Hard to imagine that Confucius would condone any “relationship” that has one partner seeing the other as essentially nothing more than “a pot”. Moreover, as you note, the emphasis on one’s own bodily desires, which on its own is clearly not problematic as it is a part of our natural constitution, becomes neurotic when it is pursued at the cost of the cultivation of human relationships. Lastly, it’s hard to believe that a person who regularly visits women who are seen as “pots” will then be able to “shut off” the dispositions this builds up when that person interacts with his own family/loved ones. As the Confucian makes clear, there’s no compartmentalization of life. What you do in one “sphere” ripples out into the others eventually. You become what you do.

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Bloomberg — One in four teenage girls in the U.S. had at least one common sexually transmitted disease, according to the first national study to assess combined rates of the most common STDs among young women.
About 3.2 million women between ages 14 and 19 had human papillomavirus, chlamydia, genital herpes or trichomoniasis. That number would be even higher if less-common diseases such as HIV/AIDS, syphilis and gonorrhea were included in the analysis, according to the report released today by the U.S. Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sexually transmitted diseases cost almost $15 billion to treat annually in the U.S., and more than half of those infected are under 24 years old, according to the Atlanta-based CDC. About half the young women in today’s study reported having sex, and 40 percent of sexually active women had STDs. HPV, a virus that causes cervical cancer, was the most common infection, prevalent among 18 percent of the teen girls in the study.
What we found is alarming,'' said Sara Forhan, author of the study and a researcher at the CDC's division of STD prevention.One of the things that we think is particularly important is how fast the STDs appear. In those young women who report sex with just one sexual partner in their lifetime, the prevalence of STDs is 20 percent.”
The study analyzed data from 838 teenagers who participated in a national health study in 2003 and 2004. Researchers used the nationally representative sample to project rates across the U.S. The second most common infection after HPV was Chlamydia, found in 4 percent of the young women.
Gardasil Vaccine
Merck & Co.’s Gardasil vaccine, approved in June 2006, protects against HPV that causes cervical cancer and genital warts. The shot is recommended for women aged 9 to 26 and is approved for funding through the U.S. Vaccines for Children program in all 50 states. Gardasil has become one of Merck’s top-selling products, with $1.48 billion in sales last year. About 10 percent of women ages 18 to 26 have received the shot, according to the CDC.
Chlamydia often infects people without causing symptoms, and as many as 2.8 million Americans may have it. Without treatment, the disease can cause pain and permanent damage to the reproductive system. Women are especially susceptible to harm from Chlamydia, which can cause infertility.
Genital Herpes caused by type 2 herpes simplex virus can stay in the body for a lifetime, though its symptomatic blister outbreaks often decrease with time. Most people who carry the incurable disease never show symptoms and spread the disease without being aware of it. Trichomoniasis is a painful parasite infection occurring in both men and women that’s curable with prescription drugs.
Reducing Infections
The CDC is trying to find ways to lower rates of infection in minorities, especially blacks, who suffer from sexually transmitted diseases at rates several times higher than whites. Almost half of young black women had an STD, compared with 20 percent of young white women, according to today’s report.
The report was released at the National STD Prevention Conference in Chicago. A separate study released today showed that most women who sought contraception from their doctors weren’t getting counseling on STD prevention or being tested for infections.
The national survey of adults ages 15 through 44 found that women were almost twice more likely to receive contraceptive services than STD services. About a third of women who sought services related to unprotected sex, such as pregnancy testing or emergency contraception, didn’t receive STD counseling, testing or treatment.

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