THINK BEFORE HAVING SEX
Think Before You Decide to Have Sex
SPC
Stateline
Pregnancy Clinic
Pregnant? Scared?
omgimpg.com
608.365.5433
All services
FREE & CONFIDENTIAL
Call: 888-98-WEHELP
(888-989-3435)
www.WaterleafWC.org
3590 New York St.
Aurora, IL
Unplanned Pregnancy?
Not Sure where to turn?
We are here to help
All Services are Free & Confidential
• Pregnancy Tests
• Ultrasounds
• Compassionate Advocacy
& Counseling
• Abstinence Information
• Material Resources
• Mom-to-Mom
Mentoring
• STD Information
• ...and more!
TEXT: 630.360.CALM
To do it or not to do it... that is the question that plagues many teens. A mixture of
hormones and social pressures make the
drive to become sexually active very strong.
Many teens make the mistake of giving
into their urges without thinking things
through. Sex is more than just a pleasurable
act; it is a physical risk and an emotional
gamble. Here we list eight things to consider before having sex.
You may think you are ready, but do you
KNOW that you are? It is often hard to tell
the difference. Your body is sending you
some confusing signals and your heart and
mind just don’t seem to agree about what
you should do. You should know and trust
your partner and yourself because once you
have sex you can’t take it back. Be smart,
be sure and be ready if you want to have
sex with no regrets.
Protect Yourself From Sexually
Transmitted Infections
STIs, or sexually transmitted infections,
are often one of the last things a teen thinks
about when they become sexually active.
During the immortal teen years things like
illness and disease don’t seem real so they
are not considered important. This can be
a life altering, even fatal, mistake. The
fact is teens do have to have to worry. You
should have this covered before having sex.
Protect Yourself From Pregnancy
When hormones are raging it is very easy
to confuse lustful urges for feelings of true
love. The sense of desire brought on during
puberty is new and it can be hard for a teen
to know what to do with it. Add things like
peer pressure, insecurity and the quest for
independence to the mix and it could spell
disaster. Your only defense is to be honest
with yourself about why you want to have
sex.
Know About the Age of Consent
Most teens don’t stop to think about the
legality of having sex but there are laws
that outline what teens can and can not
do, and how old they must be to do them.
Often this means any sexual conduct, not
just intercourse. Most countries have minimum ages of consent and most limit the
ability of teens to consent to sex with
adults. To do it by the books you must know
the laws where you live.
Understand Your Body and Your
Feelings
The human body changes drastically
during the teen years. Along with obvious
changes like body hair and odor, breast and
testicular development, menstruation, and
acne, there are less obvious changes in our
sense of self. These changes are confusing
enough, be comfortable with them before
adding sex to the mix.
When it comes to the risk of pregnancy
teens are more realistic than they are when
it comes to STIs. Teens know that having
unprotected sex can lead to unwanted
pregnancy. However, far too many boys still
see this sort of protection as a girls problem
and don’t take proper precautions to protect themselves unless the girl insists. Boys
need to think about birth control just as
much as girls.
Understand What it Means to
Lose Your Virginity
While the majority of teens remain virgins all the way through high school many
teens believe the opposite to be true. All
too often teen virgins see themselves as
part of a minority when in fact they are
a part of the majority. It is important to
really value your virginity before you even
think about giving it up. If you under-value
it you cheat yourself out of a once in a lifetime experience.
12
Know Why You Want to Have Sex
| Illinois Winter 2014 | abusemagazine.org
Remember
That It’s O K to Say No to Sex
It is a sad irony that being a “tease”
and being “easy” are both considered
bad. These labels speak to the immaturity with which many teens view sex.
Having sex is not about what others think
of you but what you think of yourself. You
are the one who has to live in your skin so
only you should dictate what you do with
it. It is always OK to say no to sex. You
should never go against your inner guide.
Source: From Mike Hardcastle, former About.com Guide