The Controversy Of Censorship Of Teenage Sex
ABSTINENCE FROM TEEN SEX
In a time when the world is being threatened by burning issues like global warming, environmental degradation, wars, communal tensions, terrorism and utter mayhem in general it may surprise one to know that the most pertinent issue of them all that is threatening to rent our society apart is teenage sex. The youth, which is called the future of the nation, is in the clutches of a plague that has the power to destroy them physically, mentally and spiritually. It not only robs them of their health but also their emotional stability and innocence. In such a grim scenario, the only solution seems to emerge in the …show more content…
form of complete abstinence from teenage sex.
But before actually putting anything into practice we need to understand the reasons behind the pressing need for abstinence, the terrible ways in which teen sex can harm an individual and the causes behind this rapidly growing phenomenon.
The transition from a child to an adult is indeed a challenging time for any kid. The changes sprouting in his body, the surge of hormones, the growing awareness of the opposite sex and the urge to feel grown-up and independent- all this is enough to confuse a child and befuddle his thoughts. This is the time when kids start becoming aware of their own sexuality and carnal desires start springing up. This provokes an urge to experiment and sate such desires. Till the sixties this ticking of the biological clock did not cause any adverse effects. This was largely due to the fact that sex before marriage was a complete taboo at that time. Religion strictly forbade any sexual activity for pleasure and promiscuity was frowned down upon. Sex was an aid for biological reproduction only and indulgence in any sexual activity for any object other than producing progeny was considered blasphemy.
But the advent of the sixties witnessed a revolution of sorts. Sex came out of the closet and was discussed openly. Sex was no longer considered impure and unholy and was acknowledged as one of the basic physiological needs of mankind. The media and Hollywood had a huge role to play in this paradigm shift of perception. This change which was supposed to be a change for the good turned out to be the bane of modern living.
The media milked this opportunity in pursuit of more money. Sex became an object to be sold and marketed. Today children are bombarded with sexual content, sleazy photos and videos, pornography and what not. According to the fact sheet, Marketing Sex To Children, from the Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood , an overwhelming 82% of the most popular T.V. shows catering to teen audiences had sexual content, including 20% with sexual intercourse in 2003.
In 1999, 42% of the songs on the top CDs contained sexual content -- 19% included direct descriptions of sexual intercourse. On an average, music videos contain 93 sexual situations per hour, including eleven "hard core" scenes depicting behaviors such as intercourse and oral sex.
Before parents raised an outcry, Abercrombie and Fitch marketed a line of thong underpants decorated with sexually provocative phrases such as "Wink Wink" and "Eye Candy" to 10-year-olds.
TV, movies, and music are not the only influences -- the Internet provides teens with seemingly unlimited access to information on sex as well as a steady supply of people willing to talk about sex with them all at the click of a button. Teens may feel safe because they can remain anonymous while looking for information on sex. Sexual predators know this and manipulate young people into online relationships and, later, set up a time and place to meet. Sexting and online sex are fast catching up.
With this never ending barrage of sexually explicit information, teenagers grow inured to the side effects of teen sex. They grow accustomed to the idea of sex at an early age and consider it to be an important part of growing up.
A lot of children fall in the trap of teen sex owing to severe peer pressure.
It is considered height of ‘uncool’ if one has not lost his virginity by the age of twelve. They are ostracized, ignored and ridiculed. At this impressionable age, when the opinions of friends matter more than values, morals and safety, children succumb to teen sex for gaining entry into a group perceived to be ‘hep and cool’. The more partners you have the cooler you are! Stories about sexual escapades color the gossip at school and colleges. To escape the ignominy of being typecast as a nerd and a geek, children indulge in teen …show more content…
sex.
Another reason is lack of information about the ill effects of teen sex. Children are woefully ignorant of the harm that can befall them because of their inability to resist temptation. This can be attributed to poor sex education, lack of parental guidance, lack of communication and incomplete information propagated by the media.
Teens also have their own cultural beliefs about what is normal sexual behavior. Although most teenage girls believe that sex equals love, other teens -- especially boys -- believe that sex is not the ultimate expression of ultimate commitment, but a casual activity with minimum risks or serious consequences. That is, of course, what they see on TV. The infrequent portrayals of sexual risks on TV, such as disease and pregnancy, trivialize the importance of sexual responsibility. Net result- children remain oblivious of the side effects of teenage sex- and plummet into an abyss riddled by sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies.
Of the over 60 million people who have been infected with HIV in the past 20 years, about half became infected between the ages of 15 and 24. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 25% of sexually active teenagers get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) every year, and 80% of infected teens don’t even know they have an STD, passing the diseases along to unsuspecting partners. When it comes to AIDS, the data is even more chilling -- of the new HIV infections each year, about 50% occur in people under the age of 25.
Many teenagers fall prey to STDs like Herpes, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Human Pappiloma Virus(HPV), AIDS etc. Many lives have been ruined because of teenage sex with multiple partners. The story of young Laurie is a case in point.
Fifteen year old Laurie was rushed to the emergency room with acute pain in her lower abdomen.
Doctors initially suspected appendicitis, but surgery revealed something worse. Laurie suffered from pelvic inflammatory disease, which was caused by either Chlamydia or gonorrhea. The infection began in her cervix, then climbed through the uterus into her fallopian tubes and then out to the ovaries. An abscess that formed on her right ovary had ruptured, spilling the infection into her abdominal cavity. Quick action by the surgeons saved Laurie's life, but she will probably never bear
children.
Pregnancy at teenage is also a burden that a child may have to carry in absence of abstinence from teenage sex. Bearing a child is a huge responsibility that needs maturity. At an age when children are yet to explore the world and gain from their experiences, conceiving may doom their futures. Since they themselves have not established their careers and their futures are unclear and foggy , the thought of them being up to the arduous task of raising a child is indeed laughable. Many pregnant girls prefer to abort rather than carry through full term. They are then subject to post-abortion trauma, guilt, depression and gloom- so much so that they even contemplate suicide. Indeed a very heavy price to pay for loss of control in the heat of the moment.
Abstinence from sex during teenage is the need of the hour. Only abstinence can save children from the looming physical and emotional battering they are bound to suffer if they continue on this treacherous path. Children need to be alerted to misrepresentations of the risks associated with sexual activity such as the "safe sex" campaign. Safe sex is a myth. Condoms can reduce the incidence of fluid borne STDs, but have no affect on diseases spread by skin-to-skin contact such as herpes. Even the reduction of fluid borne diseases is much less than most people think. Gonorrhea for example, is spread 50% of the time even when a condom is correctly used. Birth control pills can prevent pregnancy, but they are powerless against every kind of STD.
There is a need to spread awareness about the facts of contraceptives, birth control and the scourge of STDs. We need to acknowledge that our sex education programs have gone awry somewhere. Parents need to open free channels of communication with their kids and apprise them of the ills of sex before marriage. A healthy relationship needs to be cultivated where the kids are not hesitant to approach their parents and confide in them the innumerable doubts and problems related to their sexuality. Moral values need to be inculcated from an early age so that the children do not go astray when provoked by their peers. Value systems need to be strong so that children do not succumb to the hint of temptation.
Children are our future. They need protection and guidance. Abstinence from teenage sex is the key to a happy, safe and healthy future. We need to wake up to the reality and nip this thorn of the society before it is too late.
In a time when the world is being threatened by burning issues like global warming, environmental degradation, wars, communal tensions, terrorism and utter mayhem in general it may surprise one to know that the most pertinent issue of them all that is threatening to rent our society apart is teenage sex. The youth, which is called the future of the nation, is in the clutches of a plague that has the power to destroy them physically, mentally and spiritually. It not only robs them of their health but also their emotional stability and innocence. In such a grim scenario, the only solution seems to emerge in the …show more content…
form of complete abstinence from teenage sex.
But before actually putting anything into practice we need to understand the reasons behind the pressing need for abstinence, the terrible ways in which teen sex can harm an individual and the causes behind this rapidly growing phenomenon.
The transition from a child to an adult is indeed a challenging time for any kid. The changes sprouting in his body, the surge of hormones, the growing awareness of the opposite sex and the urge to feel grown-up and independent- all this is enough to confuse a child and befuddle his thoughts. This is the time when kids start becoming aware of their own sexuality and carnal desires start springing up. This provokes an urge to experiment and sate such desires. Till the sixties this ticking of the biological clock did not cause any adverse effects. This was largely due to the fact that sex before marriage was a complete taboo at that time. Religion strictly forbade any sexual activity for pleasure and promiscuity was frowned down upon. Sex was an aid for biological reproduction only and indulgence in any sexual activity for any object other than producing progeny was considered blasphemy.
But the advent of the sixties witnessed a revolution of sorts. Sex came out of the closet and was discussed openly. Sex was no longer considered impure and unholy and was acknowledged as one of the basic physiological needs of mankind. The media and Hollywood had a huge role to play in this paradigm shift of perception. This change which was supposed to be a change for the good turned out to be the bane of modern living.
The media milked this opportunity in pursuit of more money. Sex became an object to be sold and marketed. Today children are bombarded with sexual content, sleazy photos and videos, pornography and what not. According to the fact sheet, Marketing Sex To Children, from the Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood , an overwhelming 82% of the most popular T.V. shows catering to teen audiences had sexual content, including 20% with sexual intercourse in 2003.
In 1999, 42% of the songs on the top CDs contained sexual content -- 19% included direct descriptions of sexual intercourse. On an average, music videos contain 93 sexual situations per hour, including eleven "hard core" scenes depicting behaviors such as intercourse and oral sex.
Before parents raised an outcry, Abercrombie and Fitch marketed a line of thong underpants decorated with sexually provocative phrases such as "Wink Wink" and "Eye Candy" to 10-year-olds.
TV, movies, and music are not the only influences -- the Internet provides teens with seemingly unlimited access to information on sex as well as a steady supply of people willing to talk about sex with them all at the click of a button. Teens may feel safe because they can remain anonymous while looking for information on sex. Sexual predators know this and manipulate young people into online relationships and, later, set up a time and place to meet. Sexting and online sex are fast catching up.
With this never ending barrage of sexually explicit information, teenagers grow inured to the side effects of teen sex. They grow accustomed to the idea of sex at an early age and consider it to be an important part of growing up.
A lot of children fall in the trap of teen sex owing to severe peer pressure.
It is considered height of ‘uncool’ if one has not lost his virginity by the age of twelve. They are ostracized, ignored and ridiculed. At this impressionable age, when the opinions of friends matter more than values, morals and safety, children succumb to teen sex for gaining entry into a group perceived to be ‘hep and cool’. The more partners you have the cooler you are! Stories about sexual escapades color the gossip at school and colleges. To escape the ignominy of being typecast as a nerd and a geek, children indulge in teen …show more content…
sex.
Another reason is lack of information about the ill effects of teen sex. Children are woefully ignorant of the harm that can befall them because of their inability to resist temptation. This can be attributed to poor sex education, lack of parental guidance, lack of communication and incomplete information propagated by the media.
Teens also have their own cultural beliefs about what is normal sexual behavior. Although most teenage girls believe that sex equals love, other teens -- especially boys -- believe that sex is not the ultimate expression of ultimate commitment, but a casual activity with minimum risks or serious consequences. That is, of course, what they see on TV. The infrequent portrayals of sexual risks on TV, such as disease and pregnancy, trivialize the importance of sexual responsibility. Net result- children remain oblivious of the side effects of teenage sex- and plummet into an abyss riddled by sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies.
Of the over 60 million people who have been infected with HIV in the past 20 years, about half became infected between the ages of 15 and 24. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 25% of sexually active teenagers get a sexually transmitted disease (STD) every year, and 80% of infected teens don’t even know they have an STD, passing the diseases along to unsuspecting partners. When it comes to AIDS, the data is even more chilling -- of the new HIV infections each year, about 50% occur in people under the age of 25.
Many teenagers fall prey to STDs like Herpes, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Human Pappiloma Virus(HPV), AIDS etc. Many lives have been ruined because of teenage sex with multiple partners. The story of young Laurie is a case in point.
Fifteen year old Laurie was rushed to the emergency room with acute pain in her lower abdomen.
Doctors initially suspected appendicitis, but surgery revealed something worse. Laurie suffered from pelvic inflammatory disease, which was caused by either Chlamydia or gonorrhea. The infection began in her cervix, then climbed through the uterus into her fallopian tubes and then out to the ovaries. An abscess that formed on her right ovary had ruptured, spilling the infection into her abdominal cavity. Quick action by the surgeons saved Laurie's life, but she will probably never bear
children.
Pregnancy at teenage is also a burden that a child may have to carry in absence of abstinence from teenage sex. Bearing a child is a huge responsibility that needs maturity. At an age when children are yet to explore the world and gain from their experiences, conceiving may doom their futures. Since they themselves have not established their careers and their futures are unclear and foggy , the thought of them being up to the arduous task of raising a child is indeed laughable. Many pregnant girls prefer to abort rather than carry through full term. They are then subject to post-abortion trauma, guilt, depression and gloom- so much so that they even contemplate suicide. Indeed a very heavy price to pay for loss of control in the heat of the moment.
Abstinence from sex during teenage is the need of the hour. Only abstinence can save children from the looming physical and emotional battering they are bound to suffer if they continue on this treacherous path. Children need to be alerted to misrepresentations of the risks associated with sexual activity such as the "safe sex" campaign. Safe sex is a myth. Condoms can reduce the incidence of fluid borne STDs, but have no affect on diseases spread by skin-to-skin contact such as herpes. Even the reduction of fluid borne diseases is much less than most people think. Gonorrhea for example, is spread 50% of the time even when a condom is correctly used. Birth control pills can prevent pregnancy, but they are powerless against every kind of STD.
There is a need to spread awareness about the facts of contraceptives, birth control and the scourge of STDs. We need to acknowledge that our sex education programs have gone awry somewhere. Parents need to open free channels of communication with their kids and apprise them of the ills of sex before marriage. A healthy relationship needs to be cultivated where the kids are not hesitant to approach their parents and confide in them the innumerable doubts and problems related to their sexuality. Moral values need to be inculcated from an early age so that the children do not go astray when provoked by their peers. Value systems need to be strong so that children do not succumb to the hint of temptation.
Children are our future. They need protection and guidance. Abstinence from teenage sex is the key to a happy, safe and healthy future. We need to wake up to the reality and nip this thorn of the society before it is too late.