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A
Fresh Look at
UNMARRIED
SEX
by
Patrick A. Parnell
Debunking the myths about sex before marriage.
~~~F
IT
feels
good, if it
doesn't hurt
anyone, what's
w ron g with
it
?"
responded
the sexually
act iv e teen–
ager.
"If
you
like one anoth–
er, even one–
night st ands or
affairs are a ll
right. "
" l t's best to
live with some–
one first to make
sure you're com–
patible," com–
mented the ma–
ture young busi–
nessman.
pregnant teens in
these words: "I
have sat wíth nu–
merous young
teenagers ( 12-,
13-, 14-year-olds)
throughout their
long and exhaust–
íng labors. Many
ultímately experi–
ence cesarean sec–
tions because they
are still too physi–
cally underdevel–
oped to deliver
normally.
"The fears,
myths and mis–
conceptions these
youngsters harbor
are alarming.
Sorne of them
don't even begi n
to know how they
became pregnant.
Others simply
thought it just
Bu t j ust be–
cause others think
i t's all right,
doesn't make it
ríght. There are
heartaches and
pitfalls associated
with unmarried
ti:
wouldn't happen
1
to them. I have
~
seen a 12-year-old
~
sit up in bed in
~
the recovery room
._--------------------------------------------------~~
and color in a
sex that teenagers are only begin–
ning to discover.
Premarital Pregnancy
For teens, a premarital pregnancy
August. 1981
is by far the most untimely and
inappropriate kind. A concerned
obstetrical nurse educator of a
large metropolitan teaching hos–
pital puts her experience with
coloring book following her
delivery"
(McCall 's.
"How to
Talk to Your Children About
Sex," p. 94, June 1979).
An unmarried pregnancy
19