Heather's Initial Reflection

What barriers do teens face to having a healthy sexuality?

While thinking this question over, I asked a friend for his opinion and he said: how do you define a healthy sexuality? I responded it can be whatever you want it to be; whatever your opinion is. Without knowing what a healthy sexuality is though, how do we determine the barriers to achieving it, and how do we then overcome the barriers?

To me, having a healthy sexuality is being in tune with your body, knowing what sex is, and not just intercourse, but understanding all sexual activity is part of sexuality, the emotions involved with having sex, and how to do it all in a safe way, both physically and emotionally. My state of mind regarding sexuality is a lot different now, though, then when I was a teen, and I think this in itself is a barrier. I do not believe all teens are aware of everything which goes into having a healthy sexuality and the benefits and consequences of engaging in sexual activity. This awareness is hindered by a lack of adequate health education, parental attitudes and beliefs, religious views, and a lack of access to contraceptives.

Health education in the U.S. is greatly lacking. Schools are constantly dealing with funding shortfalls and with emphasis on testing standards many schools decrease their health education courses. This directly effects what adolescents learn about sexuality because there often isn’t enough time in the class period to cover every health topic or to cover it in depth. Furthermore, many parents do not believe sex education should be taught in schools or it should only focus on abstinence and not on other healthy sexual behaviors. Religious views present the same problem. The Church constantly preaches abstinence without acknowledging everyone does not abide by such strict doctrines and need to be educated on alternative ways to have safe sex. This creates a dichotomy for teens, who do not know whether it is correct to abstain or to engage and if they want to engage, they might not be equipped with the knowledge on what is safe and what isn’t. Some teens may not engage in intercourse because of the stigmas associated with it or the beliefs their parents place on them, but will engage in other sexual activities and may not do it in a safe way, jeopardizing their health. There is also a lack of easy access to contraceptives. Many pharmacies and stores keeps condoms locked, which makes it difficult for teens to access them, either due to the burden of going to the counter asking for the key and returning to get the condoms or because of the embarrassment or stigmas attached with purchasing them. Birth control is also expensive, even with insurance, which can deter teens, who may not have their own income from obtaining it.

I think it is important for people to hold a wide view of what a healthy sexuality is and to not force their opinions on others. No matter what each individual or each group believes, there will always be someone who holds a different opinion. The consequences which can come with having an unhealthy sexuality are far too great to hope adolescents will fulfill a one size fits all model.