Premarital Sex Issue - Essay Example

SOCIAL SCIENCE PREMARITAL SEX For years, researches have been carried out focusing only on ways to prevent sex before marriage, one of which is undoubtedly the seminars that bring proper knowledge regarding the issue. With all these different ideas made, still, the rate of premarital sex problem continue to increase. Centuries passed. Cultures changed and we have made the slow transition to a sexually confused nation. The question in our mind is this – “Should we condemn sex, glorify it or abuse it?” Unable to find the answer, the youth of this nation are confused a lot. Sex is like a forbidden toy, run on an operating system that is too complex to handle. The average teenager of the 21st century has turned sexually active much earlier than his predecessors. Premarital sex, it would seem, is increasingly a way of life for youth; even if it comes with the risk of pregnancy, abortion, AIDS, sexual diseases and mental conflicts. How does it begin and how does it end? Pre-marital sex in the far distant past was defined as sex with one person, which ultimately resulted in marriage. In today’s context however, premarital sex leads to month long relationships. Sex with many men/women before finally finding someone to ‘settle down with’ is the norm. Alcohol and drugs are some factors for sex that takes place on campus. There are other reasons too. The peer pressure to indulge in premarital sex is one. And then there is the internet, supplying our teenage world with all the sexual material it needs. Pornography, chat rooms, and a zillion other sites are distributing sex freely. Porn is easily accessible these days with the Internet, the Cyber cafes and the VCD parlors doing brisk business with pirated CDs. A random survey of ten of these parlors revealed that most of the business in some of the shops comes from the porn CDs’ rather than the regular movie CDs. Judging then from the popular sentiments, today’s youth believes that premarital sex is not a crime. Technology has brought in a sexual revolution. The Internet helps access so much of material on sex. All for free. This I think has contributed to the sexual awareness. There is also a lot of misinformation around.  Sex is one of the most powerful forces in our lives and we repress it at our own cost. If you let people do what they want to do, they will have sex. Period. The only exception is if people have a biological problem or have been thoroughly brainwashed, to withhold sex until marriage. Premarital sex is a huge problem in society today; the numbers are staggering. Teens everywhere are not waiting until they are married to have sex. Teens are less developed, emotionally and physically before having sex, and they are not prepared for the serious problems that come along with their decision to have sex. The world is plagued with over thirty-nine sexually transmitted diseases. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) infect three million young adults annually, out of America’s total of twelve million sexually active youths. These dangers should be painfully obvious to many of today’s youth. Among fourteen to twenty -year -olds Chlamydia is the most common STD. Chlamydia has no obvious symptoms and can even cause infertility if left untreated. Up to twenty -nine percent of sexually active adolescent girls have been found to be infected with Chlamydia. Another common disease is herpes, which causes sores and painful swelling of the genitals. There is no cure for herpes, but it can be treated. STD Gonorrhea, not uncommon among teenagers, causes pelvic pain and painful urination. Gonorrhea is one of the most frequently reported sexually transmitted disease among teenagers. This disease may leave victims sterile. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a deadly virus that kills the immune system. “Kids don’t take AIDS seriously,” said Dr. James W. Curran. “One thing they do is have sex. They have sex. They have sex. They have sex.” Cases among teens have grown sixty two percent in the past two years, and the number of teens with AIDS doubles every year. Premarital sex is the one reason that "AIDS is the sixth leading cause of death, among fifteen to twenty- four year olds. This is hard to believe that teenagers are still engaging in premarital sex, and are aware of these frightening statistics. Premarital sex is riddled with many emotional problems and mental consequences. The emotional scars are the most painful and most overlooked aspect of premarital sex. ‘Sex, especially for the first time, can leave you feeling very emotional and very vulnerable,’ says child and adolescent Psychologist Joan Kinlan. Many people have tremendous regret after sex, which leads them into depression. They begin to feel used and simply "unclean". The most severe consequence of premarital sex is psychological; the guilt that occurs is so acute that many teens look to drugs, alcohol, and suicide for relief. Guilt has long-term effects on future relationships and it haunts a person. Guilt is an awareness of having transgressed a standard of right and wrong. He or she may feel moral guilt, which makes them live with the pain knowing that, he or she has disobeyed social standards that religious people believe in. After someone experiences premarital sex there is often feelings of disappointment and feelings of regret over lost virginity. These feelings can cause tremendous problems in the relationship. When we lose something we know is valuable, we feel regret. People begin to question their love when they feel regret over a past sexual experience. So many people say, "I wish I had waited." People would be better able to establish a bond of trust and love with the person they marry, if sexual intercourse was reserved. Confusion is another emotional effect of premarital sex. This often comes from being ignorant of the differences between lust and true love. When one mixes lust and love, the concepts of giving and taking are confusing. Intercourse is so powerful that it creates a bond, often when there is little common ground between couples. For this reason sexual intercourse should be reserved.   Teenagers feel that before they engage in intercourse, they will receive no emotional effects. Many teenagers who have sex before marriage have complicated and unsatisfying marital relationships. Studies have shown that premarital sex also increases the rate of cheating after marriage. Sex cannot make a person fall in love. Also, sex cannot heal a relationship. Teenagers need to realize, once one’s virginity is gone, it is gone forever. While maturity plays a large part in the decision to have sex, it may not be enough. There is no "right" age to start a sexual relationship. It is a very individual and personal decision. People need to be aware of the emotional consequences of premarital sex. Despite what society shows us, each individual needs to make the decision of premarital sex based on the physical, emotional, social, and moral effects; because it is a fact that nothing that has meaning is easy, if your life is meaningful for you. REFERENCE Houts, Leslie A. But Was It Wanted? Young Women’s First Voluntary Sexual Intercourse. (November 2005) Journal of Family Issues 26, 1082-1102. Klusaw, Kristie A. Premarital Sex. Retrieved October 31, 2006, from www.mrjimhoman.com/klusawpaper.html Gatiss, Lee. The Difficult Issue of Premarital Sex. Retrieved November 1, 2006, from www.matthiasmedia.com.au/briefing/webextra/premaritalsex.html Read More