Facing facts: sexual health for America's adolescents: the report of the National Commission on Adolescent Sexual Health.

Compared to life in the 1950s, today's teenagers become physically mature earlier and marry later. There is a steady increase in the proportion of adolescents having sexual intercourse, and in the percentage doing so at younger ages. Moreover, almost all teens experiment with some type of sex, with largely similar patterns of sexual activity among males and females, and young people from different ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious groups. There is, however, little public, professional, or political consensus about what is sexually healthy for teenagers. SIECUS convened the National Commission on Adolescent Sexual Health in 1994. The commission believes that there is an urgent need for a new approach to adolescent sexual health, one in which adults help young people avoid unprotected and unwanted sexual behavior. Individual adults and society in general must help adolescents develop the values, attitudes, maturity, and skills to become sexually healthy adults. On June 21, 1995, SIECUS released its report on adolescent sexual health in America. This condensed version highlights key findings and recommendations of the National Commission on Adolescent Sexual Health. Sections consider adolescent development, adolescent sexual behavior in the 1990s, abstinence and sexual intercourse, the adult role in promoting adolescent sexual health, and recommendations for policymakers. A consensus statement on adolescent sexual health endorsed by 48 national organizations and the commission, as well as a listing of characteristics of a sexually healthy adolescent are also presented.