Before this class I thought about the topics we covered in a broad sense and probably not very often. After taking this class I was forced to look deeper into each topic, and while I disagree with some things, I am glad I will be able to hold a conversation about why I disagree. I am born and raised Catholic so I know what view I am supposed to have on each topic, but I’d catch myself feeling guilty because my views were more often than not slightly different than the Church’s teachings. I needed to remind myself that it is okay I have a different opinion, as long as I accept the Church’s opinion as well. Of the topics we talked about, I found cohabitation as the most important/interesting and I found contraception as the most controversial. In this paper I will focus on contraception in premarital sex which can also be happening in cohabiting relationships, so it in a way all connects. I have been dating my boyfriend Jarod for almost six and a half years now and he recently asked me where I was going to live after I was done with college. He was not so subtly trying to ask me what my opinion would be on us living together. My first thought was no I want to wait until I get married and I know that is what my parents want as well, but as I thought about it, it really began to make sense why he would ask. It is not cheap to live on your own, and while I would just continue living at my parents, his parents are ready for him to move out. I told him maybe if we were engaged
Contraception is the deliberate prevention of conception or impregnation by various drugs, techniques, or devices – also more famously known as birth control. This research paper will examine the views of both the Catholic Church and the view that opposes the Catholic Church on this practice. Each view will be examined thoroughly with the reasoning behind each unique view.
Human sexuality can be fascinating, complex, contradictory, and sometimes frustrating. Sexuality is interwoven into every aspect of being human; therefore, having knowledge about sex is as essential as having education about human anatomy. However, it is highly recommended to pay close attention when sex education is delivered to youths. (Donatelle 171)
The issue of birth control remains one of the most controversial issues within the Catholic Church dividing members at all levels including the clergy. The Roman Catholic Church for the past 2000 years has been a major opponent of artificial birth control (BBC). Pope Paul VI made a clear declaration on the use of birth control when he wrote ‘the Encyclical Letter ‘Human Vitae’ on July 25, 1968 which banned Catholics from using contraceptives (Pope VI). These important declarations demonstrate the power of the Papacy to shape public policy on matters relating to human health and reproduction on a global level. The belief within the Catholic Church is that God have the sole power over the creation of life and humans have no role in this
The Church teaches that sexual intercourse has two overall meanings: The Unitive and Procreative Dimension. Unitive Dimension refers to the expression of love towards our spouse and the Procreative Dimension which is the bringing forth of life. The Church teaches that these two dimensions cannot be separated, and both must be accepted. Therefore, when we choose to abort a pregnancy, this is selfishness on our ends. Current society norms includes having intercourse because of the want and desire of it. However, the people whom participate in pregnancies do not want to accept the procreative dimension of
If sexual orientation is something that we can’t change or choose, then how are these specific preferences such as heterosexuality and homosexuality created? How does one person progress to either heterosexuality or homosexuality? Studies showed that there were genetic factors linked to influencing sexual orientation in males before they were born by increasing the female reproductive capacity in mothers during multiple births. (Iemmole, Ciani, 2008: 393) Though that doesn’t mean that there technically is a “gay gene” that has been discovered, just that several human genome studies has suggested promising areas of research that are pointing to that direction. (Iemmole, Ciani, 2008: 393) With more
Writers on opposing viewpoints state “sex between unmarried young people can be seen as a moral problem because many religions condemn sexual relations outside of marriage. Sex between adolescents can lead to social problems…” (Teenage Sexuality Overview) To explain many people do not want unmarried teens having sex or using birth control for religious or social reasons. Critics do have a valid point about sex and birth control for personal, religious, or social reasons. Nevertheless, this does not change the fact that teens are still having sex and need protection.Unprotected sex is dangerous and puts teens health and social lives at risk.(Teenage sexuality ) Even though many say teens should not be having sex or be on birth control that can cause more harm than good.Teens are having sex and need to be able to protect themselves even if that means parents not knowing teens are on birth control. Teens are having sex and not all of them are able to talk to their parents about getting on birth control. If we do not let teens properly protect themselves their health and social lives are at risk. Experts even say teens need to be able to use protection. If teens lives are being put at risk religion and parental consent should not get in the way of teens getting birth
As it pertains to the United States, it’s the only country in the world that its government funds sexuality educational programming that fails to properly educate and encourage on the ideal of abstinence in schools in efforts to prevent early pregnancies and sexual transmitted diseases. When the subject of abortion manifests itself to the forefront, messages on abstinence are few, far, and between and heavily rely on messages of fear and embarrassment. Parents are left senile to their uneducated ways on how to help their child through certain situations and rely on shaming their child as a repercussion. In addition, the religious communities adopt the same response as women are rejected and are turned into forgotten paradigms when they’ve made the choice to have an abortion. “They feel that they would be rejected by other church members if anyone knew of their abortion. These women give much, but are cheated out of the full acceptance and healing they deserve. Instead, they listen in silence as abortion is called “murder” or, worse, not talked about at all (Abortion, 13).”
Where in the first world would one expect the teen pregnancy rate to be the highest? Surprisingly, it is the United States that has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any first world country, more than double the rate of twenty other first world countries and almost ten times greater than that of Switzerland. While some of the disparity can be attributed to factors such as income inequality, the presence of abstinence only education has a major impact on birth and STD rates in the United States in comparison to other countries with more comprehensive programs. It is clear that this difference in approaches has a significant effect, and the United States needs to act to ensure the health of its citizens. Urgent actions are necessary
This week marks the forty-sixth anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, a document which clarified the Church’s moral teaching on contraception. What is contraception? Contraception is, “any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation whether as an end or as a means” (Humanae Vitae 14). There are various methods of contraception that temporarily or permanently sterilize a couple, thus making it impossible to have children. Contraception destroys the union and love between couples. In this we find that contraception violates God’s plan of procreation. Contraceptives go against the gift of fertility by treating pregnancy as a disease. The issue of contraception has drawn worldwide attention with people divided on whether it is morally permissible to use any form of contraception. Society views contraception as a development in the modern world that helps in the regulation of birth. We find that many Catholics don’t understand this issue and the Church’s teaching on contraception has been misunderstood. The Church makes it clear through Humane Vitae that any use of contraception is morally wrong, for it violates the dignity of marriage and God’s plan of procreation. It is our understanding that marriage is a sacrament of love between two people, instituted by God, for the whole purpose of continuing his plan of creation. Marriage is the foundation of
As you mentioned Rebecca Haglin provides examples of her on life and even goes on to use a single example of an experience in a sex education class by a couple young girls who were along for Spring Break. Unfortunately, she provides no valid statistics or reliable sources to support her claims that sex is becoming too casual. On the other hand, she does stress the importance of parents and teachers playing a larger role in educating the youth on the perils of sex. Not surprisingly, her idea of educating is teaching abstinence, which I think is unrealistic approach to sex education. I can understand preaching abstinence until a certain point in life but this education needs to be coupled with tools for how to protect themselves if and when
Teens have difficulty grasping the consequences of unprotected sex for themselves, their parents, family members and possibly their unborn child. Unprotected sex among teenagers in El Paso has become an issue seeing as they are not receiving the right information they need to know about sex and how to prevent it, sexually transmitted diseases can be passed on through sexual contact in which can be harmful and be passed on from one person to another, and teen pregnancy and STD’s bring substantial social and economic costs through immediate and long-term impacts on teen parents and their children. Nowadays social media and technology seem to really take a toll on teenagers, the both has impacted teens in a way that it is all they are on. My proposal of fixing this solution is getting the message across through social media and doing presentations at different schools, this will impact teenagers mostly because this is the generation where social media has become a part of their lives. To those with low education about unprotected sex, will pay attention to what is being said, which will be no problem since Google and the internet are there to provide answers to their questions. Lastly, teens do not pay attention to adults in general, but if they listen to what a teen has to say then they will most likely understand, thus a presentation at their school will help them learn more.
The Catholic Church teaches that premarital sex is wrong, yet it is still widely practiced around the world. The reason marriage was created was to join two people of the opposite sex together in a holy sacrament that would make the couple one. God's reason for marriage is quoted in the bible when he said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." The Sacrament of marriage is one of the most sacred Sacraments in the Catholic Religion. By performing premarital sex, the couple is breaking a covenant with God and is performing a sin.
Unprotected sex seems like the norm for many college, and even high school students across the nation. Although many of these students are protecting themselves by using contraceptives such as condoms and birth control pills, on the other hand, many are not. Instead of worrying about protecting themselves, some students are more focused on having fun and feeling good for a few minutes, versus having to deal with a lifetime of negative effects once its all over. They are more concerned with immediate satisfaction instead of taking all of five seconds to "wrap it up" and put on a condom to protect themselves. It seems like even though these individuals know that having unprotected sex can have frightful repercussions, that
Hence, even if there may be a motivation for casual sex because of developing one’s script or fulfilling a man’s physical satisfaction and a women’s intimacy in a relationship, there are the same emotional effects and negative outcomes that result from taking part in premarital sex. An action that was morally right would not have
Throughout the course, Religion and Sexuality, I have gained new insights on religion and its relationship to sexuality, further, I have learned skills on how to approach people about such topics (religion and sexuality) and how to critically evaluate these subjects efficiently. Lastly, this course has enabled me to discover new qualities about myself.