Introduction
When the mood sticks and the emotions are at high the last thing in the mind is the need for safer sex. Unsafe sex carries a multitude of risks and may have to pay a greater price for it in life. The largest risk posed by unsafe sex is infection with HIV/AIDS which is the fourth biggest cause of mortality in the world. Other potentially harmful outcomes include sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy or the psychological consequences of sexual violence (WHO). Unsafe sex is increasing among the teenagers and the problems associated with it are a wideÂspread concern all over the world.
Main body
For most people, intimate relationships bring in many positive and negative emotional consequences. Having sexual intercourse voluntarily and using appropriate protection, without feeling pressured or forced to have sex, then the emotional consequences may be positive such as joy, pleasure, feeling loved and wanted, and excitement, whereas, the negative emotional consequences may occur if they are forced into it or fall to emotions and proper protection is lacking.
Negative consequences such as feeling used, unwanted pregnancy, contracting a sexually transmitted infection, or even feeling bad about themselves are major problems that lead into serious psychological problems. Today these are major problems especially among the teenagers (TeenGrowth.com n.pag; Hitti n.pag).
Pregnancy is one of the most common outcomes of unsafe sex. The cause of unintended pregnancy is non-use, or ineffective use, of contraception (WHO). Motherhood is and important and special event in a women’s life, because childrearing consumes time and energy and mostly women bear the primary burden of child care. Coping with the demands of an infant is likely to be even more challenging and stressful in case of unwanted pregnancy as they are not mentally and physically prepared for such an event. Today, teenage pregnancies have turn out to be a public health issue because of their negative effects on prenatal outcomes and long-term morbidity.
Studies also show that young mothers and their babies are at greater risk of contracting HIV (Mayor 1152). Globally, unplanned pregnancies were responsible for about 90% of unwanted births and the common reason is due to the lack of safe sex practice. Only 10 % of unwanted pregnancy is out of method failure. Studies point out that unwanted pregnancies results in about 17% of maternal disease burden and 89% of unsafe abortions (WHO).
Recent statistical data says that 28 million or about 70% of the 40 million people with HIV infection are concentrated in Africa, but epidemics elsewhere in the world are growing rapidly. The cost of HIV/AIDS extends further than mortality, as several children are orphaned and complete economies can be affected. Global statistics also say that about 2.9 million deaths and 91.9 million DALYs are linked to unsafe sex (WHO). According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), adolescents and young adults are the main culprit as they currently account for fifty percent of new HIV infections every year (Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center).
Further, the negative consequences may result in fear, anxiety or guilt about pregnancy or disease especially if sexual activity is outside of a martial relationship. Anger and sadness is another feeling if the sex was forced or if the relationship ends. Besides, disapproval, shaming, blaming may have further negative emotional consequences for the teen especially when their sexual activity is exposed before parents and teachers. (TeenGrowth.com n.pag).
Conclusion
Though in most of the countries, sex education and awareness program are extensively taken up, unsafe sex is very common. The educational systems must focus on for certain issues such as character development, moral formation, discipline, safety, protection from drugs and early sex in the schools etc. These issues are as important as the subject knowledge. Since the health problems such as HIV/AIDS and other STDs still continues to be a concern in most of the countries, it is also necessary to make the protective devices more widely available. Only safe sex can lead to a long lasting happiness and also provide protection against the multitude of risks.
Work Cited
Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center. Unsafe Sex: Do Feelings Matter? ScienceDaily 2007. Web.
Hitti, M. Teen Sex May Take Emotional Toll. 2007 WebMD Inc. Web.
Mayor, S. Pregnancy and childbirth are leading causes of death in teenage girls in developing countries BMJ 2004;328:1152.
TeenGrowth.com What are the emotional consequences of teen sex? Web.
WHO The World Health Report: Chapter 4: Sexual and reproductive health (2008). Web.