We live in a culture where we are told that we can do what we want, when we want, and nothing bad will happen. We watch movies where someone gets shoved through the window of a 20 story building, lands on the sidewalk, gets up only to be run over by a transit bus, and somehow still saves the world! The bottom line is this - there is a consequence for every action we take.
It could be anything from not studying for a test to choosing to have sex.
When it comes to sex, we believe if we are really careful than we can have what we want and no one gets hurt. The truth is lots of people are getting hurt when it comes to sex. Let’s take a look at how sex affects our lives.

Physically

This is what people are the most concerned about, and they have good reason to be. There are over 70 million Americans who currently have an STI¹ and 19 million new cases occur each year.¹ Out of those 19 million new cases, half of them are in people under 25 years old.¹ Pregnancy is another big issue with over 800,000 teen pregnancies each year in the U.S.²

Emotionally

The emotional consequences of a relationship can be just as serious as the physical. Getting into a relationship and being sexually active with someone is a special intimacy. It connects you with that person as an expression of love. However, if the relationship doesn’t work out, it can make your life an emotional rollercoaster. You may begin to feel like you “wasted” your gift of sex instead of saving it for someone you would spend the rest of your life with.

Mentally

Sex can be a huge distraction from some of the most important things in your life. Imagine that you are trying to get a big report done for school and all these questions start flooding your mind. What if my girlfriend is pregnant? What if I contracted an STI from my last partner? What if my girlfriend/boyfriend leaves me? All these thoughts can be distracting you from the things you need to accomplish in your future.

Socially

Sex doesn’t just affect you. Sex affects the others around you. It affects the trust and respect that others have for you. Friends at school might look at you differently. Others who looked up to you might be disappointed. Your parents might be upset. You need to think how sex might change your relationship.

Wouldn’t it be better to wait until marriage to have sex and completely avoid all of these consequences? We think so! We are choosing to wait until marriage and we hope that you do too! Some things are worth waiting for

1. STI Facts, http://www.medinstitute.org/content.php?name=stifacts, accessed: 9/17/07
2. Teen Pregnancy, http://www.medinstitute.org/content.php?name=teenPregnancy, Accessed: 9/17/07