ADOLESCENTS AND PREMARITAL SEX

Adolescents and Premarital Sex

Adolescents and Premarital Sex

Introduction

"It isn't premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married." --Matt Barry

In our society, confronting and managing our own sexuality is difficult for many adolescent. Our religious and cultural heritage has had a strong direct influence on our knowledge, beliefs, and attitude on our sexual behavior. Teenagers need to take into account what are some of the consequences of becoming sexually active. Some teens do not realize that being sexual active mean being responsible and that sex is not a game and something to be experiment with unless you are going to take the precaution that come with it. Otherwise, being sexually active can be detrimental to your health and be life altering to their career and their future. At times, it is even life threatening. Studies have shown that young teenager do not practice safe sex because sex is not something to value anymore (Eugene, 1999). They do not see the point in waiting for the person you are going to marry and share a powerful bond of love for each other. In the U.S many and more people are becoming divorced or being abused by their spouse. Numerous of teenager has given up on word marriage and view sex not something that should be treated with respect and sacred between one partner.

A straightforward scripture related to sex outside of marriage is -

“Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.” 1 Corinthians 7:2 - NKJV

You then get a very good idea of the view offered in the New Testament about premarital sex by putting that verse along this scripture portion,

“ For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 - NKJV

Risks

There are such high risks involved when becoming intimate with your partner, such as becoming pregnant, suffering emotionally and catching diseases which all lead into more dilemmas. When a young adolescent mother becomes pregnant, she suffers serious socioeconomic and personal hardships. Teen moms reduce their probability of graduating from high school, having high rate of being poverty stricken, and having low self esteem. It does not only affect the mothers, but the child. Young mothers who are between the ages of 14-16 are more likely to have medical birth complication, such as anemic or toxemia. Their children are more likely to have low birth weight and come out premature. Also, they are likely to suffer from cognitive and psychosocial disorders (Blau and Gullotta, 1997). The most common one is attention deficit disorder. After the baby is born, a large number amount of mothers resent the child, and as a result into mental or physical abuse towards the child could occur. Young fathers are also known to suffer from ...