Someone’s cultural and/or religious beliefs can prevent them from using contraceptives which may result in unwanted pregnancies. For example in chapter 5 it says that the Roman Catholic Church is against contraception. I am Catholic and I know the use of any type of contraception is against my religion. I have used birth control even though I know my religion does not allow the use of it. As stated in the book when I used contraception and I would have probably not admitted it to the church if asked. I was using birth control before I got married because I did not want a baby out of wedlock. So really I was breaking two rules, sex out of wedlock and birth control. Once I got married I stopped the use of birth control.
In my family we did not talk about sex or contraception by any means. In High School they did talk to us about STD’s and the use of condoms but they did not discuss any other contraception methods. I have a sister two years older than I am and she has a 17 year old daughter that she openly spoke to about sex and being responsible once she makes the decision to have sex. I was very proud of her because she did not ignore the subject like our parents did, instead she was very honest and open with my niece. She spoke about the importance of abstinence, but my sister knows life happens so she also was open about sex and birth control.
I am not sure if being Catholic was one of the reasons sex or contraception was not discussed in our house. To this day I do not feel comfortable talking about this subject with my mom or dad. I am glad my sister broke that cycle and I hope when I have children I can do the same.
Thanks for reading!
Yadira Gomez-Cheatham
Hi Yadira,
ReplyDeleteI think it is very important for all teens and women who do not know about birth control to learn about it. Everybody should know the risks of using or not using birth control, STD’s, unwanted pregnancies, and the emotional attachment that may come with sex. I think that it is great that your sister was open with her daughter about sex because most teens do what they want, and it is better to be safe than sorry. I also feel like if a teen knows that their mom or dad will be open about the situation, they feel more respected and will try harder to refrain from sex or will ask for advice and birth control when they need it.
Meghan McGehee
Yadira
ReplyDeleteI am happy your sister broke the cycle; I know you will too. I intend to break the cycle with my children. My mother was raise in the church, her parents did not talk to her, and therefore she did not talk to her children. I feel that we cannot raise children in the same manner; we have to be open to discussion. Times have change and we have to change with them.
Keisha Mck
Yadira,
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful that your sister is open with her kids. I think more parents should be that way. I know that most parents want their kids to wait, but with all these pregnancies for teens under 18 we need to be more open with them about contraceptives and the consequences. Maybe if we do that we will have a decline in teen pregnancies and STI's.
My family is pretty open and I make sure that I ask my cousins and my sister if they need contraceptives because I want them to be safe.
Dear yedira
ReplyDeleteyou brought up a good point about some culture and religion do not allow to use contraceptive. The fact is we live in dynamic society life style changes in fast pace. I am very proud about your sister to be open to her daughter and teach her the fact about sex and STI. i strongly believe unplanned pregnancy and spread of STI can be reduced if sex education be thought in every family's house hold that have teenager girls or boys.
Yadira,
ReplyDeleteCommunication between parents and their children is an important part of helping them to grow into responsible adults. I beleive that we often provide young people with too much un supervised and uninformed periods in their lives. Sex education is improtant to provide to our children and it does not need to disagree with our religious beliefs. We can share our beliefs and the factual information about contraception at the same time. When children become adults they can then choose to follow the belief of their parent's faith or not, but they will be equipped with the information they need to make their decision.
Yadira,
ReplyDeleteIt is so refreshing to know that your sister is one of many mothers who has decided to take control of her daughters future by providing her with the facts about sex. So many of us, myself included, tend to steer clear of this topic as a result of the way we were raised. Today's teens are exposed to so much more than we were. The proper education on the subject can definitely make a world of difference. I have a seven year old daughter, and though I will not be thrilled, when the time comes I will definitely take the time to talk to her about the topic. I know you will do the same.
I really enjoyed the post.
Martinetta Victorian
Yadira-
ReplyDeleteI think it is a generational issue limiting our parents from discussion sex or contraception with us. My parents did not discuss it either. My sister with children old enough to ask questions is fairly open. When I was in high school I ask my mom what she would say if I asked to be placed on birth control, I was not even having sex I was just curious, and she flew off the handle. Needless to say, I never spoke of it again. I myself am not Catholic, but a lot of my friends and two of my brother-in-laws are Catholic. Of everyone I know that is Catholic, only one couple uses natural family planning. Everyone else uses contraceptives. Again, our generation is different from our parents. More people are having sex before marriage, and we must protect ourselves in ways our parents did not have to worry about. With waiting until marriage, they did not have to worry about STDs. We must be proactive in ways they did not.
Kerri