Safe Sex
Teen Pregnancy - Your Thoughts (U Tell Us)
Hey, everyone! Here are your submissions from this week’s theme! What do all of your friends on PPJs think about teen pregnancy? Do you agree with them? Read below to find out!
It Is Preventable
Teen pregnancy makes me sad, because it's so preventable! 16 year-olds are not supposed to be having babies, they're supposed to be in high school having fun. I have a 1 year-old niece, and when I got out to the mall or something with her, I get a lot of "looks" from strangers, and I feel judged because they think she's my daughter. It's also so tiring to take care of her all day. I can only imagine the life of a real teen mother. I think it's incredibly unrealistic to assume all teenagers will be abstinent until marriage, which is why it's so important to practice safe sex and be careful!
liza, 19 from Florida
The thing about teen pregnancy that annoys me is that it is 100% preventable! Of course, if you forget about birth control (which, incidentally, many future teen parents did...) abstinence is the safest way to go. However, something as simple as realistic Sex Education in schools is another great preventive measure. Simply telling teens "Don't have sex!" isn't going to help stop the spreading of STIs or teen pregnancy. Sex Ed that covers all options, abstinence AND birth control, is the smartest thing for teenagers. You wouldn't believe how many pregnancies happened because some kids thought "pulling out" was a real method of birth control! Another myth - you can get pregnant if you have sex standing up. Widely heard and often accepted ideas such as these that often lead to teen pregnancies could easily be debunked in the classroom. Realistically, teen pregnancy is going to happen, but it could easily happen less often if schools ditched the religiously guided Sex Ed curriculum and integrated new and improved methods of dealing with the sexually active generation of teens.
Jalice, 17 from Pennsylvania
It's a Big Deal
Teen pregnancy is a big deal. I'm speaking from first hand experience. I have a ten month old son. And not only am I a teen mom, I'm a single teen mom. His father has absolutely no participation in his life, at all. Don't get me wrong, my son is the most amazing thing that has every happened to me, I love him more than life itself, but there are so many things girls don't consider when they aren't being safe when having sex. I'm not going to sit here and tell people not to have sex at all, because I've been sexually active since I was 16, but if you're going to be sexually active at a young age, you should definitely be careful.
Meg, 19 from Pennsylvania
My Opinion
Leah’s comment: Teen pregnancy is a very common occurrence nowadays, which is sad and definitely preventable. I believe if you are going to be sexually active, you MUST use protection every time. Condoms, birth control - there are many other forms of protection that are accessible to almost everyone. And if something goes wrong, there’s the Plan B pill, which is not birth control but an emergency contraceptive. It’s not as reliable as regular birth control which is why you shouldn’t use it every time you have sex, but it’s a backup plan for those you are concerned with getting pregnant. I know many teenagers, mostly my friends who got pregnant at 15, 16 and 17, and their lives are changed drastically. Abstinence is the best option by far, but instead of preaching abstinence I’m going to tell you to always use birth control.
Secret Life of the American Teenager
If you have seen Secret Life of the American Teenager, you know what it's about, but I'm going to explain it just so people who don't know will know!
The show is about a girl, Amy, who has sex. It was only her first time, but she still got pregnant. In the first season, the show was circled around how hard it was for her in her day to day struggle to go to school and to be pregnant. But all around her, there was still drama going around with having sex. Basically, if you really look at it, the show is written around convincing teens not to have sex.
In the second season, Amy has the baby. It now shows her struggles of taking care of the baby. She is always tired and upset about how she can't do other things that normal high schoolers can do.
It really is a great show! Be sure to check it out!
(This show has a rating of PG – 13, so always get the “all – clear” from a parent if you are under 13.)
Next Time On U Tell Us:
Child beauty pageants. As you probably know, there are many beauty competitions out there. But how do you feel about children competing in them at as young as nine months old? Are you for it? Are you against it? Were you a child beauty pageant star? Submit, submit, and submit! See ya next time!
If you have any ideas for a theme you'd like to see, don't be shy, go ahead and submit it!
Tags: pregnancy, babies, teen, safe sex, abstinence, american teenager
World AIDS Day (Sex Ed 101)
Today is WORLD AIDS DAY!
Remember everyone, safe sex is sexy. Protect yourselves and your partners. The price of a condom isn't too much in comparison to what you could be paying if you happen to be infected with any sexually transmitted disease, especially HIV.
Check out the World AIDS Day 2009 website for real life stories, facts, and much more.
And if you use Twitter, use the hastag #Red in your tweets for them to turn red for today to raise awareness.
Tags: condoms, safe sex, hiv, aids, world aids day, december 1st
But I Didn’t Do Anything Wrong! (Sex Ed 101)
Anonymous, 17 writes...
Firstly, thank you so much for giving the great advice you do. Thanks to reading your site, I did not regret or feel ashamed of my first time having sex and I waited for the right moment, as well as knowing how to protect myself and what to expect, so thanks!
My boyfriend and I have recently started having sex, and everything is going great. I'm on the pill and we use a condom so I know we're protected, and I don't regret anything. However, the other day my Mum decided to randomly empty out my bin, and instead of taking out the plastic bag she simply tipped out the rubbish, and to her surprise she found a condom. She completely flipped out, and told me I need to clean out my old bin, and that her and Dad expected more of me, and that I should not on any account be doing that in our house. Obviously I was quite embarrassed by this, but I was more upset. Most of my friends parents would not have had that reaction, rather checking that their daughter was OK, and everything was going well and even congratulating them on being safe!
I am 17 and legal (in Australia), so I felt like even though I had waited and made the right choice, they were condemning me for something that is completely natural, and it's something that I should be ashamed of. How can I get over this feeling that I've done something horrible when it's such a taboo subject in our family? Thank you
Brittany says...
I think the best way to approach this situation is to look at it from your parent's perspective.
I don't know how close you are to your parents, but I'm really close with my mom and I know for a fact, had she found out someway besides me telling her that I was having sex would be devastating. I'm sure your parents are very happy that you're choosing to have sex safely, but finding out their "little girl" is having sex can be quite shocking, especially if they weren't prepared for it and had no idea it was coming. They also might be a little upset to think about you doing it under their roof and especially that they didn't figure it out sooner... because you know that parents like to at least think they know everything that goes on inside their house, even if they can't control it.
If you have a good relationship with your parents, or even just one of them, talking will help. Sit them down and tell them how you feel - that you're sorry for not teling them earlier and that they found out this way, that even though you're having sex, you waited for somebody you can completely trust and don't regret, that you're taking every precaution to be safe and prevent pregnancy and STD's, etc.
Talking should help a lot with how you feel and how your parents feel. It will show your parents that you're a responsible young adult and you're ready for this step in your life. Just be sure it doesn't turn into arguing, no matter what. Good luck and I'm so glad that we're able to help you out here!
Tags: sex, condoms, parents, safe sex, talking to parents