Sex....
Now that I have your attention, the real topic of today's discussion: sex. This subject is often considered risqué or just a blatant attempt at grabbing attention. However, I make this promise: I am only doing it for the attention. In all seriousness, though, I do have some things to say that are quite important.
First and foremost is that teens should not be having sex. Period. As in end of sentence, no forthcoming qualifiers. There is NO good reason for teenagers to be having sex. Not with a condom, not on the pill, no sex at all. It's too dangerous. There are simply too many consequences.
Anywhere there are teenagers having sex, there will be pregnant teenagers. It's as simple as that. Birth control fails, teens get pregnant, consequences ensue. I don't see what is so hard to understand, but most people don't seem to get it, especially teens. They aren't ready to make the decision to have sex. With that statement made, I prepare for E-mails from angry young people who are going to tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about. I assure you I do. I am a teen myself; I know what my peers and I are capable of. We are smart; we can do just about anything we put our minds to. We are physically strong; there is no doubt that teens make the best athletes in many sports. What we are not is mature enough to make lifelong decisions, and I have no doubt that sex is a decision that will affect the rest of a person's life. Defense of my position is hard. Sure, many adults will agree with me. They have made their decisions already and have the experience to know. Unfortunately, they are not the ones I have to convince. My peers are. They are stubborn and don't always listen to reason. Still I feel I must try, if for no other reason than my own conscience.
That teens, as a whole, are not ready to make good decisions regarding sex is illustrated by the fact that they don't. In short, teens have sex, and therefore must not be making the responsible choice not to. Now of course this logic is incomplete. It leaves out an essential part: proving that having sex as a teen is irresponsible. However I don't plan to just leave the gap there. I will demonstrate that teenage sex is, in nearly all cases, a complex, dangerous and life-altering choice. If teenagers are making such a choice and are not prepared for the consequences, then they are not ready to make the decision.
Sex is a much debated, media present, hormone driven, extremely complex subject. I'll try to skip the hype and the birds and the bees. I'll assume you've heard it all before. If you haven't, stop reading now, go out and get a health textbook, and look it up yourself. I'm not a library.
First and foremost on my list is pregnancy. Often an underplayed danger, losing the spotlight to disease, it is nonetheless a very real hazard. As stated above, if sex is going on, someone is going to get pregnant. There is no 100% sure way to avoid pregnancy, besides abstinence. I don't care if someone can get teenagers to wear condoms, take the pill, and only have sex with an MD present. Birth control fails and many teens don't even use birth control. It's unavoidable. Sex leads to pregnancy, and I don't know a single teen that is ready for a child, not emotionally, not financially. If you have sex, there is a REAL possibility that you will get pregnant. (Don't try and weasel out of this one, guys. If you're making babies you can't deal with, you should be dragged out in the street and shot.) If you are not ready to settle down, get a job (permanent, not part time), and take care of any resulting children, you are NOT ready for sex.
Next up is disease. Similarly to above, there is no 100% sure way to avoid STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), besides abstinence. There are a lot of STDs out there, including the much publicized and incurable HIV/AIDS. If you have sex, you run the risk of contracting a disease that can leave you disfigured, infertile, and possibly even dead. I don't know any teens that are ready to make a decision that may condemn themselves to death.
Third, and probably the one that is most open to debate, is the emotional side of sex. There is no doubt that sex is an emotional activity that has broken many hearts, has ruined many friendships, and generally caused a lot of trouble. I don't think anyone will argue the impact that sex has emotionally. If anyone wants to, I present them with this. Sex is a hormone charged, stimuli rich, body against body, intimate act. If you don't experience strong emotions connected with sex, then there is probably is something wrong physically or psychologically. Back to the point, the major area of dissent is whether teens are ready to handle such emotionally tense situations. I am inclined to think they aren't. Human beings in general are sheep. We tend to follow the crowd fairly closely; we are heavily influenced by the opinions of others. Teens, still forming their own opinions, are swayed even easier. We (don't forget that I am a teen myself) barely have enough life experience to deal with the emotions we have in day to day life, let alone the wash of emotions caused by sex. As a teen I can tell you that I don't need any more stress than I already have. I am under assault by a thousand decisions I have never faced before. I don't want any more. I have all the emotional stimulus I need. I get almost daily doses of Joy, Depression, Anger, Fear, Happiness, Pleasure and many others. Having had discussions on similar subjects with many friends, I conclude they are in similar circumstances. Teens have enough problems as it is; sex only adds to them. Just another reason to not have sex.
Last and certainly not least is the religion issue. While I can't know if you the reader, are a Jesus Freak, an agnostic, an atheist, or even a Pagan, I do know that I am a Christian. As a Christian, I feel that premarital sex is sinful. Now, of course, the Bible doesn't say anything against teenage sex. It was common practice to get married as teenagers back then. However, the Bible makes a very strong stand on sex outside of marriage. It is wrong, no ifs, ands or buts. If you are a Christian, and truly follow Christ, then you too should be against premarital sex. Since Christian beliefs stem from Judaism, any Jews out there are in the same camp. If you are of another religion, I'm sorry I left you out, but I do urge you to find out more about what your chosen religion believes. If you're an atheist, well, the first three arguments still apply. Whoever you are, I urge you to find out more about Christ and the difference He can make in your life. He has made such a difference in mine.
In conclusion I feel that I have made a fairly strong case against teenage sex. Unfortunately, I will not convince some people no matter how hard I argue, no matter how good my logic is. I hope that you are not one of those people. I hope that my writings have caused you to see things in a different way or have reinforced feelings you already had. I like to think that one person can make a difference and will spend my life trying to prove it.
-Mixed Metaphor
Send Mail to:mixedmetaphor@yahoo.com
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