Human Sexuality

Rules for Questions  The right to pass  The right to individuality  The right to confidentiality  The right to be heard  No personal comments  No put-downs

Why do people have sex?  procreation  to show love  consummate marriage or long- term partnership  attempt to prove that they are not gay, lesbian, or bisexual  to help figure out if they might be gay, lesbian, or bisexual  pleasure  curiosity  attempt to prove adulthood  a way to relieve stress

What are some reasons people wait?  personal beliefs and values  religious beliefs and values  protect their health  not interested  haven’t found the “right” partner  not in love  avoid pregnancy  avoid STDs and HIV  Not ready  don’t want to jeopardize future goals  focusing on something else right now: school, sports, friends  under stress  don’t want to upset family  encourages people to build relationships based on things other than sex

What about you? You’re not ready for sex if…  You're not ready to be a parent.  You can’t talk to your partner about sex.  You're too afraid to ask your doctor for birth control or to purchase it yourself.  You're too embarrassed to talk to your partner about the necessity of using a condom.  You're not sure how you feel about your partner or how your partner feels about you.  You're not thinking of the well-being of your partner and how having sex will affect your relationship.  You just want to have sex to get it over with.  You're not really sure you should do it.  It’s against your personal, family or religious values.

Benefits of Abstinence:  No STDs or pregnancies!  Confidence that you’re not just being used in a relationship  Opportunity to develop intimacy other than sexual intimacy  Opportunity to learn the difference between love and sex  Greater trust in committed relationships  Better focus on life goals  Less stress (worries, rumors, etc.)

In Your Notes: 9 Tasks of Adolescence 1. To form more mature relationships with people of both genders 2. To achieve a masculine or feminine social role 3. To accept your body and use it effectively 4. To achieve emotional independence from parents and others 5. To prepare for marriage and family life and/or career

6. To acquire a set of personal standards as a guide to behavior 7. To develop social intelligence (being aware of human needs and being motivated to help others attain goals) 8. To be able to cope with successes and failures 9. To develop conceptual and problem-solving skills You may not want to do everything your parents’ way, but do you really want to buy in to the suggestions of the media? Remember: You’re the one who has to live with you!

Some Facts…  The percentage of all high school students who report ever having sexual intercourse is going down.  Eight out of 10 girls and 7 out of 10 boys have NOT had sex by age 15.  In a survey, 87 percent of teens said they did not think it was embarrassing for teens to admit they were virgins  63% of teens who have had sex wish they had waited (and this number goes up as they get older)  More than 1/3 of teens report having done or being pressured to do something sexual they did not want to do or were not ready for.

Factors that contribute to teen pregnancy vs. abstinence   Teen Pregnancy: Ignorance Minimal communication about birth control Guilt related to sexual activity Alcohol use Mass media norms of unprotected promiscuity   Teen abstinence High intelligence Religious engagement Father presence Participation in service learning programs

Contraception & STDs  The rate of contraceptive use is going up.  U.S. teenagers have higher STD rates than teenagers in England, Canada, France and Sweden (Reason: more sexual partners and probably lower levels of condom use).  Every year 1 of 4 sexually experienced teens gets an STD  68% of sexually active year- olds don’t consider themselves to be at risk for STDs. 57% have not discussed STDs with a health care provider; 70% have never been tested.

Pregnancy  The number of teen pregnancies is going down in the U.S. (But there are still about 900,000 a year)  About 14% of teen pregnancies end in miscarriage. 30% are aborted.  A sexually active teenager who does not use contraception has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within a year.

Sources  Alan Guttmacher Institute  Kaiser Family Foundation