A Sensitive Topic

Last Saturday ( September 18, 2010) the 3^rd year students of SLU-LHS had a seminar about human sexuality. I was one of them. At first, I was hesitant in coming because I thought it was a boring seminar. I doubted if I would learn something that would benefit me. But I realized, after the seminar, that I was wrong. I have learned a lot of things because of this seminar. Let me share some.

                It is awful that most of the 3^rd students perceive human sexuality as sexual intercourse and other related actions. Is human sexuality really limited to sexual intercourse? During the seminar, the guest speakers clarified what human sexuality is. According to them, Human Sexuality is classified into 3, namely: Primary, Affective, and Genital. Human sexuality is not only limited to the genitals but it is also how a person act as a male or female. It was depressing that most students were not serious about this talk.

                At the first part of the seminar, first guest speaker discussed about why teenagers engage in premarital sex. She discussed 5 reasons why teenagers engage in premarital sex. First one is the need for intimacy- Teenagers who have suffered rejection and abuse from their parents and family usually strive to experience this primary need from others, usually from their boyfriend/girlfriend. Second is the need for belongingness- the desire to be accepted and understood. Third is Curiosity- teenagers want to have an experiment. Fourth is rebellion which is caused by unstable families. Lastly, it is a way to cope with stress- a teenager’s inability to cope with stress can easily transform into irresponsible behavior with harmful consequences. Are these reasons acceptable?  For me, it is a big no. I think these reasons are not good enough to initiate a premarital intercourse among teenagers. But sadly, in happens to some cases.

                Then she asked a few males and females to answer some pressure lines which may come from their boyfriends/girlfriends suggesting to have an intercourse. She asked how the students would answer these pressure lines if ever it would be told to them. It was disappointing that most males and even some females took these pressure lines segment as a joke. They answered it in a manner that would soon result to premarital sex. I think that this is a big problem for us. This is just a proof that teenagers would easily give in and do what his girlfriend would want them to do. Proper mentality should be planted on the minds of these young teenagers to prevent a big mistake from happening.

                Let’s continue with the second part. The second guest speaker emphasized on effects of premarital sex.  She presented some short video clips about premarital sex. It was about teenagers who made a right and a wrong decision. She said that a man would use love to gain pleasure while a woman would use pleasure to gain love. I think this is true to some cases. She made us more aware that premarital sex should not be done by stating the disadvantages and advantages of this immoral act.

                I was not feeling well and sleepy that’s why I was not able to understand some ideas shared by the second guest speaker. But when she showed a video regarding a mother delivering a child, I was surprised. My drowsiness disappeared all of a sudden. Many were shouting and making noise. I think they were shocked. This is a sign that teenagers are not yet prepared to become a mother. One way or another, they should have realized why they should not have premarital sex. As I have said, they are not yet ready; they should enjoy school and their youth first while they can.

                I could say that this seminar was helpful to us, the Lousians. Although I was hesitant to attend this seminar, I still find it very beneficial. It made us more aware in making good decisions. It showed us how to deal with these situations that would make us regret for the rest of our life.