In the society in which we live in today, unprotected sex is a relatively common thing for teens. At first intercourse, twenty-two percent of teenage females do not use any form of contraceptives. Teens seem to forget the huge consequences that engaging in unprotected sex has. Unprotected sex can lead to several different negative things. Sex without contraceptives such as condoms is very risky and it is not worth the consequences that may arise. Unprotected sex can lead to unexpected pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. No one should want any of the two, so why would people engage in such risky and dangerous behavior.

Sex without contraceptives is very dangerous and risky. Unprotected sex should be practiced only by married couples because they are the most qualified people to have children. A child born out of wedlock will usually experience hardships that other children will not. When a female gets unexpectedly pregnant, it can lead to several other negative things to the child. Seventy-eight percent of teenage birth occurs out of out marriage. If a child is born without a father figure in its life, the possibility of the baby succeeding in life greatly diminishes. No baby deserves to be in that predicament. The baby is not at fault that the parents made a bad mistake. Not only does unprotected sex lead to pregnancy, but it also leads to sexually transmitted diseases. As mentioned above, one in four sexually active teens is infected with an STD. Sexually transmitted diseases tremendously affect a person's lifestyle. Not only do STD's affect people physically, but also mentally. A person cannot live the same lifestyle as he or she did before the STD. A person with an STD would not be seen the same way as a person without one. One of the worse things about STD's is that most are not immediately apparent, thus easily infecting other people through unprotected sex. Certain diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea are more abundant in teens than in older people. The fact that those diseases are more abundant in teens is outrageous because teens do not engage in sexual relations as much as older people. The abundance of those diseases in teens is a direct result of the teens’ inconsistency in the use of contraceptives compared to older people. Any way you see it, most unprotected sex will almost always eventually lead to something negative, with very few exceptions.

The increasing availability of contraceptives has lowered the teen pregnancy rates around the nation. Statistics show that between 1990 and 1996, the teenage pregnancy rate decreased by 17%. The main reason for decreases in the teenage pregnancy rate is the rising amounts of contraceptives. More effective methods of contraception account for 80% of the major decrease in teen pregnancy. Those statistics show that with the rise of contraceptives, the pregnancy rate has gone down. If more teens used contraceptives, the pregnancy rate would be even lower than it is now. I believe that in the future, teen pregnancy will get even lower than it is today because society knows that with contraceptives, the rate can be decreased.
Statistics also show that 78% of all teenage pregnancies are unplanned, and that is higher than any other age group. I think that the main reason for that high number is because teens are the most inconsistent age group when it comes to using contraceptives. The teens seem to be learning their lesson about teen pregnancy because of the decreasing rate every year. Nowadays there are a variety of contraceptives which include the pill, condom, implant, withdrawal, injectables, and others. The most common contraceptive for teenage females is the pill (44%), then immediatley trailed by the condom (38%), then injectable (10%), then withdrawal (4%), and finally implant (3%). The variety of contraceptives is not always a great thing. People tend to forget that the only contraceptive that protects against STD’s is the condom. I consider the condom to have the best of both worlds, it protects against STD’s and it is also a safe method of birth control. The condoms is are the cheapest and most accessible contraceptive. I think that the riskiest contraceptive is withdrawal because a female can still become pregnant even through withdrawal.

The media has played a major role in the decrease of teenage pregnancy. Commercials and infomercials advertising different methods of contraceptives are displayed nearly every night on networks primarily viewed by teens such as MTV and BET. In today’s society, messages urging the use of contraceptives are all around teens. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, teens did not have nearly the amount of knowledge about contraceptives that the teens of today have. The certain networks have done a great job in advising and teaching teens about contraceptives. The networks have given the teens of today a advantage over the teens in the past decades. Even though someone may have a different point of view, he or she should accept the fact that contraceptives have a direct effect on unexpected pregnancy.

All babies should be accepted and loved. I don’t want to make it seem like all teen pregnancy is negative and should never be accepted. A life is a life, a baby born from a teen couple should get the same love as a baby born from a married couple. I just believe that it should and could be prevented. The sad fact is that 78% of teen pregnancy is unplanned and unexpected. With more contraceptives on the market, the pregnancy rate will probably decrease. Every year, nearly one million teenage girls become pregnant. An increase in contraceptives would also improve lives. Statistics show that 1/3 of pregnant teenage mother receive mediocre prenatal care. The babies born from teen couples most likely live a harder and tougher life than other babies. Babies born from teenage mothers are more likely to be sick and in need of more health care than babies born to older couples.

Certain contraceptives, specifically the condom, also protect against sexually transmitted diseases. A rise in contraceptives will probably also lead to a decrease in STD’s. With teens’ inconsistent use of contraceptives, they are a major victim of common STD’s. Three million sexually active teens get infected every single year. In order to put that number into perspective, that is one in four sexually active teenagers. One in four teenagers is a scary number because about 75% of 18-19 year-olds is sexually active. Common STD’s such as chlamydia and gonorrhea are more common in teens than in older adults. The abundance of those STD’s in teens is surprising because a much bigger percentage of older adults are sexually active. I believe that the rates of STD’s in people should decrease as condoms become even more accessible.

Bibliography

Meltz, Barbara F. "College Can Present New Dilemnas About Sex." Boston Globe. 19 Aug 2004: H4.

Phillips, Angela. "Comment and Analysis: It is Time We Adults Grow Up: We Now Know that Comprehensive Sex Education Cuts Pregnancy Rates. It Should Be Compulsory." The Guardian. 1 Jul. 2005: 26.

Shelton, Debra L. "Keeping HIV Secret Admitting to a Partner that One is HIV Postive is an Emotional Step that Many Avoid, experts say." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2 Feb. 2006: A1.

Weich, Susan. "Partners for Woman with HIV: up to 100?" St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 15 Feb. 2006: B5.

"Children's Hospital Westmead; Sex Depictions in Popular Movies of the Past Two Decades Lack Safe Sex Messages." Aids Weekly & Law. 22 Dec. 2005: 14.

"Contraception; Pregnancy More Likely From One Act of Unprotected Sex than Previously Believed." Women's Health Weekly. 1 Jul. 2004: 40.

"Teen Sex and Pregnancy." __Facts in Brief__. Guttmacher Institute. Sep. 1999 http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_teen_sex.html

 Create your own educational wiki!HelpPublic, not yet premium Privacy Policy RSS