Sexual Health
At party’s it is very common for young people to have unplanned sex, unprotected sex or unwanted sex. Having alcohol or drugs can put you at a higher risk or having unwanted sex or unprotected sex, as the alcohol changes how you would normally act or think. When you are at a party it is important not to drink too much that you are unable to protect yourself. Always stay with friends at a party. Some people may spike your drink; some people do this so they can take advantage of you and sexually assault you. To protect yourself from this happening buy drinks with screw top lids, don’t let people top your drink up and never accept drinks from strangers.
The age to legally have intercourse is 16. Both people have to be 16 or older. So when you are under 16 no one is allowed to have sex with you even if they are 16 or older. Giving consent is very important. If you did not give consent to have sex and they acted on you this is a sexual assault which is a criminal offence. Giving consent means saying yes with a clear mind. If you say yes because you are scared of the other person it does not count. If you say yes to sex but then change your mind you can say no.
Date Rape- Is when you know someone socially like a friend, boyfriend etc. and they make you have sex without your consent.
Sexual Assault- unwanted sexual behaviour and is used mainly as a way of asserting power and control over another person.
Sexual Harassment- a form of sex discrimination and involves unwelcome sexual advances, requests sexual favour or unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that offends, humiliates or intimidates.
If you do decide to have intercourse it is important that you use contraception. Contraception helps with not getting pregnant or catching STI’s (sexually transmitted diseases).
It is very important that you choose one or more of the contraceptives.
Some of the Contraception’s are:
• Condoms-98% affective
• The pill- 85% affective
• The rod-99.9% affective
• Diaphragm-94% affective
• Spermicide
• Femi-dom-95% affective
• Morning after pill-85% affective
• Abstinence-100% affective
Some of the STI’s that you can get are Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Herpes, HIV/AID’s, HPV and Syphilis. It is very important that you protect yourself from these STI’s and if you happen to get a STI it is important to go see your doctor.
Catholic Tradition- The catholic tradition is only having sex after you are married. The tradition is also not to use contraceptives. They believe that using contraceptives is interfering with God’s work as God may of planned for the married couple to have a baby but you have interfered with this.