TO THE EDITOR:
I’m a little confused about Maggie Budd’s article titled: “Experts say testing is key for maintaining sexual health.”
The article illustrates well the benefits of periodic testing for sexually active students, and I particularly like that it attempts to dispel the notion of symptomatic STDs while not enforcing testing periods, saying “(a student’s testing period) kind of depends ... (but) at least annually.”
The article, however, seemed to diverge from its course; the ending quote from the respectable Claire Farel seems to be indicating a very mild denunciation of promiscuity.
The article maintains throughout that if your sexual activity puts you at risk, then testing is important for maintaining sexual health.
To me, the article is primarily about informing students who are sexually active, and it makes no mention of abstaining from sexual activity to be the foremost “key for maintaining sexual health,” making me believe that the article intended not to insert an opinion about sexual promiscuity.
Actually, I read it as a “here’s what you need to know” article, but Farel’s quote changes the tone altogether.
I also find it peculiar that it’s the last paragraph, the quote being such a mild yet serious idea, as if it is simply stapled on by its quotation mark.
I think removing the quote would be appropriate not because it’s a mild opinion but because it seems too out-of-place for the rest of the article, and I’d welcome an article about professors’ opinions on sexual health.
