Regardless of age, gender, or belief system, having sex outside of a marriage relationship puts you at risk. A great number of risks can enter your life – pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), or emotional pain that can last a lifetime. When you choose to have sex outside of marriage, sex is treated like a game where someone always has to lose. Even practicing so called “safe sex” is not really safe, because condoms or birth control do NOT protect you 100% from pregnancy or STDs. The only “safe sex” is NO sex until you are in the committed relationship of marriage.
Too often, facing an unplanned pregnancy is the number one scare for both women and men, but in reality, pregnancy is not the worst thing that could happen. Pregnancy only last 9 months, yet acquiring a sexually transmitted disease can produce damaging life-long effects on your body.
Let’s look at some facts about STDs:
- There are more than 30 significant STDs, both curable and incurable.
- 15 million Americans are infected with an STD every year.
- 1 out of 4 sexually active individuals are infected with an STD.
- 70-80% of those infected, don’t even know they have an STD.
- The most common and contagious STD is the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV); it is incurable!! HPV is the #1 cause of cervical cancer in women and 47% of sexually active teens have HPV.
Let’s just face it. Is it really worth the chance you’re taking, for the feelings of the moment? If you have questions about sex, pregnancy, or STDs, please call the Life Choices 24-Hour Helpline at 901-388-6262.