Breaking the norm of Abstinence
BY: Megan Overbey

Abstinence is a word that has become almost meaningless to a lot of people now a days. Abstinence is a term used for waiting to have sex (or saving yourself) until marriage. In today’s Society having sex or as some people refer to it as “scoring” has become more frequent in teens. Older people often talk about how you should withstand from having sex before marriage. In America though it has become more common to have sex rather than wait, for multiple reasons as because having sex can lead to pregnancy and if you’re a teenager.
Practicing abstinence is a good thing for many reasons, if you choose not to wait then you can end up with many problems. Teen mothers have a high risk pregnancy meaning their children can end up premature. Sometimes, when abstinence is not practiced you can have a baby and end up being a single mom, and not having a fathers support raising the child. Raising a child is a huge responsibility and most teens may have a harder time raising a child on their own or with help of community. Most people who are abstinent are able to better themselves and be ready for the birth of the baby.
I myself were one of those ratios of girls that chose not to be abstinent. In return I have figured out that babies are hard work, they take a lot of responsibility and patience. When you figure out you bearing a child you have to mature real fast. Raising a child is very expensive as well, formula, diapers and clothes are all necessities for their first year of life and is probably one of the most costly age of their life. The amount that is projected that raising a child birth to legal adult is somewhere around $235,000 according to studies done in 2011. “Housing, food, clothing, health care, child care, schooling ... the list of compulsory expenses goes on and on. Discretionary spending such as family vacations, birthday gifts, music lessons and the like are mostly extra.” (Wadsworth, 2013).
Another reason that when abstinence isn’t practiced it can lead to the spread of certain Sexually Transmitted Diseases. The differences in practicing abstinence is because when you marry your significant other you would know by then if they have a sexually transmitted and in most cases still practice safe sex or will do so after marriage and not worry if they have something that can be spread to each other because they vowed to spend the rest of their lives together. When people opt out of being abstinent they can get S.T.D.’s and not marry the person and then they will have it and be able to spread it to their next partner if they are not careful. Sometimes when young adults have children they cannot afford the price of living for a child, also they will need to find a good paying job so that isn’t an issue. The adult may not be able to go through college or finish their high school education because they would have to stay home and nurture their child. Once my little girl was born my fiancé decided that he was going to allow me to finish high school and