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That is a made up statistic itself. Why would someone take the time to calculate how many statistics are wrong?

That said, it was a study among a group of girls, a large group, and in that study 1 in 4 of the girls had an STD. That is how people come up with most statistics. Obviously, they couldn't test every girl in the country for STDs. Even if one in four girls statistically has an STD, it doen't mean it's HPV. There are lots of different STDs out there, some are more serious than others. HPV just gets all the hype because it is one of the most popular and it can cause cancer.

Doing a study like that is not to say that 1 in 4 teenage girls has an STD. It's to show that there is an STD problem among teenagers. If 1 in 10 girls had an STD, I would be worried. But it is not a made up statistic.

My friend Julie Ponzi takes on this subject over at No Left Turns today. Without getting mired in the question of whether or not to vaccinate, she steps back, takes a breath, and writes: "People who say it’s 'all how you are raised' are wrong about the 'all' part but they’re more correct than not. The trouble is that so many of us have abandoned the responsibility of raising sensible teenagers because we have listened to the siren song of those who also tell us that we shouldn’t get too excited over their antics. Kids will be kids. Yes, but that should be what we tell ourselves so as not to get discouraged as we try to teach them how to be adults. It’s not an excuse for not putting in the effort."

There's more. I recommend the whole thing.

needs to be given to every girl my age.

I'm 13, and no matter how unlikely it seems, I know multiple girls who've already had sex at least once, or who plan to soon.

one of my friends has already contracted HPV from unprotected sex.

It's not as easy as "condoms being given out like Chapstick". Schools use the "abstinence only" method, and it does nothing.
they don't teach you about condoms, just that they protect you from disease and pregnancy, but that's it.

No 14 year-old girl wants to go out and buy condoms from the store, because that's really embarassing, and it makes them seem dirty. I whole-heartedly believe the statistics, because I know people who've been there,had STDs.

so don't say you don't believe them until you know what you're talking about.

...are made up on the spot. Seems to me they're trying to sell the vaccine with scary new studies. It is very easy to lie with statistics.

That said, the thought is in fact scary, even to a cynical person such as myself.

I'll point to a relevant comment in the Feministing link above:

Where is the study that shows how young women are getting these STDs? Why is the burden and spotlight only on young women? What are young men doing that is leading to "high risk" behaviors and leading to young women being "infected?" I think it is important to look at the risks for young women and educate and spread resources accordingly, but it is very short-sighted to assume this is a problem only for young women.

I disagree with the quibble over the word "infected," but otherwise agree: It take two to tango.