Study: Most Americans Have Engaged In Premarital Sex
Robert Paul Reyes
December 20, 2006
From the Chicago Tribune:
"More than nine out of 10 Americans, men and women alike, have had premarital sex, a new study says. The high rates extend even to women born in the 1940s, challenging perceptions that people were more chaste in the past.“This is reality-check research,” said the study’s author, Lawrence Finer. “Premarital sex is normal behavior for the vast majority of Americans, and has been for decades.”
Finer is a research director at the Guttmacher Institute, a private New York-based think tank that studies sexual and reproductive issues.
It would be folly to disagree with the findings of this study. Every aspect of our society is saturated with sex: The media, fashion, entertainment industry and public discourse.
When I was a young boy in the 60’s the only way I could see an image of a naked woman was by stealing a Playboy magazine. In the age of the Internet, almost everybody (especially children) has seen a gynecologist’s perspective of Britney Spears’ genitals.
The not so subliminal messages to engage in sex are readily heeded by Americans from all walks of life.
What conclusions can we draw from this study by this reputable and prestigious organization?
The first conclusion is that having sex is a biological imperative that is almost impossible to deny. The birds do it. The bees do it. And humans do it: As often as we can.
From the Chicago Tribune:
"According to Finer’s analysis, 99 percent of respondents had had sex by age 44, and 95 percent had done so before marriage."
My second point is that this study didn’t find that “people of faith” abstain from premarital sex. Evangelicals and other religious people engage in premarital sex as often as the rest of us.
It behooves evangelicals to stop being so hypocritical and stop railing against premarital sex. When you see Jerry Falwell warning teens against the evils of premarital sex — imagine him as a teenager engaging in sexual trysts. Sorry, I don’t want to induce nausea in my readership, but you get my point.
The third matter I want to emphasize is that government-funded abstinence-only programs are bound to fail. We must face reality and admit that kids have sex. This means that we must provide them with sex education programs that includes information about condoms.
This study should make all of us more forgiving and more understanding when we find out that our children are engaging in sex.
It’s not the end of the world if you find out that your 15-year-old daughter is pregnant. You also engaged in premarital sex — so love her and teach her about safe sex and birth control methods.
Ninety five percent of Americans have engaged in premarital sex for God’s sake. LOL, maybe not for God’s sake, but for personal gratification. Don’t be so intolerant and don’t be so judgemental.
"More than nine out of 10 Americans, men and women alike, have had premarital sex, a new study says. The high rates extend even to women born in the 1940s, challenging perceptions that people were more chaste in the past.“This is reality-check research,” said the study’s author, Lawrence Finer. “Premarital sex is normal behavior for the vast majority of Americans, and has been for decades.”
Finer is a research director at the Guttmacher Institute, a private New York-based think tank that studies sexual and reproductive issues.
It would be folly to disagree with the findings of this study. Every aspect of our society is saturated with sex: The media, fashion, entertainment industry and public discourse.
When I was a young boy in the 60’s the only way I could see an image of a naked woman was by stealing a Playboy magazine. In the age of the Internet, almost everybody (especially children) has seen a gynecologist’s perspective of Britney Spears’ genitals.
The not so subliminal messages to engage in sex are readily heeded by Americans from all walks of life.
What conclusions can we draw from this study by this reputable and prestigious organization?
The first conclusion is that having sex is a biological imperative that is almost impossible to deny. The birds do it. The bees do it. And humans do it: As often as we can.
From the Chicago Tribune:
"According to Finer’s analysis, 99 percent of respondents had had sex by age 44, and 95 percent had done so before marriage."
My second point is that this study didn’t find that “people of faith” abstain from premarital sex. Evangelicals and other religious people engage in premarital sex as often as the rest of us.
It behooves evangelicals to stop being so hypocritical and stop railing against premarital sex. When you see Jerry Falwell warning teens against the evils of premarital sex — imagine him as a teenager engaging in sexual trysts. Sorry, I don’t want to induce nausea in my readership, but you get my point.
The third matter I want to emphasize is that government-funded abstinence-only programs are bound to fail. We must face reality and admit that kids have sex. This means that we must provide them with sex education programs that includes information about condoms.
This study should make all of us more forgiving and more understanding when we find out that our children are engaging in sex.
It’s not the end of the world if you find out that your 15-year-old daughter is pregnant. You also engaged in premarital sex — so love her and teach her about safe sex and birth control methods.
Ninety five percent of Americans have engaged in premarital sex for God’s sake. LOL, maybe not for God’s sake, but for personal gratification. Don’t be so intolerant and don’t be so judgemental.
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