We had something else to be thankful for besides family, friends and turkey this year. Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report showing that sex in the United States was noticeably in 2009. Ten percent fewer cases of gonorrhea were reported in 2009 than in 2008. And the rate of syphilis infections among women didn’t rise—something that hasn’t happened in five years.

These stats are of course great news, but I’d also like to think that they mean Americans are having safer sex in general. That could potentially mean we’ll see drops in other STDs and unplanned pregnancies for 2010. Maybe it’s just me (my university, after all, happened to rank first in Trojan’s 2010 Sexual Heath Report Card), but I feel like lower rates of STDs and unplanned pregnancy are New Year’s resolutions we might actually be able to keep.

—Meg Gibbon, 18, Contributor

Sir Richard’s Condom Company, based in Boulder, Colorado, gives a whole new meaning to killing two birds with one stone. The company’s slogan is “Doing good never felt better,” and for every condom you buy, Sir Richard’s donates one condom to countries in need. The company believes that safer sex is a basic human right. Now you can protect yourself and give back with one click of a mouse (or a trip to Whole Foods where Sir Richard’s condoms are sold).

Sir Richard’s collaborates with Partners in Health (PIH), an organization that works with poor communities to fight disease and poverty. PIH—through Zanmi Lasante, its largest project—builds community clinics in Haiti, provides free HIV care and distributes around two million condoms a year. This month, Sir Richard’s also sent rape prevention kits to women in Haitian refugee camps through its partnership with Urban Zen Foundation, an organization committed to promoting well-being.

Sir Richard’s condoms use recyclable packaging and include a warning against flushing condoms down the toilet, as it is detrimental to the environment. Environmentally conscious and for a good cause—what more could you ask for in a condom?

—Rachel Baron, 18, Staff Writer

Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t many adults consider teens irresponsible? As a teen myself, I think we deserve a lot more credit. Why, you ask? Well, an extensive study of American’s sexual activity found that condom use is common for sexually active teens. Eighty percent of sexually active guys and 69 percent of sexually active girls said they used a condom the last time they had intercourse. In contrast, over 90 percent of men over the age of 50 did not use a condom during their last sexual encounter with a date or friend. And seventy percent of that same group did not use a condom when they had intercourse with a stranger. It looks like we teens make smart decisions after all.

Of course, not every teen in America is having sex. However, those that are sexually active are making healthy decisions and practicing safer sex. Are teens really so irresponsible? I don’t think so. In fact, teens are more responsible about using condoms than adults. Now I really understand why some adults say, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

—Clarence Williams IV, 17, Staff Writer

When I was in high school, it seemed like all my classmates were “sexperts,” but really, they had no idea what they were talking about. There’s no room for misinformation, when it comes to sex, which is why I’m working with the IT Campaign at TeezITnow.com. The campaign promotes safer sex and making condoms accessible through the IT condom T-shirt. Our T-shirts, which have actual condoms on them, inspire young people to do something to prevent the consequences of unprotected sex.

Since teen pregnancy is one of those consequences, the IT Campaign is helping spread the word about the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on May 5, 2010. Today, get more educated about safer sex, take the National Day Quiz and get clear about what you need to do to be part of the solution and not the problem.

—Gema Mora, 19, Contributor

Sex: one of the most talked about, thought about and worried about topics in society. But what does “sex” mean?

In a recent survey conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, only 20 percent of college students felt that oral-genital contact was a form of “sex.” On the other hand, 98 percent agreed that penile-vaginal intercourse was sex, and 78 percent agreed that penile-anal intercourse was sex. Interestingly, the participants in the survey were only half as likely as participants in a similar study conducted in 1991 to consider oral-genital intercourse sex.

We all have our own definitions about what sex is or isn’t, but we can’t make the mistake of thinking oral-genital intercourse is a way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). While there is no risk of pregnancy during oral-genital intercourse, there are STDs, including herpes, gonorrhea and HIV, that you can get from oral sex.

Believing that oral sex is not as “serious” as penile-vaginal or penile-anal sex can unfortunately lead to carelessness when it comes to using condoms and dental dams to protect yourself during oral sex. And no matter what you consider sex to be, we can all agree that not protecting yourself is to risk getting an STD. And why not use protection now, so you don’t have to deal with an STD later?

-Melanie Johnson, 17, Staff Writer