AIDS and Abstinence
There is only one sure means to protect yourself from AIDS,
pregnancy, and other nasty sexually transmitted diseases. Don’t have sex.
Sound too simple? It really isn’t. Without sexual activity it is
completely impossible to contract HIV.
Oh, please! Do you mean to say that while everyone else out
there is having sex and having a great time, I should sit at home like
some angel and be until marriage?
Exactly. Even though the media portrays sex to be pervasive
throughout every aspect of our culture, the truth of the matter is that
sex does not saturate high schools like some would suppose. I would
even venture to say that a very small percentage of graduating high school
students could really be considered 'sexually active.' Oh, it may seem
like it. One will always here about the spring break escapades of this
jock or that cheerleader, and perhaps the conclusion is easily drawn that
because these people are engaged in that kind of activity, everyone is.
That, my friends, is simply not the case.
But even if one were to accept the claim that there is a lot of
sex going on in today’s high schools, I would like to offer just a few
examples of the devastating effects that sex has on people. Let us
ponder on the all too familiar situation of Sally and Jim. They had been
dating for about two years in high school before finally making the
decision to have sex. Within a few months, Sally was pregnant. Jim is
a good kid, well-raised, and so he proposes that Sally and he be married.
Sally and her parents both agree that this is the best course of action.
Sally and Jim are both forced to drop out of school in order to support
themselves. Thus, Jim is stuck in low-paying jobs and Sally is mired in
despair.
But that situation is fairly mild in comparison to others. Perhaps
Jim refuses to acknowledge the baby and Sally is forced to raise the
child on her own. There is always the issue of abortion to be discussed
which can cause even more heartache than actually having the baby. Two
lives, both with futures so bright, are thus dimmed by the immorality
of sex.
Abstain, abstain! At all costs, please abstain! It is not a
difficult thing. It takes concerted effort and planning in order to
reach the point of having sex, yet abstinence requires no action at
all. In fact, abstinence is the absence of action. If you are involved
in a serious relationship, avoid being alone for too long in dark and
secluded places. Do not set yourself up in a situation where the only
thing to do is make out. Avoid alcohol and drugs for these cause us
to lose our inhibitions. It is estimated that over half of sexual
activity that occurs in high schools is a product of alcohol use.
I know that the things which I have written about are true. I
know that joy and happiness will abide with you in much greater magnitude
if you will only abstain from sexual activity. Not only that, but the
great disease of our age, HIV or AIDS, will have no power over you.
About the Author
Richie Alton is the co-author of AIDS: Education and Prevention from the Growing Edidemic.
He plans on pursuing a career on law and attending Brigham Young University. For more information about Richie, please see our About the Authors Section.
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