Why does everyone make such a big fuss about teen sex/pregnancy…?

[Question: why does everyone make such a big fuss about teen sex/pregnancy when in the ancient world it was common for teen girls to have sex and get pregnant?

Great question! We can look at this question two ways: 1) what are the factors that make teen sex and pregnancy a big deal today; and 2) what is different today than in the ancient world?

Let’s start with #1. Sexual activity is a big deal no matter what age a person is. It affects a person physically, and it also affects someone mentally, emotionally, relationally, and morally. Because it can have such a broad range of effects, it is a big deal, whether I am 15 or 55. Look at Tiger Woods. His sexual behavior is having a BIG impact on his life, even though he is beyond his teen years.

To get a little more specific, though, teenage sexual activity and pregnancy are getting a lot of media attention right now because people want to see teens live healthy, successful lives. The negative effects of teenage sex hurt you as teens and also hurt society — both things everyone would like to avoid!

Two of the physical consequences of sex are STDs and prengnancy. When it comes to STDs, teens have a higher rate of STDs than any other age group, making it extra important to try to stop the spread of disease among teens — and the best way to avoid disease is for everyone to save sex for a marriage relationship.

Pregnancy is also best when it is part of a married relationship. It is more common for babies to be born to single parents today than 30 years ago, but statistically and practically, it still isn’t very easy to be a single parent. That’s why people want to encourage teens to wait to have sex and get pregnant. On average, a single parent spends part of his or her life in poverty and relies  on social services for a time. This has a negative effect on the child, the parent, and costs money that could otherwise be spent on education, cultural development, or health care. The cost to everyone of a child born to a single parent is so high, it becomes a big deal to try and reduce teen pregnancy.

Now for #2. What is different today than in ancient times? Let’s look specifically at STDs and pregnancy. STDs are much more prevalent today than even 100 years ago. Even though STDs existed before, the variety and the number of people with them is much greater today. From a health standpoint, sexual activity is much riskier today than in the ancient world. The other big difference is in how our society is structured and the opportunities that are available, particularly to young women. Teenagers today can go to college and experience a higher standard of living than before, when most women were illiterate and did not go to school beyond grade school. In the ancient world, a young teen could get married and raise a family, usually working a trade or working in the fields. Today, if a young teen were to drop out of school and raise a family, married or not it would be very difficult to lead a successful life of independence.