STD Prevention Funds Passes House

None by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) The number of sexually transmitted diseases reported in Utah is skyrocketing. Representative Phil Riesen is sponsoring a bill to stop the epidemic from worsening.

"The hope is we just inform people beyond what they may already be informed about to help them seek treatment, because without treatment it will cause sterility and infertility," Riesen said. "And, I think that is the last thing any of us want to see happen to anyone."

Riesen's proposal passed the House Friday, and now heads to the Senate for consideration. The bill allocates $350,000 each year to the Utah Department of Health to educate the public about STDs, the consequences if untreated, and where to go to get treatment. The bill also requires the health department to inform the public that abstinence and fidelity are effective ways to prevent contracting and spreading STDs. Representative Lorie Fowlke testified in favor of the program, saying it is greatly needed, even in her district in conservative Utah County. That prompted a question from House Majority Whip Gordon Snow:

"Did you draw a correlation between these diseases and conservatism?" Snow asked.

"I guess you could make that argument," Fowlke responded.

 

According to Fowlke, Utah County has the third highest chlamydia rate in the state. In 1996, there were 101 cases, which rose to 457 cases in 2007. Gonorrhea numbers also increased over the same time frame, from 4 to 31 cases.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2009 KCPW