KissMeGoodnight
eLearning Series:
Your Sexual Health
Teenager
Virginity Pledges: Still a Risk for STDs?
Teenagers often have a difficult time when
it comes to their sexuality. There are many pressures they
face from their peers, the media, and their own consciousness.
It is sometimes difficult as they try to sort out the values
they were raised with along with the values they are trying
to create for themselves. In addition, many teens feel they
cannot confide in their parents.
Some
teenagers make a pledge to retain their virginity until
marriage. What is fascinating about this is that those who
pledge abstinence have the same statistics of sexually transmitted
diseases as those teenagers who are sexually active. This begs
the question of if it makes a difference if the teenagers remain
a virgin?
Those adolescents that make a virginity pledge are thought
to be less likely to engage in sexual activity throughout high
school and college. These teens are thought to have better
life outcomes and be less likely to become teen mothers. Although
that sounds great, they are also at a greater risk
for having unprotected sex when they finally make that choice. Another
part of this pledge is that most teenagers do not consider
oral sex as “sex.” Therefore, if they are not practicing safe
sex measures, then they are still at risk of contracting sexually
transmitted diseases.
The adolescents who make this pledge eventually decide to
have sex and when they do; they do not use condoms and therefore
are at a greater risk of infection. It is very important that
even if they make a virginity pledge, that they are still educated
with the different forms of protection that is available and
the reasons for their use. They should also be educated in
the different types of birth control available. A complication
to this issue is that if a young person who has made this pledge
does end up having sex and subsequently contracts a sexually
transmitted disease, the chance that they will tell their family
or medical professional are slim to none. They will be so embarrassed
that they will tell no one and then the cycle begins. They
keep quiet and continue to have sex. Their partner does not
know and continues to have sex and before you know it, the
disease is running rampant among the teenagers.
The males who do not make the virginity pledges are more likely
to wear a condom when they have sex. Significantly lower averages
of those males who make the pledge wear condoms. The rise in
the females who have pledged virginity and contracted a sexually
transmitted disease is on the increase. Interestingly enough,
more than 70 percent of the male and females who pledge virginity
have sex before marriage and when they do, they have unprotected
sex. Those who do not make the pledge also have sex before
marriage but they do use protection. Another interesting situation
with this group of teenagers is those who make the virginity
pledge are more likely to use birth control as opposed to the
teenagers who do not.
Therefore, what this creates is a group of teenagers who have
pledged virginity and often do not practice safe sex methods.
These teens are often taught that abstinence is the only option
and are not given the proper education. Teenagers who do not
participate in the virginity pledge are often more educated
on wise safe sex options. Teenagers are impulsive and it is
hard enough to maintain abstinence. Peers who do not always
follow their ideals may put pressure on other teens. Teaching
teens safe sex methods is important. All adolescents and teenagers
would benefit greatly from information on the sexually transmitted
diseases and how to have safe sex and the various forms of
birth control method.
There are proponents for both sides of the issue of virginity
pledges. Some argue that the pledges work, while others do
not agree. It is possible that if the teen chooses to participate
in a virginity pledge program they are doing so to reinforce
a private decision they have already made. If you were to consider
the virginity pledge program in this fashion, one could say
that it really does nothing to encourage the teen towards abstinence
because the teen made that decision alone. # # # # #
by KissMeGoodnight.com
: 2006
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