into a peril, carrying the potential for profound harm and even death.”
