Strong: KNOW SEX or NO SEX

It's no secret, in today's society, sex is a part of everday life. The traditional "wait til you're married" is no longer the norm. Most people do not wait for marriage anymore. And the stuff they taught you in school, you probably didn't even pay attention to anyways, right?! Well that's where I come in. Now I'm probably telling you things you've already heard before, maybe more than once. But let's get one thing straight, sometimes you don't really know anything until it happens to you. Sometimes it takes hearing something more than once, or from someone who has been there. Feeling invincible and being ignorant is normal for teens, but you can change that for yourself. Take the time to really think about your life and your goals.

PLEASE, take the time to REALLY THINK these things over. Do it now, before it's too late.

Condoms and protection is without a doubt, is a serio

us matter. When you have unprotected sex, you are risking getting an STD(long-term or short-term), getting HIV/AIDS(which is very deadly.)

It can also obviously lead to an unwanted pregnancy(which is turns into a very difficult and complex situation.) Not only are condoms a good idea for protecting you and your partner from STDS, but birth control is also a very important thing too. Sometimes a condom can be worn improperly, break, or fall off.

Most people know they should be using protection. But a lot of people think that nothing is going to happen to them. They're invincible! I thought I was. If I really thought I was going to get pregnant, I would've used protection, right? Well I, as well as many other people, are proof that nobody is invincible. My suggestion however, is to REALLLLY think about the consequences. Something I wasn't smart enough to do. Don't wait until it's too late. Make a list in your head of why you would wear a condom. Then make another list of why you wouldn't wear a condom. Starting to understand where I'm going with this?

Make a list in your head of the steps you would have to take if you found out you had an STD.

(confronting the person you got it from, going to the doctor, trying to get rid of the STD, or having to live with it for the rest of your life)

Also make a list of the steps you would have to take if you found out you were pregnant, or got someone pregnant. (see my other blog "book in one hand, baby in the other") Considering all of these things, is it really worth it to be going unprotected?

DID YOU KNOW:

25% of all Americans between 15 and 55 will have at least one sexually transmitted disease.
Almost two-thirds of all STDs occur in people younger than age 25.
One in four new STD infections occurs in teenagers.
Most people with STDs have no symptoms—none! So you can be infected and infect someone else without knowing it.

So How Can You Get Tested?

Call your clinic and set up an appointment!! Don't wait!

You can also find a Planned Parenthood.(Great resource center)

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/

MORE INFORMATION ON STDS: http://www.cdcnpin.org/scripts/std/std.asp http://www.mjbovo.com/Contracept/STD-FAQs.htm http://www.stopthinkbesafe.org/stdFacts/stdFact.asp http://www.sexetc.org/page/get_tested/

DID YOU KNOW:

All it takes is 1 time having unprotected sex to get pregnant.
A sexually active teen who does not use contraceptives has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within a year.
Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15-19 become pregnant. Overall, 75 pregnancies occur every year per 1,000 women aged 15-19; this rate has declined 36% since its peak in 1990
Eighty-two percent of teen pregnancies are unplanned; they account for about one in five of all unintended pregnancies annually.
There were 214,750 abortions among 15-19-year-olds in 2002
The reasons teens give most frequently for having an abortion are concern about how having a baby would change their lives, inability to afford a baby now and feeling insufficiently mature to raise a child.

Think You Could Be Pregnant? Or What To Do If You Are:

Local stores have at-home pregnancy tests for around $11.

Clinics sometimes do free pregnancy testing (see if your clinic does)

Planned Parenthood does pregnancy testing as well.

They also carry the 72HR Plan B pills

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/

You're not alone!! There are many programs and support groups for pregnant teens/parents.

Make sure you contact your doctor as soon as possible for the health of you and the baby.

MORE INFORMATION:

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_ATSRH.html

Adoption is selfless, Abortion is selfish.