Whoa baby! Did you know California has the second highest
percentage of teen pregnancies in all of the United States of
America? It’s true, and San Benito County makes up 4.2 percent of
California’s teen pregnancy rate.
Whoa baby! Did you know California has the second highest percentage of teen pregnancies in all of the United States of America? It’s true, and San Benito County makes up 4.2 percent of California’s teen pregnancy rate.
What’s going on? Sure, it may have something to do with our large population, but that’s beside the point. The bottom line is, kids are growing careless and so are their parents.
It’s no wonder that in 1996, 126,000 California teens, ages 15 to 19, became pregnant.
Some hear about sex from their friends and think it’s the cool thing to do.
Others think they are in love and feel ready to spend the rest of their lives with one another.
Whatever the case, sex has become more than an act of love or a means of reproduction – it has become a recreational activity more and more teens get involved in every year. And, through this activity, many teens are getting STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) and many young girls are getting pregnant.
How do we stop this from happening? Well, ever since former Gov. Gray Davis began advertising against sex the teen pregnancy rates have gone down.
If there’s one thing I do agree about with Davis, it’s that abstinence is the only fool proof plan to avoid STDs and pregnancy, but there really is no way to stop teens from having sex entirely. You know what they say – where there’s a will, there’s a way.
So parents, if you can’t stop your children from doing what they want, talk to them about it. The same goes for anything in life – if you talk to your children about the dangers of things like sex, alcohol and drugs, they will listen.
Also, aid them in doing things the right way.
Do not encourage your kids to have sex, but let them know that if they are going to do it, they need to do it safely. Buy your children condoms and birth control, for many of them are too embarrassed to get it on their own.
Try to persuade your teens against sex until they are much older and have matured.
If all else fails, threaten to shove your size 15 boot up their butt if you ever catch them, but rather than condoning the fact that your children may be having sex, embrace it and try to help them.
For any teens that read this column, know that abstinence is the only safe sex. But, if you are going to have sex, be as safe as possible.
If you are too embarrassed to ask your parents for help, visit your nearest health clinic – they may provide protection.
Bryce Galvan is a junior at Anzar High School.
