Why Wait

Approximately one million teenagers become pregnant each year and approximately 2.5 million contract a sexually transmitted disease.

Sexual activity at earlier ages has proven to adversely affect many teenagers’ sense of self-worth.

In order to improve the training in counseling teenagers on sexuality it is important to understand their current behaviors.

There is strong evidence that behavioral interventions work. More intense interventions, as defined by face-to-face contact, using a multidisciplinary approach and multiple formats, result in better cessation outcomes. However, even brief counseling increases overall abstinence rates. Effective counseling can also be provided by a wide variety of health care professionals, in addition to the patient’s primary care physician.

Young people who want to avoid poverty and dependency can do three things: complete high-school; get a job, even a low-paying one; and have children only within marriage. Unmarried teenage mothers have slipped out of school, out of the economic mainstream, and into dependence.

Open discussions

Why do teenagers have sex?

Decisions made today will effect the rest of your life.

Hormones raging.

When does a person become an adult?

To be loved, accepted, rebel, low self worth

Consequences of teen pregnancy

Parents & friends

Consequences of sex

What are the Moral consequences

It there really such a thing as protected sex? Failure rate

Abortificient nature of pill

White girls growing up fatherless are two and a half times more likely to have a child out of wedlock. For a fatherless white child, the chances of finishing high school drop 40 percent; for a fatherless black child, they drop 70 percent. Yet, as welfare recipients increased in number, in some neighborhoods, children dependent not on a father and mother but on the state became the norm rather than the exception. In these areas, welfare programs are the dominant legal economic force, and recipiency is common among young women.

Unfortunately, only 58 percent had received formal instruction about resisting pressure to engage in sexual activity.

Sexual abstinence is practiced in every country in the world and is the only sure way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. Abstinence, or the action of refraining from sexual activity, has been used for centuries in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies. In fact, abstinence is a normal and acceptable practice used by men and women of all ages who are not yet prepared to accept the risks of sexual activity.

Did you know that among teens, abstinence is the most popular method of birth control? Among people aged 15-19, fewer than half have ever had sex. Over one in ten women of reproductive age have never had sex at all.

Why Sex?
When you are feeling close to another person, it may seem natural to progress from hugging and kissing to sexual intercourse. Many people use sexual activity and intercourse as a way to express love, tenderness, and affection. However, emotional affection can also be expressed in alternative ways, and this can circumvent many of the risks associated with intercourse. Enjoying a walk on the beach, a romantic dinner for two, or just a night at the movies can illustrate the same meaning inherent in sex and also allow for the formation of a deep emotional bond. Refraining from sexual activity doesn’t mean that you aren’t interested in expressing affection for your loved one. To the contrary, abstinence can open up opportunities to developing meaningful communication with your partner.

 Unlike other animals, humans are able to associate sexual behavior with their psychology and emotions. We are able to control our sexual urges and evaluate our decisions unlike the rest of the animal world. As a result, humans are able to engage in a relationship based on sexual fidelity. A lot of couples find that sexual behavior is more rewarding when explored in an atmosphere of deep commitment, and one in which the possibility of children may be explored. Not all men and women are prepared for such a commitment and thus choose to abstain from sex until they are in a monogamous relationship.

Why Abstinence?
Abstinence is everybody’s first method of contraception. It is 100% effective in safeguarding against sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy. However, sexual abstinence can be a hard thing to practice. Young people especially find the drive of hormones and curiosity difficult to overcome. If you want to practice abstinence, try avoiding high-pressure situations like empty dorm rooms and the back seat of automobiles. There are many pressures in society that make it difficult to save sex. Though it will be hard, you may find that abstinence is far more rewarding then you ever thought it could be.

Considering sex? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Does having sex before marriage agree with my own morals? (Talk it over with someone who shares your values.)

If I get pregnant, am I prepared to manage single parenthood? (That is a lot of work for one night of fun.)

If not, am I ready to deal with the pain of abortion or adoption? (Most people aren’t.)

Do I really know this person? (It takes months — here are some types of men to avoid.)

If the relationship breaks up, will I be glad that I had sex with this person? (How will you feel later?)

Is he pressuring me to have sex? (Mental doubts could be a signal to back-off.)

Am I pressuring him to have sex? (Resentment could be a result.)

Am I sure that my partner is not infected with a sexually transmitted disease? (AIDS can be deadly.)

Am I sure that I’m not infected with a sexually transmitted disease which I could give my partner? (That would not be an act of love.)

If the answers to any of these questions is “no,” then it’s sensible to wait. If you have been sexually active, get yourself tested for STD’s. If you need to talk to someone about your relationship, visit your local pregnancy center for free counseling. Sex is fantastic — with the right person at the right time.

Questions.