ABSTINENCE UNTIL MARRIAGE “Should “Abstinence until Marriage “be the only Message for Teens?”

“Should “Abstinence until Marriage “be the only Message for Teens?”

Introduction

Adolescence is a critical development period where gender roles, sexual attitudes, and sexual behaviors are starting to take shape. If adolescences are exposed to sexual content due to media usage such television or movies, they would be more likely to undergo the potentially negative consequences of that exposure.

The influence of parenting on the perception of adolescent towards sex and the impact of sexual media is beyond sexual acts. Keep in view the significance of the issue; government has taken effective measures to prevent the negative impact of sex on the adolescent. Teenage sex prevention programs in school and college considered being most effective towards the prevention of the cause. The rest of this paper will primarily focus on the role of such programs in United States, and whether “abstinence until marriage" be the only message for teens.

Discussion & Analysis

Abstinence until Marriage

Abstinence-only programs have affected the youth positively. A study published in the year 2002 also publicized by the supporters on abstinence only education. It was found in the study that teens who undertake to be virgin till their marriage are less exposed to the intercourse; as compared to the young people who did not undertake to do so. The abstinence only sex programs in schools favored by number of groups in the U.S. All of such groups are of the view that intercourse before the marriage is not an appropriate action and is immoral. They further argue that prevention of pregnancy and STI is only possible through the abstinence-only education (Barbara, 2002).

Most of these groups argue that the intercourse outside the marriage can result in a fatal outcome. These groups also emphasize that the description about sexual activities, HIV, ...