Abstinence and Teenage Pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy seems to be a rising concern in todays soceity with the promiscuous nature of the teenage population. The glamourized importance of sex has lead to the decrease in the age at which sexual activities begin, in some cases that age being as low as 12.
No matter how determined we may be to stop this, can we? Can we make the media stop advertising sex everywhere? Do we even have the right to tell them what they can and can't produce? Can we make peer pressure cease to exist? How can we reach the teenage generation?Questions like that make this teenage pregnancy epidimic seem like something we can't stop, but I don't believe thats true.
Obviously, it would be best for teenagers to wait to have sex, wouldn't it? If they aren't having sex, they can't get pregnant or impregnate others. Abstinence has many wonderful benifits. If it was practiced by everyone until they were in a safe, monogamous relationship, unwanted pregnancies would drop drop signifigantly. STD transmission wouldn't be a problem. So I can easily see why teenagers are encouraged to practice abstinence and many are exposed to abstinence education programs through their schools. Even though abstinence is a good thing, I don't think only teaching it is a smart choice to make.
No matter how much this concept is preached at the youth, there will always be those who don't listen. In fact, according to statistics the majority of them aren't. Safe sex should be something that has more importance placed on it. In multiple health classes this concept isn't even discussed. The idea of sex is simply presented as "You're abstinent or you're just stupid." That isn't fair, because other alternatives do exist. It would be better to provide teenagers with the knowledge they need to understand sex, acting as if it is something vile and dangerous is misleading. We have to explore all of our options to deal with teen pregnancy. This isn't a subject we can afford to be idealistc about, the future of the teenage generation is at stake.
No matter how determined we may be to stop this, can we? Can we make the media stop advertising sex everywhere? Do we even have the right to tell them what they can and can't produce? Can we make peer pressure cease to exist? How can we reach the teenage generation?Questions like that make this teenage pregnancy epidimic seem like something we can't stop, but I don't believe thats true.
Obviously, it would be best for teenagers to wait to have sex, wouldn't it? If they aren't having sex, they can't get pregnant or impregnate others. Abstinence has many wonderful benifits. If it was practiced by everyone until they were in a safe, monogamous relationship, unwanted pregnancies would drop drop signifigantly. STD transmission wouldn't be a problem. So I can easily see why teenagers are encouraged to practice abstinence and many are exposed to abstinence education programs through their schools. Even though abstinence is a good thing, I don't think only teaching it is a smart choice to make.
No matter how much this concept is preached at the youth, there will always be those who don't listen. In fact, according to statistics the majority of them aren't. Safe sex should be something that has more importance placed on it. In multiple health classes this concept isn't even discussed. The idea of sex is simply presented as "You're abstinent or you're just stupid." That isn't fair, because other alternatives do exist. It would be better to provide teenagers with the knowledge they need to understand sex, acting as if it is something vile and dangerous is misleading. We have to explore all of our options to deal with teen pregnancy. This isn't a subject we can afford to be idealistc about, the future of the teenage generation is at stake.
I agree but I think more support should be give to teen mums,they should be treated with respect and have someone they can talk to.
LittleMissGreenday, January 7th, 2008 at 05:11:45am
Here in Romania hundreds or maybe thousands of girls get pregnant at 11,12 years.And nobody is going to do anything because authorities don't care,since they don't get any money for trying to stop this horrible thing.
Micro Sheep, June 18th, 2007 at 11:29:13am
They started teaching sex ed classes when I was in third or fourth grade. I can't really remember which. But through all those years and classes, I can't remember the teachers really telling us about condoms or anything other than abstinence.
whyamIstillhere?, June 12th, 2007 at 02:45:18pm
There's a pregnant ten year old in the fifth grade at the middle school where I live.
Billie's Willie, June 12th, 2007 at 11:04:36am
I just read a news article about 3rd graders who had an orgy when the teacher left. It's getting pretty ridiculous.
Buddy Christ, June 12th, 2007 at 10:10:56am
I uh..yeah...teenage pregnancy hits a little close to home here.
As for advertising, it can probably be decreased, but if you have a mind like mine, you're gonna relate almost everything to sex no matter what it is.
And abstinence- it's way easier said than done.
Oh Kiss me Deadly- What's so hard about condoms is that people DO use them but they're so f*cking unpredictable. Maybe you didn't realize that. Did you ever think that hey..they can break, and you won't even realize it until everything's all done and over?
Billie's Willie, June 12th, 2007 at 01:02:15am
Oh Kiss Me Deadly: Sometimes the condom breaks. Sometimes protection doesn't work. I think that sometimes people were smart, but still ended up getting pregnant.
And abortion. I think killing a living thing is disgusting, but if someone was raped, or if they used protection and got pregnant anyway, the only other choice is adoption. But I think that some people are just to young to give birth to a baby. The idea of a teenager pushing out a baby just seems a bit harsh. Like "Oh, you were raped? Well f*ck you, you're still gonna have those twins."
I stand firmly by the words of Bill Clinton. "Abortion should be safe, legal and rare."
Demonic., June 11th, 2007 at 10:12:42pm
Oh kiss me deadly-You say that we need to teach the youth to embrace sex as a great thing, but tellling them to just use a condom is going against that. Unless you mean the 'feeling' of sex is a great thing?
TMTCR, June 11th, 2007 at 06:51:29pm
USE CONDOM!!
what is so bloody hard bout that? the pill, condom is it that f*cking hard
yeah abstinence can work for some ppl but the answer is there CONDOM CONDOM CONDOM
we cant be scard of our sexuality sex is one great thing and its ours
the thing its not educating youth to avoid sex
the teenagers should vbe educated to embrace sex as a part of life and afront it with responsability
Dumbfuck, June 11th, 2007 at 06:47:27pm
i agree with you,
i once read somewhere that around 800 abortions are carried out during ONE SINGLE YEAR every year in my country. But i just think that we should stick to "its your own choice" and safe sex and all that. I would feel sorry and try to help people, with whome unwanted pregnancy turned out as an accident...but some teens are just damnright stupid, so let them learn the hard way if no other way will suffice. Sex sells, the media knows it and so does everybody else. I think that everything has a reason... i personally have nothing against people shagging like rabbits, its our own choice to make and if some teens go and get knocked up, well, too bad... i'm not going to lecture or criticise... they have been lectured enough and if they still go on and get knocked up, well, that just shows how clever they really are. Sorry for being bitter on the subject.
PaNcAkEs, June 11th, 2007 at 04:41:04pm
Well even in a serious relationship things can get bad and they could have a break up. Just like marriage. No relationship, even if bound in marriage is a safe thing. So really I guess sex will always be risky.
TMTCR, June 11th, 2007 at 03:40:11pm
I dont think having sex before marriage is bad; I don't ever plan on getting married. I know what you mean though, I think its better to wait for a serious relationship.
Kurtni, June 11th, 2007 at 03:33:24pm
I would say that most sexual education programs don't present sex as a nasty, dirty thing to do. In fact I can remember being told just the opposite. I agree however, that the methods of teaching abstinence is not getting across. I know quite a few people who engage in sexual activity and are much to young to be doing so. But telling them that using a condom will make it better, even though they shouldn't be doing it, is wrong. Yes we need to teach safe sex and birth control methods, but we also need to teach that having sex before marriage IS bad. If this next generation and one to come chose to wait until marriage to have sex it would greatly reduce STDs and teenage pregnancies. Will it happen? No. You're absolutely right about sex being glamorized and made to look 'fun' and unimportant. We view sex as just another thing to do. It isn't a big deal. In other places around the world, such as Africa, sex is held in very high regards. I believe that if the media would just tone it down that things would be a little better. And yes, I do believe we can help and encourage the media to so this. Talking to your local representatives could help, or even just cutting the media's sex out of your home. If you don't play it or watch it maybe the media will eventually get that sex isn't what they make it seem.
TMTCR, June 11th, 2007 at 03:16:33pm
i agree.
it's not about telling them they arent allowed to do it because its bad
they have to be educated and shown what sexuality is and what it means and teenagers should know about the consequences and take them serious.
Love, June 11th, 2007 at 02:46:38pm