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TEEN
by
Ronald S. Toth
How society encourages it
and what can be done to
halt the trend!
W
e don't need statis–
tics to understand
how sex affects
teens.
All the government reports,
all the articles and books can
't
compare to personal experience.
Listen to this letter to us from
Sally, an American teenager:
"When 1 was 8 years old 1 first had
sex with a boy of
15. I
did it
because
1
lack lave and attention
from my parents.
1
need !ove, and
my parents never show me any."
My heart went out to her and
my stomach knotted as
I
continued
to read her letter. "Nothing really
changed at home, and at
15 I
be–
carne pregnant. My boyfriend
blamed me and left.
I
had nowhere
to turn, I was trapped, so 1 had an
abortion. Now I'm afraid to date
anyone, and
1
cry myself to sleep
every night."
Different Pressure
Today
Many of our readers never experi–
enced the pressures upon teens to–
day. This makes it difficult for
sorne parents to understand the
problems their teens confront.
Early in this century, maJe-fe–
maJe relationships were clearly de–
fined and under-stood. Men who
pressured women to sleep with
them were regarded as lecherous
rather than "heroes." A girl who
surrendered her virginity befare
marriage often felt she had dis–
graced herself, her family and God.
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