Abstinence
When I was a freshman my health teacher asked
the class, "How many of you plan to remain abstinent
until you are married?" I was shocked at the response.
I was the only one in the class to raise my hand. Sadly, this
is probably true for most teenagers.
Before birth control people remained abstinent
because there was a chance of getting pregnant. Sex was once
shared between married couples for the purpose of procreation,
but birth control has twisted it into a selfish act used for
pleasure. Once this redefinition of sex came along un-wed
couples began to have sex. This was followed by teenagers
becoming sexually active, and why shouldn't they? They see
it as a common thing in movies and on television all the time.
My younger brother had a teacher who was pregnant and un-married,
and she told the class that the same thing will probably happen
to them. If this is how "role models” act then
why should teenagers remain abstinent?
Many young people act on impulse or out of
peer pressure. They don't consider the consequences of their
actions until it's too late. One common example would be two
teenagers who have been dating for several months. They hear
their peers talk about sex and love as though they are the
same, so they decide to have sex. A few weeks later the girl
finds out that she's pregnant. The boy who had proclaimed
his love for her is long gone. Not only has he left his pregnant
girlfriend, he's already found another girl to "love".
Now the pregnant girl will have to live the hard life of a
single parent. People at school will think of her as “used",
and few, if any, young men will take her seriously. While
her young man will brag about his sexual exploits to his friends,
the girl will lose respect from even her closest companions.
Not all teenage boys would abandon the girl but many have.
Let's say ten years later that our teenage
mom is still a single mom. She has to work two jobs to support
her and her son. She couldn't go to college because she had
to take care of her child. The boy will now grow up with one
parent whom he sees only a couple hours a day. If his mother
is always at work then who will teach him the difference between
right and wrong? Who will tuck him into bed at night and make
sure he says his prayers? Who will make sure he doesn't watch
garbage on television, and who will make sure he doesn't become
the same man his father was?
Teenagers usually don't consider these things before making
foolish decisions. In fact, most of them probably think, "That
will never happen to me." The only way to make sure it
doesn't happen is to remain abstinent.
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