Teen sexual activity is a major problem facing the nation and has led to a rising incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), emotional and psychological injuries, and out-of-wedlock childbearing, making teen pregnancy and premarital sex alarming to all sectors of our society. particularly the church and health institutions. Substantial studies had been done to support this scenario. A Young Adult Fertility Survey (Yafs) revealed that men are more interested in premarital sex than women, but as the years go by, young women are catching up with men. The survey covered 20,000 young Filipinos between the ages of 15 and 24 across the country. According to the 2002 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study conducted by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) and the Demographic Research and Development Foundation, 26 percent of our Filipino youth nationwide, aged 15 A 25-year-old admitted to having a pre-marital sexual experience. What’s worse is that 38 percent of our youth are already living in an arrangement.
The sexual revolution has ushered in a period where the average teenager faces tremendous pressure to have sexual experiences of all kinds. Today, Pinoy teens get more exposure to sex through the Internet, magazines, TV shows, movies, and other media than they did decades ago, but without a corresponding increase in information about how to handle the input. Therefore, children are left to other children to obtain opinions and value formation when it comes to sex. Sexual misinformation is therefore equally shared in the group. Parents at home and teachers at school feel equally inadequate or uncomfortable discussing the topic of sex with young people. The problem increases because the barkada has a deeper influence than the parents, exerts pressure and expects the adolescent to adjust to the rest of them.
In our society, having sex outside of marriage or before marriage is not acceptable, especially since we are a Christian country where the sanctity of marriage is considered sacred, whether it is a civil or church wedding. But still many people, particularly young people, were tempted to commit this act, debunking the belief that sex is only for the married couple and virginity is the gift one can give to one’s husband on their wedding night.
“Girls have sex to be loved, while boys love to have sex.” This romantic cliché is the most obviously sordid but devastating phrase ever said. Men who tell women that having sex is just their way of expressing their love is like a spider inviting a butterfly into its living room; while women believe that having sex is their way of showing their love to a man. They gave everything in the name of love to establish the truth of the reality of their love. However, the question is: what if they are not meant to be? Later, the women realize that the damage has already been done. Guilt sets in and an emotion like this has a huge effect on your whole life.
Awareness of premarital sex among young people has been noted to be weak, as evidenced by the rising rate of unwanted pregnancies, abortions, contraceptive use, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Teenagers have the right to know more than the basic facts about menstruation, menopause, pregnancies, etc. With the correct information, young people will be more cautious about their sexual activities.
Sex in and of itself is neither morally bad nor good. It is the manner in which it is used that declares its morality. Like most things in life, it has to be done in the right place, at the right time, and under the right circumstances. Sexual relations must be practiced exclusively by married people (opposite sexes, of course) and must always be consensual, practiced in a spirit of love and must always be in private. This is the only correct way to do it.
Young people should wait for the right moment before engaging in sexual acts, not because it is an immoral practice, but because of the risks involved, such as abortion, unwanted pregnancy, contracting sexually transmitted diseases, etc. It also has harmful effects on your mental, social and psychological self. However, whatever decision one makes, one must be prepared to face the consequences of their actions.
Unprotected sexual activity in adolescence brings with it the dangers of early or unwanted pregnancy, often unsafe induced abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV infection and AIDS. In the 1994 YAFSS II, a large number of Filipino youth between the ages of 15 and 24 had been actively involved in sexual activities. Around 1.8 million boys and 670,000 girls had already had sexual intercourse. On average, the first sexual encounter occurred at age 18. The study also points to signs that the girls were forced into sex due to their inability to successfully negotiate refusal to have sex when they did not want it, and often face the threat of abandonment. by partner
Parental presence and parental supervision is a key factor that could regulate the spontaneity of sexual activity among young adolescents. Other factors associated with early sexual experience in adolescents are social interactions indexed by the frequency of going out with friends.
In order for adolescents and young people to cope with this challenging world, they must be provided with accurate information about their health problems; make health services available and accessible to them; develop their skills to enable them to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life and create a safe and supportive environment that will nurture their growth and development. Influential adults, such as parents, health care providers, teachers, policymakers, and people in the community, must also have the skills to address adolescent issues and concerns.
To stay away from these harmful effects, teens must maintain standards and understand their responsibilities. Teenagers today need to follow the law of chastity. Chastity is “a lifestyle that brings freedom, respect, peace and even romance, without regret; chastity frees a couple from the selfish attitudes of using each other as objects and makes them capable of their love. Chastity is a style very difficult life. Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality in the person and, therefore, the interior unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2337). This goes to show that chastity needs to be practiced among our youth today. Teenagers are prone to premarital sex and are especially influenced by the casual attitude of the media towards it. Teenagers today are bombarded with the image of premarital sex through advertising. You can’t watch cable TV without seeing people kissing intimately, or even having sex. Premarital sex is suggested everywhere in our society, as seen on billboards, in movies, and in magazines. Perhaps, if teenagers were more confident, they would not be prone to and influenced by these artificial advertisements. There is no better way for teens to protect themselves from all the dangers that surround sex than to give up sex for marriage. Sexuality in human beings was not simply designed to be okay; it was designed to be extremely good! And it is great and wonderful when we use this special gift of God in the way that He planned it. Unfortunately, many people do not respect their sexuality as they should. Through immoral sexual behavior, they belittle what God intended to be a very special experience.