According to Klein (16), premarital sex has severe consequences that can result in lifelong pain. An individual who engages in premarital sex may not be in a position to understand these effects at the right time. This behavior is associated with physical, emotional, and spiritual baggage.
Bancroft (175) notes that several people involve themselves in premarital sex in order to fulfill their personal needs instead of valuing chastity.
This is an indication that quite a good number of people do not honor or respect the traditional values that restrict individuals from involving themselves in premarital sex.
Abstaining from premarital sex requires an individual to possess self-respect, and ability to set appropriate boundaries especially if a person is in an active relationship.
People who fail to learn the importance of engaging in premarital sex at a young age are likely to carry the same behavior even during marriage.
There are numerous effects associated with premarital sex. The effects include feelings of low-self esteem, regret, depression, guilt, emptiness, and mistrust.
When people engage in premarital sex, their values change due to the counterfeit intimacy that interferes with the actual desire of engaging in true intimacy.
In such situations, it is highly likely that the initial expectations of an individual will fall and leave that person with a self-esteem warning.
Many people who find themselves in this state always try to avoid healthy relationships because of the fear that they will change. It is also a way of avoiding pain.
It should be understood that a person addicted to premarital sex finds it extremely difficult to make healthy choices, and will always want to spend less time in the relationship.
Sometimes, the affected person may decide not to talk, or can even develop other weird behaviors that divide a relationship (Hyde and DeLamater 12).
Unplanned pregnancies and infections associated with sexual contact are also common among individuals who engage in premarital sex. Some sexually transmitted diseases can both be lethal or mild and may subject one’s health myriads of risks.
According to the American Social Health Association (ASHA), half of the population in America contracts STD at different stages in life as a result of engaging in premarital sex.
Even with the dangers associated with STDs, many people are reluctant to go for tests because they believe that their lives will be ruined once they find out that they have STDs (Hyde and DeLamater 505).
This shows that the dangers of getting involved in such behaviors are life-threatening and hence there is a need to avoid involvement in such behaviors (Soble 200).
In terms of unplanned or unwanted pregnancies, many people who decide to engage in this behavior are likely to experience numerous conflicts in a relationship, and may also report less happiness.
Although some individuals might want to solve pregnancy issues by marrying their partners, it is very likely that the marriage will not last for long because the decision to marry is based on necessity other than the expected commitment (Hyde and DeLamater 12).
In recap, it is true to say that the effects of premarital sex are very severe. Apart from engaging in this act for short-term sexual excitement, people should visualize and understand the importance of distancing themselves from such behaviors, and wait to experience intimacy and love while in a committed marital status.
Works Cited
Bancroft, John. Human Sexuality and Its Problems. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 2003. Print.
Hyde, Janet and John, DeLamater. Understanding Human Sexuality. Boston: McGraw- Hill, 2006. Print.
Klein, Marty. America’s War on Sex: The Continuing Attack on Law, Lust, and Liberty. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger, 2012. Print.
Soble, Alan. A – L. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2006. Print.