The National Center for
Health Statistics’ (NCHS) 2012 report, show a 9% decline in the rate of teen
pregnancies, in the United States, from the years 2009-2010. The age group that
this study measured was ages 15-19. It showed a historic low at 34.9% for every
1000 births compared to 44% from the years 1991 to 2010. Even though this
report is positive in its efforts to show a decline, it is still too high. The
report goes on to break its statistics down even further into racial groups.
African Americans and Hispanics were still in the highest groups to have teen
pregnancies across the United States.
According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) survey in 2011 with high
school students, the rate of sexual transmitted diseases are alarming.
47.4% reported having had sexual intercourse
33.7% had reported having sex during the previous 3
months of the survey of which,
*
39.8% did not use a condom
*
76.7% did not use any form of birth control
15.3% had reported having 4 or more partners during
their lifetime
The STD studies show:
Nearly 8,300 young people between the ages 13-24 in
40 reporting states confirmed having HIV in 2009.
Nearly half of the 19 Million new cases of STD’s
reported yearly are between the ages of 15-24.
Nearly 400,000 girls between the ages of 15-19 gave
birth in 2009.
What
is this saying? It is saying that there is a work that needs to be done. I
commend those who are working in the effort to help teens across America to
stop the spread of STDs and teenage pregnancies. The word must get out to help
these young people know that premarital sex can hurt them in the long run. The
church must help young people to know that it is okay for them to say NO.
Sometimes, there is a lot of taboo in the church when it comes to these issues.
However,
this is a real issue that needs to be addressed. For those churches who have
ministries that are focused on helping young people, continue the good work
because this ministry never needs to end. There are a lot of young people in
trouble and sometimes they do not get the help that they need from home. We
cannot get too high where we don’t help those that are struggling with real
life issues.
We
have to get back to the basics of teaching young people to wait until marriage
for sex. I know some would say that this message is old, but it still holds
true. The difference now is that there has to be a manner to spread the message
in a way that will grasps their attention. We can tell them that it is a sin,
but we also have to give them the reasons that will help them to understand how
it can harm them now and not later.
Young
people don’t always think about the future, so they need to be taught in “real
time” how their decisions can affect them now. Young people like you to keep it
real with them. They have to be able to express themselves in a way where they
don’t feel condemned or judged. They need someone who they can talk to and who
will give them the real truth about life’s issues without it seeming like you’re
preaching at them. Yes, you must
give them the word of God, but we also must help them to understand that God
gave instructions for a reason and it is to help them and not cause harm.
Adults,
we must be honest with them and tell them where we failed when it came to
relationships and other decisions, so they can understand that we were there
too. I believe that if many of us would share our story and not make it seem
like we didn’t face the same issues, it may help a lot of them. This is not to
condemn any certain style of teaching, but this is to inform those who may have
a difficult time knowing where to begin.
Many
schools are now teaching sex education, the use of birth control, and condoms.
I am not sure that I would want the school to teach my child about sex. I would
want to do that at home and at church where they can be taught in the right
way. School will tell them to use protection. We can tell them the best
protections is closing their legs and zipping their fly. The “safest” sex is NO
sex. Is there even truly a such thing as safe sex? I don’t think so, because
there are too many factors that can go wrong. Condoms break! Pills can fail and
they don’t protect against STDs. Most importantly, our bodies are the temple of
God and He wants us to wait for the person He sends us. I will testify that I
did not always do this and made mistakes. However, I am on the right road now
and so can they.
I am
trying to help teens and young adults in my writings with regards to peer
pressure in some of my books. I dealt with many issues as a young person and I
want to help them to rise above situations that can affect their whole life
negatively. I invite you to join me. If you know of a young person that is
struggling with peer pressure, I employ you to help. Even if they haven’t
mentioned it, the pressure is always there. Being a mentor to someone is one of
the greatest honors that can be given. To know that you were a part of helping
to change someone’s life is the best gift that anyone could receive. In my
books, “A Teen’s Journal to God” and
“The Teen’s Journal to Jesus”, they
discuss real issues that teens have in regards to making the right choices. The
title of today’s blog, Even if He Begs,
Close Your Legs…Be a Stand-up Guy and Close Your Fly, is addressed in one of
the books. They also deal with issues of drugs, abuse, family, music, social
issues, and other hot topics. Both are available on Amazon.com.
Be a
role model for some young person. Be the person they can look up to. Help some
parent who may be struggling with their child. Be an active part of some young
person’s life today. Thank you and God bless!
