Southern states in the US are “facing a sexual health crisis”, according to a new study.
The study compared sexual health resources, STD prevalence, reproductive outcomes, abortion policy and reproductive rights by state.
A recent study by adult store Lion’s Den analysed and ranked US states based on their sexual risk factors, identifying “where residents may face higher dangers related to sexual activity and highlighting regional disparities in sexual safety across America”. It’s a timely study, given that relationship experts previously predicted the “politicisation of sex” prior to President Trump’s inauguration.
The riskiest state to have sex is Louisiana, according to the study, with the highest STI rates in the country at 795 per 100K people. Louisiana has a full abortion ban, as per the New York Times, and abortion is banned in almost every circumstance.
The second riskiest state is Mississippi, which leads in teen births at 26.4 per 1000 teenagers who were assigned female at birth. The state also has a full abortion ban. Meanwhile, the third riskiest state is Arkansas, which also has a full abortion ban.
The second-largest state in the US, Texas, is the sixth-riskiest state. The Lone Star State has the least sexual health clinics available, with just 0.4 for each 100K residents. As a result of the lack of medical support, the state also has high rates of teenage pregnancies, with 20.4 for every 1000 teenagers assigned female at birth.
Pete Potenzini, marketing director at Lion’s Den, said: “Southern states face a sexual health crisis where residents are three times more likely to contract an STD compared to New England states, with particularly alarming rates in Louisiana and Mississippi.
“Limited healthcare access compounds these risks, as exemplified by Texas, where residents must travel significantly farther to reach sexual health clinics than the national average. These geographical disparities create dangerous ‘sexual health deserts’ where education, prevention, and treatment remain critically out of reach for vulnerable populations.”
For abortion support in the US, visit Planned Parenthood here. For abortion support in the UK and Northern Ireland, visit the NHS website here. For abortion support in Ireland, visit HSE here.
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