Persuasion Speech Against Premarital Sex
Sex. It’s everywhere. I mean, you meet a girl, take her out, one thing leads to another, she leans in close and suddenly your mind is thinking “This is it, I am getting lucky tonight.” I’m here today to talk about premarital sex. Premarital sex is a huge problem in society today.
According to a 2002 survey by the Guttmacher Institute, data shows that “by age 20, 75% had had premarital sex, by age 44, 95% of respondents had engaged in premarital sex” (Finer). This is a high, but not surprising number. What the study didn’t show, and truly the most important factor is how many of them were aware of all the repercussions. There are many things which need to be fully considered before jumping between the sheets.
Probably the most obvious consequence is an unplanned pregnancy. The American Pregnancy Association reports that over “3,000,000 women who are sexually active use no contraception, accounting for 47% of unplanned pregnancies.” It goes on to further clarify that “468,988 babies are born to teenage mothers each year” (“Statistics”). Those who are not married and have children possibly make their own lives harder by burdening themselves financially with the cost of a child. Potentially, they might also make it harder for their children, who might possibly have to grow up without both of their parents.
So you’re thinking, “We use a condom, I’m safe.” No, not really. “The typical use of male condoms has a failure rate of 14-15%.” (“Male Condoms”) This means that 14-15 people out of every 100 will become pregnant during the first year of use. We’ve heard it for years; the only true “safe sex” is no sex. In fact, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services allocates $50 million annually to the states to encourage abstinence before marriage. (“Federal”)
Also, there are the moral implications. A major religion in the United States is Christianity. Christianity teaches that having sex before getting
According to a 2002 survey by the Guttmacher Institute, data shows that “by age 20, 75% had had premarital sex, by age 44, 95% of respondents had engaged in premarital sex” (Finer). This is a high, but not surprising number. What the study didn’t show, and truly the most important factor is how many of them were aware of all the repercussions. There are many things which need to be fully considered before jumping between the sheets.
Probably the most obvious consequence is an unplanned pregnancy. The American Pregnancy Association reports that over “3,000,000 women who are sexually active use no contraception, accounting for 47% of unplanned pregnancies.” It goes on to further clarify that “468,988 babies are born to teenage mothers each year” (“Statistics”). Those who are not married and have children possibly make their own lives harder by burdening themselves financially with the cost of a child. Potentially, they might also make it harder for their children, who might possibly have to grow up without both of their parents.
So you’re thinking, “We use a condom, I’m safe.” No, not really. “The typical use of male condoms has a failure rate of 14-15%.” (“Male Condoms”) This means that 14-15 people out of every 100 will become pregnant during the first year of use. We’ve heard it for years; the only true “safe sex” is no sex. In fact, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services allocates $50 million annually to the states to encourage abstinence before marriage. (“Federal”)
Also, there are the moral implications. A major religion in the United States is Christianity. Christianity teaches that having sex before getting
Cited: Finer, LB. "Trends in Premarital Sex in the United States, 1954-2003." PubMed.Gov. National Center for Biotechnology Information, Jan.-Feb. 2007. Web. 05 July 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17236611>. "Federal Government Clarifies Abstinence Guidelines." North Carolina Family Policy Council. 1 Nov. 2006. Web. 05 July 2011. <http://www.ncfpc.org/stories/061101s1.html>. "Male Condom: American Pregnancy Association." Promoting Pregnancy Wellness : American Pregnancy Association. Web. 05 July 2011. <http://www.americanpregnancy.org/preventingpregnancy/malecondom.html>. "Matthew 26:41." King James Version Bible. [S.l.]: Thomas Nelson. Print. "Statistics : American Pregnancy Association." Promoting Pregnancy Wellness : American Pregnancy Association. American Pregnancy Association. Web. 05 July 2011. <http://www.americanpregnancy.org/main/statistics.html>.