Sexuality and Teen Pregnancy - Essay Example

Outcomes of Sexual Relations in Teenage Teenage pregnancy is one of the most serious social problems of today’s modern society. Research suggests that millions of teenage girls get pregnant in the United States every year most of which are those who did not use any contraceptive. There are many moral issues related to teenage pregnancies that need to be considered at the societal level. The case requires the mother to be able to make her arguments strong and clear to Sally so that she understands.

As an authoritative parent, I would communicate with Sally with logics that would show her how risky is being sexually engaged to someone at this vulnerable age (Belsky, 2010). I would understand her need for autonomy but would also make her understand that autonomy does not mean engaging in dangerous activities that would risk her future prospects. The concept of teenage pregnancies has always been considered as undesirable in all ages (Holgate, Evans & Yuen, 2006). Actually, the teenagers are pressurized from the society to bring out their sexualities and develop relationships at an age when they have not yet completed their education and are unemployed.

Big credit goes to the mass media which has arose feelings of sexuality in teenagers through advertisements and shows that the teenagers see and fantasize ignoring the fact they are too young for it. The sexual urges cover themselves under the name of love and as a result a total demoralization of the society occurs when teenagers make each other sexual objects rather than citizens. Apart from the risk of pregnancy, another important physical issue that is involved in teenage sexual relationship is regarding the sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS (Talashek, Norr & Dancy, 2003, p.207). It is such a dreadful disease that is not curable, so why should a teenager like Sally take such a big risk?

There are mental issues involved in teenage pregnancies too. Getting pregnant would be a total disaster of Sally’s personality if she wanted to step ahead in her educational career. Wilson and Huntington (2006) have discussed in their study how the passing decades have stigmatized the teenage pregnant mothers and what negative social outcomes they suffer from that make them undergo social exclusion and reduced opportunities in education, training and employment. Sally I is also not morally and emotionally ready to accept the responsibilities that come with teenage pregnancy, if it happens, nor she is able to choose her sexual partner or understand the intimacy of the relationship.

I would argue that all of her family would suffer morally, socially and economically, making us victims of low expectations and guilt, if any negative outcome is experienced as a result of her sexual activities. To conclude, although Sally needs autonomy during her development and I need to be an understanding mother, but I would show zero tolerance on something that is likely to pose threat to her physical and mental health. I would keep an eye on Sally’s activities and would warn her that she will be punished if she engages in anything suspicious.

I would define time limits for her outgoings and would also limit her exposure to sexual media. References Belsky, J. (2010). Experiencing the lifespan (2nd ed.). New York: Worth Publishing. Holgate, Helen S., Evans, R., & Yuen, F.K.O. (2006). Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood: Global Perspectives, Issues and Interventions. New York, NY: Routledge Talashek, M. L., Norr, K. F., & Dancy, B. L. (2003). Building teen power for sexual health. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 14(3), 207–216. Retrieved from http://tcn.sagepub.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.

org/cgi/reprint/14/3/207  Wilson, H., & Huntington, A. (2006). Deviant (M)others: The Construction of Teenage Motherhood in Contemporary Discourse Journal of Social Policy, 35(1), pp 59-76.