SEX ED IS NO LONGER OPENLY DISCUSSED IN SCHOOL AND WE WILL PAY THE PRICE
Teenage Pregnancy: A conversation
Today, governments and school boards allow parents to exempt their children from teachings on human development and sexual health. This will have disastrous consequences.
Once upon a time the topic of sexual education — including preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), practicing safe sex, the use of contraceptives and teen pregnancy — was openly talked about in school; today, however, I don’t think it’s talked about enough. I barely recall having a class at school where any of these issues was discussed.
My generation — my cohorts, my peeps, millennials — as teenagers today don’t exactly have Sex-Ed at school. The so-called “sex talk” is barely mentioned and far as I know, it only comes around once in high school.
Not only that, but some parents are terrified of talking to their children about it — out of sheer embarrassment; but causing more harm than good, as the lot of us in turn, grow up no knowing and completely unprepared.
We then go into the world as young adults woefully unprepared to deal with all the challenges — i.e. peer pressure, self esteem, fear, shame; and the ever present shadow of social media and cell phone cameras.
Adults simply don’t have a clue how hard it is for us out there. A lot of teenagers — specially teenage girls like myself — are peer pressured into having unprotected sex with their partner.
Most of my female peers don’t even know how to protect themselves against STDs; or how to stand their ground and say no if — and when — they are not ready or don’t want to engage in sexual intercourse.
Of course, beyond all the above examples, there is also the very real possibility of an unplanned, teenage pregnancy. All because they didn’t take the precautions needed or didn’t know how to ask for help and guidance.
Attention parents. This is important: For parents who are not comfortable talking to their kids about STDs, sex and teen pregnancy; and for my peers who did not pay attention to the ONE Sex-Ed class at their school, I will break it down for all of you now — you can now either have the conversation, or deal with the consequences later.
For a pregnancy to occur, the male penis must penetrate the female vagina and ejaculate sperm cells— mixed in a fluid called semen — into the female vaginal canal. This process is called copulation or sexual intercourse.
The vagina is an elastic, muscular canal with a soft, flexible lining that provides lubrication and sensation. The vagina connects the uterus to the outside world. The vulva and labia form the entrance, and the cervix of the uterus protrudes into the vagina, forming the interior end.
As explained above, the vagina receives the penis during sexual intercourse and also serves as a conduit for menstrual flow from the uterus. During childbirth, the baby passes through the vagina (birth canal).
Once ejaculated, those millions of sperm begin their quest to find the egg — and it’s not an easy journey. The first obstacle is the acid level in the female vagina, which can be deadly to sperm. Then there’s the cervical mucus, which can be impenetrable, except on the days when the female body is most fertile.
Then it miraculously thins enough for a few of the strongest sperm to get through. But that’s not all — the sperm that survive still have a long road ahead. In all, they need to travel about 7 inches from the cervix through the uterus to the Fallopian tubes.
If there isn’t an egg in one of the Fallopian tubes after ejaculation, the sperm can live in the woman’s reproductive tract for up to five days. Only a few dozen sperm ever make it to the egg. The rest get trapped, head up the wrong Fallopian tube, or die along the way.
For the lucky few who get near the egg, the race isn’t over. They still have to penetrate the egg’s outer shell and get inside before the others. As soon as the hardiest one of the bunch makes it through, the egg changes instantaneously so that no other sperm can get in.
It’s like a protective shield that clamps down over the egg at the exact moment that first sperm is safely inside…it is at this precise moment that a male sperm and a female egg create a baby. For an uninformed, and unprepared teenager, this event is terrifying.
Contraception is therefore, a proven, scientific way to prevent the above process from completing. Science and modern medicine have created several ways accomplish this. The are all safe and proven to work. Some of them are birth control pills, condoms, prescription medications like plan B, and many more¹,²,³.
If an unplanned pregnancy happens; please don’t be afraid. Tell your parents and get help — there are a multitude of social organization ready and willing to help you navigate this experience; some of the links bellow are a great first step.
As soon as you know you are pregnant, you need to start going to a doctor to make sure that you and your baby are healthy and safe. Letting your parents know about you condition right away is more than just showing them they can still trust you in some way. They will also be able to offer you valuable help; and at times like this, you need all the help you can get.
Yes, your parents may very well be upset; or even angry at you at first, and some may never come around. But most parents are loving and caring. They will understand your circumstances and offer to help you as much as they can.
If you are not sure whether you are pregnant or not, Go see the school nurse. In almost every high school they will be able to get you pregnancy test and show you how to administer it.
Most schools will not disclose any information to your parents without your prior consent, as doing so would be considered a violation to your privacy. If you are indeed pregnant, please make sure you are getting the help you and your baby need.
If the worst happen and your parents kicked you out, make sure you’re living somewhere safe like with the baby’s dad’s parents, a good friend, or a health center or shelter that deals with teen pregnancy.
I cannot stress enough that teenage pregnancy is not ideal. Ideally, you should only have a baby when you are ready. When you are financially stable, have a good paying job; an awesome, loving, and supportive relationship with your partner; and of course, a good education.
If you have all that, then you are set and shouldn’t need to worry too much. But when you don’t have any of these things, an unplanned teenage pregnancy will cause you an incredible amount of stress.
If you are in this situation right now, you need as much help as you can get.
If you or someone you know is experiencing an unplanned, teenage pregnancy here are some links that will provide needed guidance:
- Learning About Pregnancy Options for Teens
- Kids Help Phone
- Action Canada for Sexual Health Rights
- Government of Canada: Teen Pregnancy — Information for teenagers
- Canadian Paediatric Society: Meeting the needs of adolescent parents and their children
Hope you’re good. Stay safe♥️
The drawing at the top was one of my first drawings of the characters from The Bugs Bunny and Tweetie show . I decided to do tweety bird because I like doing voice impressions of him. He was drawn on a blank sheet of paper with a 0.7mm mechanical pencil
