Do you think that negative affects, like regretting it, are kind of like a self fulfilling prophecy, put into place by society?
Kind of like: you are going to regret this.
Teen: I am going to regret this. Why? Because society tells me I will.
Yes, I do think that the negative effects are society-fulfilling prophesies that are intensified when they happen to teenagers. Regret doesn't really happen unless you feel you
should have done something differently. And
shoulds are judgments that we accept from the outside world.
Heartbreak, STDs, pregnancy, loss of self-esteem...none of those are exclusive to teens. Heartbreak is a part of life. STDs are terrible, no matter what age you are. Pregnancy is a natural consequence of sex and traumatic at any age if you aren't ready to be a parent. Loss of self-esteem is possible at any point, depending on what you believe you
should be doing instead of what you are doing or have done.
I lost my virginity at 17. I also got pregnant with my son at 17. I can't really say I regret having sex, because it was really just a natural life progression. Having a baby in and of itself wasn't even a horrible thing. What made it hard was
1) The social stigma
2)The fact that a 17 year old is not really able to successfully support themselves at that age in today's world.
3)The knowledge that it
could have been prevented if I was given a shot at a sexual education instead of having abstinence shoved down my throat.
So, anyway, my point is that, yes, the consequences of teenage sex can be steep, and trying to protect teenagers from those consequences is a great thing, but simply saying NO SEX because of societal reasons is contrary to nature, and we should expect to fail. Sexual education is a must, and I don't mean one textbookly boring class in high school, either.
/incoherent rant