Pre-Marital Sex: The Latest Fashion

It is quite common these days in our society to see pregnant teenagers and youths roam the streets, a result of pre-marital sex.
Pre-marital sex, a sexual intercourse between man and woman or boy and girl before marriage, is morally considered sinful with many causes and effects.
Prominent among its causes is ignorance, accassioned by inadequate sex education. Some youths and teenagers are ignorant of the dangers of pre-marital sex because their parents think it is unnecessary to talk about it.
Improper upbringing is also another cause as most youths and teenagers are left to fend for themselves and lack love and attention from their parents.
Another cause is the non-challant attitude of some youths and teenagers which makes them vulnerable to many sexual attacks. Most of the girls attend parties, drink until they are drunk and end up getting raped.
Peer influence is another major cause of pre-marital sex. Most teenagers and youths indulge in it because their friends are into it and they want to feel among. They believe in the slogan “if you can’t beat them, you join them” and they also believe that virginity is old-fashioned, this is a very wrong impression.
Unwanted pregnancy is one of the effects of pre-marital sex. Those who think they are smart enough to avert pregnancy through the help of contraceptive sometimes end up childless when married because of excessive intake of contraceptives. This is in addition to the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
Pre-mature death is another effect. Teens and youths die almost everyday trying to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy. Some die because of the incurable diseases they contract along the line while others fall into the arms of ritualists who would always lure them into sex for money and end up using them for rituals.
As much as pre-marital sex is shunned in some parts of the country, it is accepted in others. Some parents do not allow their girl-child get married if she is the only child, they rather prefer her get pregnant and give birth to children for them while some will only allow their girl-child to get married after she has given birth to a son for them because to them, they need somebody to continue their lineage. This is indeed a mentality that needs not be encouraged.
Unfortunately, children who are products of pre-marital sex and unwanted pregnancies end up being the ones creating nuisance in the society due to the fact that most of them are bastards, probably their mothers were raped and some of them were denied by their father, leaving their mothers with no other choice but to raise them up single-handedly. Some of these children were even abandoned by the road side by their mother who could not take on the responsibility of being a mother. So, these children do not have the right upbringing due to the circumstances surrounding their birth.
However, pre-marital sex, unwanted pregnancy and premature death, could be checked if only parents could decide to instill the right morals in their children and also give them proper sex education. Sex education can also be taught in schools and churches.
Teens and youth can also help by abstaining from pre-marital sex and also living a careful and God fearing life. They should also keep good friends to avoid having the wrong influence and advice as it is said that, “Evil communication corrupts good manners”. A word they say is enough for the wise.
On the teens and youths part, a decision to abstain from pre-marital sex and living a God-fearing life by avoiding the wrong influences can be quite rewarding.
Ibeh is an intern with The Tide Newspaper.

Stella Francis Ibeh