Educating Teenage Girls on Sex
Teenage girls have a lot to deal with these days, like school, friends, and of course their love life. Being sexually active is a big decision and can alter their life in many ways. Teen girls need to realize the consequences of their actions especially when they have to do with sex; but how are they going to know how to make good decisions if they aren’t informed about them? This responsibility is up to today’s educators and parents. Saying that sex is bad is not the way to go. They just need to inform girls about safe sex and how to avoid bad situations. Although parents and educators can only do so much, it can make a difference in the way teens act. According to Cheryl Wetzstein, author of “Sex-ed found to prolong teen virginity; Two studies concur”, “The researchers found that girls who were virgins when they received sex education were more likely to stay virgins than peers who didn't have sex education. The virgins with sex education also were more likely to stay virgins past age 15, or 10th grade. The same effects were seen among boys.” (Wetzstein). Because Teenage girls are deciding to become sexually active, parents and educators need to better inform them on the decisions they may have to make regarding social pressures, protection, pregnancy, abortion and adoption.
There is a slight controversy over sex education in classrooms today. According to Adam Tenner, Author of “Wrong On Sex Ed”, “we hear from parents and guardians that although they
are responsible for teaching their children about the moral and ethical dimensions of
relationships and sex, parents also think schools are better equipped to provide the medical facts” (Tenner). This could be a good point, but what about the kids whose parents don’t talk to them about sex or the morals at all? It doesn’t seem fair that they don’t get the opportunity to learn about the ethnical dimension of this issue. According to the National Campaign to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy, almost “50% of all high school students have had sex at least once in 2007” (The National Campaign). The same statistics state that it has been on a generally downward slope since 1991, decreasing 16%. Recently the numbers have started to rise back up. What is this saying about our parents and educators? Are they to blame?
There are many social pressures put on teenage girls to have sex. Most of it comes from other teens in a form of peer pressure. The Associated Press had an interesting article titled, “Scientists say teen brain, still maturing, is key to understanding behavior”. The article stated, “the inexplicable behavior and poor judgments teens are known for almost always happen when teens are feeling high emotion” (The Associated Press). When girls are put in a situation where they have to think fast and feelings are involved, they are almost always going to have poor judgment. Boys seem to always be competing to be better or more experienced with each other. For example, guys try and impress their friends by having sex with girls. If they don’t have any stories about getting with girls then they may get made fun of or looked at as a loser. Girls don’t usually work the same way. They tend to impress guys by “giving it up” and having sex with them. It may even be a bad thing that they have sex with a guy because other girls may look at them as a “slut”. They may feel as if guys won’t like them if they don’t give them what they want. The Associate Press article also had another interesting fact about teens responding under pressure, it says, “when confronted with stressful or emotional decisions, they are more likely to act impulsively, on instinct, without fully understanding or analyzing the consequences of their actions” (The Associated Press). This seems like a very true statement and could happen to a teenage girl very easily. I think that this is an important thing for parents to talk to their teen about, rather than other educators. This issue is less factual and more personal. Since the parents know the teen better and know how they handle peer pressure, this would be a good thing for them to discuss.
A teen girl deciding whether or not to protect herself is also a big issue. There are so many risks involved that she needs to know about, and stem from STDs. When the time comes, no one can be there telling her to protect herself, she is going to be on her own. Only “54.9%” (The National Campaign) of sexually active teenage girls use a condom during intercourse. Condoms and birth control can protect women from getting pregnant. Condoms can not only do that, but they can protect against contracting sexually transmitted infections. Tenner states:
According to the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior survey conducted in D.C. Public Schools, 30.6 percent of middle-school students said they already were sexually active. Frighteningly, 10 percent of those had had sexual intercourse before age 11. Between 2003 and 2007, reported syphilis cases among adolescents ages 15 to 24 increased by 233 percent, and reported chlamydia cases in that age group increased by 94 percent. Women younger than 18 are physiologically more vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases, and the presence of a sexually transmitted disease makes a person more vulnerable to HIV infection if the infected person comes into contact with HIV. (Tenner)
In my opinion, if she has any respect for her or her partner’s body, she will use a condom. STDs can lead to cervical cancer and infertility, which can completely ruin a woman’s life. I think that if more girls were aware of these statistics they would be taken back and maybe think twice before having unprotected sex. They need to realize how easily these horrible diseases can really spread.
When a girl contracts and STD her life will probably be changed in a big way, especially when it comes to her sex life. However, there is one thing that trumps all of that; becoming pregnant. Between 2005 and 2007, the teen pregnancy rate has increased 10%. It’s obvious that most teenagers aren’t ready to become a parent at such a young age. It is important for them to be informed about how hard it is to have a baby. Not only will they face many tough decisions, but it is emotionally draining and not an appropriate situation for a teenager. On top of that, having a baby is very expensive. Rhys Haynes, author of “How to Afford a Baby,” states, “Research shows a child's first year can cost parents between $3000 and $13,000.” Many teenagers have trouble paying for college and their car payments. Putting that amount of money one top of all their other expenses comes out to a lot.
Once a teenage girl becomes pregnant she decides either to have the baby, or abort it. Many stressful emotions come with abortion. Sometimes depression will occur, but the mother needs to think about what is best for the child. Personally, I don’t think abortion is right. It may be a burden on a teenage girl’s life to have a child, but she should have thought about that before she became sexually active. According to Haley Mick, author of “Abortion Rates Keep Dropping,” abortion rates have started to fall. Abortion rates dropped to “1.3 million to 1.2 million between 2004 and 2005” (Mick L1). The decline was surprising to me but made me happy. “Almost two-thirds of the U.S. decline was traced to eight jurisdictions that had fewer barriers to abortion and had committed to sex education” (Mick L1). In my sex education class, they did not talk about abortion much. I think they need to because it will open teenage girls eyes to how big of a deal abortion is. They may think that abortion is an easy way out, but it can come with a lot of sad emotions. When I first learned about abortion I thought it was cruel and heartless. I still feel that way and it would definitely make me think twice about protecting myself.
Now, if the mother decides to keep the baby, she has two options. She can either keep the baby or raise it herself. She can get help from her family and friends, or put the child up for adoption. Depending on the situation, either option can be fine. If she has a strong family, no money problems, and the confidence/knowledge to raise a baby, then maybe keeping it would be the best option. If she is already struggling with money, and she is on her own, keeping the baby probably won’t be the best. I feel like a lot of teens don’t understand how much it is to have a baby. “Not unlike golf or fishing, there's an endless supply of accessories for children that can suck the life out of your wallet” (Haynes). It is definitely nice for the baby to be raised by his/her actually mother, but sometimes it isn’t the smartest option. There are many people out there who can’t have children, so they open their hearts and homes to children who aren’t fortunate enough to have parents. Victor Flango, author of “Adoption Statistics by State,” explains, “The overwhelming number of adoption petitions are granted” (Flango). Many people are finally getting to adopt kids and create a family. This is an amazing thing to hear because not only are the children getting homes but the parents are getting a priceless gift. Many teenage girls may see adoption as abandoning their child and that they will regret it, but it’s not like that. They need to be informed that adoption is a good thing and can be better for the child in the long run. There are many loving families out there, ready to adopt.
A girl in my high school got pregnant our senior year, and she decided to keep her baby. She had some major obstacles to deal with because of her situation. Her family was not very supportive of her pregnancy, she couldn’t go to prom, and worst of all, she was not allowed to walk on stage at our graduation. She was constantly fighting with her mom and never really happy at home. She talked about money issues a lot. I never really knew how much a baby cost until I talked with her about it. I can’t imagine paying for all of that and also going to college. I look back on what she could have done different and it all comes down to one night. She made one small mistake, of not protecting herself. This changed her entire life and it has been a major struggle for her.
When a teenage girl decides to have sex, she may be faced with many emotions and decisions. It is important that her parents and educators try to inform her about these situations so she can try to avoid them. If she thinks she is mature enough to have sex, then she should think she is mature enough to take care of a child. According to Bill Hewitt, author of “Teen pregnancy ON THE RISE,” becoming pregnant can interfere with school too. He states, “fewer than half of all girls who become mothers before turning 18 ever get their diplomas” (Hewitt 71). Obviously female teens should try an avoid getting pregnant until they are finished college and are ready to settle down. It’s important that they are fully matured and ready for the responsibility. Some teens may think they are ready for a baby but they don’t realize how hard and expensive it can be. Hewitt also states, “Teens these days are less concerned about sexually transmitted diseases” (Hewitt). I find this sad and makes me ashamed to be a teenage girl in today’s society.
These are all important issues that sex ed classes need to cover, and some definitely do a good job. I just think that all teens need to have a sex ed class or else the statistics for sexually active teens, teen pregnancies, and teen STDs won’t go down. Even if more girls were aware of birth control sooner, it may help the pregnancy rate lower. They may see this as a free pass to have sex though, and the rate for sexually active teens may increase. Wetzstein states, “If more teens received sex education before they started having sex, it should help them keep their virginity longer, decrease the number of teens who start having sex before age 15 and increase the number who use birth control when they become sexually active”( Wetzstein). Then again, most teens under the age of 15 probably won’t be mature enough to understand the risks of having sex even if educators told them.
All of these issues can be avoided or at least reduced if teens are more informed by their parents and educators. If parents just sat down with their daughter at least once and told them about STDs and pregnancy, it would make a difference. According to the US State News, “parents should know they play a crucial role in their teen's sexual activity decisions” (US State News 1). If teens decides to have sex, then they are just going to do what they want, and they may not know the proper precautions they needs to take. The article also states the important points to cover when talking to a teen. “Be clear about your own sexual values and attitudes, talk with your children early and often about sex - and be specific, help your teenagers understand they have options for the future that are more attractive than early pregnancy and parenthood, let your children know that you highly value education” (US State News 1). It is important to inform teenage girls about pregnancy and how it can really change her entire life. After learning about STDs, and how they can lead to cervical cancer, I know I won’t let myself get in a situation where I am vulnerable. Also, after learning about the cost of a baby, and the emotional issues abortion/adoption can have on someone, my eyes are open to how getting pregnant cannot really be escaped. If educators and parents talked to their daughters about these issues more, and gave them facts, it may open the teenage girls eyes to the problems they want to avoid.
Works Cited
Flango, Victor E and Carol R. Flango. “Adoption Statistics by State.” Child Welfare. 72. June 1993.n. page. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
Haynes, Rhys.”How to Afford a Baby.” Sunday Telegraph. 17 Aug. 2008. 5. Web. 16 Nov. 2009
Hewitt, Bill. “Teen Pregnancy ON THE RISE.” People. People Mag. 71. 1 June 2009. n. page. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
Mick, Hayley. “Abortion Rates Keep Dropping.” The Globe Review. L1. 22 May 2008. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
“Scientists say teen brain, still maturing, is key to understanding behavior.” The Associated Press. 3 Dec. 2007. n. page Web. 16 Nov.2009
“Talking with your Teen Key to Preventing Pregnancy.” US State News. 7 May 2008. n. page. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
Tenner, Adam. "Wrong On Sex Ed". The Washington Times. A22. Sept. 29 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2009.
“The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy”, 2009 Web. 25 Oct. 2009. http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/state-data/default.aspx.
Wetzstein ,Cheryl. " Sex-ed found to prolong teen virginity; Two studies concur". The Washington Times. A07. 20 Dec. 2007. n. page. Web. 15 Nov. 2009
