Wednesday, May 31, 2006

When Grandpa Herbie Gets Herpes

When a Miami TV station recently reported that there was an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases at a local retirement community, you coulda knocked me over with a condom. Slate's William Saletan explains here why America's seniors are getting STDs.

Pardon the term, but here's Saletan's nut graf:
One doctor there says she's treating more herpes and human papilloma virus than she treated in Miami . . . Explanations: 1.) Viagra. 2.) Your husband dies, and suddenly you're back in the singles market after all these decades. 3.) Old folks don't think about protection because they can't get pregnant. 4.) Old folks come from a generation that got no sex education as kids. Doctors' conclusion: It's time to start teaching old folks about safe sex, saying no, and how to talk to each other about this stuff.

No comments: