Web Letters: Questions for Katha Pollitt

I have been working for over ten years to get the media and/or the government to warn teenagers and especially teenage girls on the dangers of oral sex. As part of my efforts I have written every female Representative and Senator in Washington, I have spoken to leaders at NOW, I have written and spoken to female columnists, I have written letters to Secretaries Shalala and Thompson, I have written to Drs. Gayle and Gerberding and have donated money to SIECUS.

Yet my efforts have been a total failure. There has been no effective or comprehensive warning to teenagers that oral sex as ennunciated in the CDC update of December 2000 (that was not publicized) is dangerous and causes many STDs. It has been shown by the Kaiser Foundation studies, government studies and independent surveys that 33-50 percent of teenage girls 14-18 are having oral sex. As any woman knows, oral sex is not performed with boys wearing a condom. So where are the feminists on this issue and why haven't they spoken out for all the young girls who are putting themselves at risk because they do not know the risks of oral sex to their health?

We know politicians and people in the media have no guts and will not rock the boat, whether they are female or male but surely the feminists should make sure that teenage girls know the facts about oral sex dangers.Where is vaginal politics on this issue that is endangering young girls? Where are the big-mouth women who are adroit at putting down men? Well, ladies here is a chance to save a whole generation of young girls and none of you open your big mouths while these young girls use their mouths to contract herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV. There is now the beginnings of a syphilis epidemic in many cities--isn't it time to launch a campaign to warn young girls oral sex is dangerous, or will you feminists wait until an entire generation of women have difficulties conceiving because of STDs?

Bradley Berger

Manalapan, NJ