Teens, Sex, and Virginity - Teenagers and the Importance...

Teenagers and the Importance of Abstinence Teenagers need to be taught to practice abstinence. By learning this important lesson, youths will be less likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases, and they will be safe from unwanted pregnancies that could lead to abortions. Three million people under the age of 20 in the United States become infected with a sexually transmitted disease each year. With 66 percent of high school students having had intercourse by graduation, these numbers are not surprising (Planned Parenthood-Helping Young). The effects of sexually transmitted diseases can be devastating. Once a person contracts herpes, he must deal with it for the rest of his life. The HIV virus puts a person on the†¦show more content†¦Then, parents could show their children the story of Lorette. Just a 16-year-old student from a loving home, she has a son and deals every day with the realities of motherhood. Its really, really, hard. Ive got to get up with him during the night, then get up early for school. My mother watches the baby during the day. But in the evening, Ive got to do my homework, feed him, give him a bath, get him to sleep, and get myself ready for the next day (Teen Pregnancy-Teen Voices). Teen pregnancy is prevalent in America today, with approximately one million teenagers getting impregnated each year (Planned Parenthood-Helping Young). As of 1995, Texas had the third-highest teen pregnancy rate in America (Teen Pregnancy-State). Some teens are risking a pregnancy because of peer pressure. One 16-year-old virgin explains, Its hard to abstain when it seems like everyone but you is having sex,(Teen Pregnancy-Voices). Six out of 10 sexually active girls are having intercourse because their boyfriends want them to (Teen Pregnancy-Facts Stats). So many of these relationships are resulting in a pregnancy because teenagers are not acting responsibly. Only two-thirds of sexually active teens use some form of contraception, half of them using condoms. But condoms are just 85-98 percent effective when used properly (Planned Parenthood-Help Young). Many teenagers describe their first time as something that just happened. In the heat of the moment,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Abstinence Education1010 Words   |  5 Pagestransmitted diseases and teen pregnancies of any industrialized nation that put young teenagers at risks. It is estimate that 20,000 new cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported each year comes from people under the age of 25 and 82 percent of all teen pregnancies are accidents that account for one-fifth of all unintended pregnancies annually (CDC 2006). As a result, the government needs to stop funding and promoting abstinence only programs and start focusing on comprehensive sex education. ComprehensiveRead MoreTeen Pregnancy Should Be Pregnant Before The Age Of Twenty1504 Words   |  7 Pageshighest teen birth rate in the world, every year the United States experiences 610,000 teen pregnancies (Bleakly 2006). The figures show that three in ten adolescent girls will become pregnant before the age of twenty. People ages 15-24 represent 25 eighteen 70 percent of United States females, and 62 percent of males have had sex. About 3.2 million adolescent females are infected with the most common STI’s, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea (Bleakly 2006). The likelihood of teens having sex increasesRead More Teaching Morality More Important than Sex Education in Public Schools2259 Words   |  10 Pagesabout the nature of sex education in the nations high schools.   Studies show that 81 percent of American adults support a joint program teaching abstinence and contraception as opposed to an abstinence-only program (Roper 0316946), and 79 percent support contraception education regard less of the level of sexual activity in teenagers (Roper 0340807). The sad fact is, contraception is societys attempt at a quick fix for a problem that runs far deeper than the issue of teen sex.   In the debate overRead MoreTeen Pregnancy And Its Effects On The United States1667 Words   |  7 Pages(Frick, 2007). Historically, the highest teen pregnancy rates in the United States were during the 1950’s and 1960’s before the legalization of abortion and the development of many the current forms of contraception(Frick, 2007). Rates enlarged steadily until 1991; since then, the birth rate among teenagers has decreased 35% for 15-17 year olds(Frick, 2007). Three in 10 teen American girls will get pregnant at least once before age 20. That is nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies every year. In 2013, thereRead Moreâ€Å"Am I Going To Die† Are The Words That Are Forever Engraved1551 Words   |  7 Pagesthat was now his life. His doctor had just informed him that he w as HIV positive, just a few months shy of his high school graduation. He is just one out of the 12,000 teens that contracts HIV every year (CDC). Because the majority of adolescents have some form of sexual exposure by the time they leave high school, a comprehensive sex education program is necessary to teach them the skill and tools to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancy. The rise in STDRead MoreTeen Pregnancy Essay example1750 Words   |  7 Pagesgirls become pregnant, ways to prevent early pregnancies, the effect that a teen pregnancy have on the people around them, and the downfalls of becoming pregnant, are the ways of teaching to our youth. Teens in this nation today are starting to have sex at younger ages. Studies from the Journal of School Health have shown that kids as young as 12 years of age are starting to engage in sexual activity. We have shows such as â€Å"Teen Mom† and â€Å"16 and pregnant,† which show this connotation that it is ok toRead MoreThe Prevention Of Teenage Pregnancy Essay1513 Words   |  7 PagesAn issue that is currently plaguing American teenagers today is the access to different types of contraception. This lack of access can lead to higher rates of teenage pregnancy and an increase in sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers. The sexually active teenagers who have been given better access to contraception are less likely to become pregnant or contract an STD, in comparison to their peers who do not have access. With the prevention of teenage pregnancy, comes the prevention of futureRead MoreSex Education in High School3397 Words   |  14 PagesIntroduction My paper examines the issues relating to sex education programs in high school which has been a controversial subject since its inception. It evaluates how the recent increase in sexual activity among teenagers indicates that the subject should be revisited for further inspection and scrutiny. It shows how opponents of sexual education in schools argue that the subject promotes promiscuity and liberal sexual attitudes in teenage students whereas supporters of sexual education programsRead MoreSociety Divided By Sexual Education Program Essay1698 Words   |  7 PagesIn Panama, just last year, more than ten thousand teenagers became pregnant, leading to high rates of school dropouts and increasing poverty in certain areas of the country. In her article â€Å"Society Divided by Sexual Education Program,† journalist Rosalia Simmons exposes the different perspectives the Panamanian society has regarding the law 61, which consists of the implementation of a sexual education subjec t in the curriculum of all the schools in Panama, whose main target is students from ageRead MoreShould Tennagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control Without Parent Consent?1727 Words   |  7 PagesShould Teenagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control without the Permission of Parents? KaTrina Bacon English 215 February 2, 2012 Dr.Sharonda Johnson Should Teenagers Be Allowed to Get Birth Control without the Permission of Parents? Of all the many controversies that have affected the United States in the past decades, birth control has been one of the more important topics. Some popular birth control methods are the female and male condoms, and the birth control pill. Even though both of