Thanks, Jerusha_girl.
Grasping at straws? Not hardly. Teen sex isn't necessarily more of a problem than teen marriage, as often teen sex & teen marriage go hand in hand, but that's beside the point. As a teen myself, the majority of the girls I knew who ended up pregnant in high school (& I'm from Alabama, so there were a lot) ALL happened to be Christians & were ignorant of birth control because their parents didn't have the good sense or responsibilty to talk to them about it. We weren't allowed to have sex ed in school, because so many Christian parents didn't want little Jane or Johnny to know about that nastiness. Utter stupidity. Teen sex wouldn't be such a problem if there weren't so many morons fighting the educating of teens about birth control & protecting themselves.
My suggestion doesn't encourage teens who think they're in love to have sex. I stated specifically that I am not advocating adolescent sex. I think it is better for high schoolers to wait until after graduation for sex, simply because it can complicate the already difficult navigation of the teen years. I think it is better for young people (not adolescents) to have sex before marriage because it gives them a chance to figure themselves out, to experience single life, to "sew their wild oats" as it were, as long as they are responsible, of course. You don't have to "think you're in love" to want to have sex with someone. Sex & love are two different things. Sex within a commited & monogamous relationship is usually very different than casual sex. I think that forcing abstinence until marriage teaches young people to focus too much on the sexual aspect of marriage, & to not focus enough on the partner for life aspect of it. I think it is much better for a person to date a lot of people, experience love with a lot of people, & yes, even sleep with a few of them before settling down with one person, because that way, you know, without a doubt, that your marriage partner is Mr/Ms Right, not Mr/Ms Right Now. Not only do I think that sex before marriage is important, I also think that cohabitation is as well. I would never marry someone I had never lived with or slept with, just as I would never buy a car or a house I had never driven or looked at first.
Love & Blessings, Cerridwen*
