Meet the Winners of TFC 2007 Essay Contest
Ranking
Name Topic School
5th prize Daniel Howard Premarital sex Xavier High School
"Hello, my name is Dann Howard. I attend Xavier High School in Appleton Wisconsin and have attended Catholic schools all of my life. I am planning on attending the University of Wisconsin Madison next year, studying Secondary Education. I am involved in Cross Country and Track at my school and I am also the Student Body President in my school's Student Government. I enjoy the martial arts, studying history and playing basketball with my friends. I am very fortunate for the opportunity to go through a Catholic school system and I feel that my faith life and my social life have both greatly benefited. I will take these experiences in my life to help shape the next generation's values as a high school teacher, guiding this generation towards morally positive decisions."
My essay:
Premarital Sex
“When chaste people need body or mind to resort to action or thought, they find
steel in their muscles or knowledge in their intelligence.” The “steel” and “knowledge”
that French author Honore de Balzac refers to in his opinion of the nature of chaste
persons can be interpreted as referring to many different qualities of such a person. The
“steel”, referring to the unbreakable moral strength of a chaste person and the
“knowledge”, the wisdom to use such moral strength to make the right decisions in life is
the interpretation that many would come to understand when closely examining this
quote. However, in today’s world, where such steel and knowledge are extremely rare
and where finding a chaste person is nearly impossible, the reasoning behind why social
injustices and world problems exist becomes quite clear. One particular social problem
that deals with these attributes of moral strength and wisdom and with chastity is premarital sex.
Pre-marital sex, intercourse that is committed between two persons before
entering a commitment of holy marriage, appears quite commonplace in today’s society,
where nine out of ten American males and females have admitted to participating in the
act (Jayson). However, the problems that can arise from such activity are not limited to
merely the physical consequences, such as the spread of sexual transmitted diseases and
pregnancy, but can drastically affect other areas of one’s life. If such consequences are so drastic, then why are desires of lust among unmarried persons so readily and frequently acted upon? The solution to this problem can be attributed to many different answers, ranging from a general ignorance of the risks, to people merely ignoring the consequences and serving one’s personal desires before one’s morals. Both answers are valid, simply because both are integrated into human nature.
However, there are more specific and recognizable entities that is to blame for the
degradation of sexual responsibility by the act of pre-marital sex: society and the
government. Although research will show that the number of people participating in premarital sex has only increased by a small amount, the age of which people first have premarital sex has dropped by nearly four years, from age twenty to sixteen (Finer). By
directly connecting the mass media expansion of the last few decades, with the increase
of sexually provocative material in magazines, television program and internet websites,
one can establish a link between society, whose standards have deteriorated dramatically
and the increase in pre-marital sexual activity. The other entity that can take just as much
blame is the government, whose ineffective methods of handling the problem of premarital sex has led to an increase in STDs and abortion. Although these facts and
viewpoints may not impress or change the opinion of some, the problems that can be
linked to pre-marital sex and problems that stem directly from the act are serious enough
to, at the least, be pondered over. Through the degradation of society and inaction of the
government, pre-marital sex is growing as a severe social problem that threatens society
through the destruction of the family, morals and spirituality, all essential components to
a successful and responsible community.
Pre-marital sex, although seemingly universally acceptable in modern society, has
the potential to bring about problems that either unknown or often simply ignored by
members of society. The most commonly known of these problems is the spread of
sexually transmitted diseases. Often times, pre-marital sex will occur between couples
that have not been together for a long period of time and therefore, have not shared many
of his/her past partners or relationships that may have been with partners with STDs in
order to keep the current relationship going. Ranging from temporary inconveniences to
life threatening illnesses, STDs have become increasingly widespread throughout the
world during the previous decades, especially with the disease known as AIDS (Warner).
The spread of infection is just one problem that pre-marital sex raises in the physical
sense for people. Another issue, not necessarily a problem in all cases, is pregnancy. The
pregnancy rates for all women in America have risen significantly in the last twenty
years, as have the abortion rates (Finer). More concerning, both numbers for females
between the ages of fifteen and nineteen have increased dramatically. Pregnancy,
specifically, pre-marital and teenage pregnancy, can lead to a plethora of problems,
including strain on the parents (or often times, mother) to provide support for the child.
Households that cannot provide this support will foster an environment that is not
suitable for raising a child and can lead to problems later in the child’s life, ranging from
receiving a poor or no education and leading to a life of crime or other illegal activities.
In more horrific cases, a pre-marital pregnancy may even lead to abortion, the ending of a
child’s life for the sake of “convenience” of the mother. Such problems that have
increased steadily through the fifty years are not coincidences; those problems are direct
results and problems that are raised by pre-marital sex. To call pregnancy a problem
would be a major mistake, but to deny the problems that can accompany a pregnancy,
especially in the case of an unprepared, single teenage female, can bring problems for the
mother and child in dramatic fashion.
The physical problems of premarital sex are ones that can be understood and
experienced by all, no matter the race, creed or age. However, the moral and spiritual
conflict that pre-marital sex presents is one that can be understood by some, but still
experienced by all. To call sex immoral would be incorrect. Sex is one of the most
beautiful and important functions that human beings perform. Without this act, life
cannot be brought into the world and life in the world cannot continue. However, the life
that is brought into the world as a result of sexual relations must be fostered and educated
to lead a life that will be full and upstanding, so that the life is able to bring about positive
change and influence to the world. Therefore, sex between committed, loving couples
ensures that this new life will receive those things. The love and support of a sound
family unit and the opportunities to receive such education to make the world a more
complete, wholesome and loving place. This practical standpoint of ensuring that a child
will be able to become successful and not have to overcome abandonment or other
hardships because of strains that the single mother or father must overcome as well is
complemented with the religious standpoint of morality. From a Catholic perspective,
the will of God insists that pre-marital sex not occur because the sole purpose of sexual
relations is not for pleasure or recreation, but to bring about new life into the world. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church, a collection of Catholic teaching and thinker, states
“Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is
gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally
ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it
is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young (CCC 2353).” The degradation
of both persons involved and the disrespect for God’s creation may not apply to all
people, but the principle behind this teaching can apply to all situations. The way in
which people treat sex as a game or pastime is met with disagreement in both the
practical and religious sense, both of which bring ideas that support the decision to save
the act of intercourse for marriage and for the purpose of creating new life for the world.
This moral problem that can be understood by any person, regardless of the
religion, race or culture, connects directly to the moral problem that exists in today’s
media. As television, the internet and magazines have expanded throughout the twentieth
century and continue to reach new audiences in the twenty-first century, the high moral
standards of past are virtually gone. Virtues, such as honesty, respect and integrity that
were displayed on television shows such as Andy Griffith and Leave it to Beaver have
been replaced by a constant barrage of sexual programming, which can be found nearly
on any station. Although these shows of the past do not speak to the problems of the
modern day and are certainly outdated for this generation, the morals and virtues that
those shows displayed will never lose meaning or purpose, only airtime. The virtues of
making profits and attracting viewers are now the virtues that are held in high regard,
bringing about movies, music and television that merely seek to find these viewers with
“shock and awe” material. This may seem like a digression, but this opinion of the media
leads directly back to the question at hand, what has caused such an uproar in the rise of
pre-marital sex, especially among younger people? The media can not be entirely put to
blame, but the impact that media has on American culture is strong enough to put the
media up to the challenge of providing programming and material that will not only
inspire young people, but not lead the future leaders of the world down a path of
degradation and low morality, a path that the nation itself will certainly follow if lead by
such people. The media in its many forms does not shoulder the entire responsibility
however. The past and recent actions of the federal government, although attempted,
have not had a significant impact to reduce the occurrence of pre-marital sex, an act that
has been proven to lead to other major social problems.
"Abstinence Will Not Cure AIDS. Research Will." This ad that was posted
throughout New York City during the nineties speaks directly to the debate that has
occurred in the government as to what to do about the spread of sexually transmitted
diseases (All about Worldview). While one side may argue that only research and
development will move towards a cure, such as the poster of this ad, many argue that
abstinence and education are the key components to preventing the further spread of
STDs and the other problems associated with pre-marital sexual activity. The federal
government, although providing hundreds of thousands of dollars towards this education,
has obviously failed in its attempts to teach the importance of sexual abstinence, or the
very least, sexual discretion (MSNBC). With 95% of all Americans between the ages of
12 and 29 admitting to having pre-marital sex, the education that was to prevent such acts
from occurring either: did not have enough impact on the students; taught improperly; or
not enforced strongly enough by the government (Warner, Jayson). On the other hand,
the percentage of teenage smokers in America has drastically decreased within five years,
down to 28.5 percent from 36.4 percent, in just a five year time span (Swanbrow). This
has come as a result of not only a sharp increase in the price of cigarettes, but with a
barrage in anti-smoking and smoking awareness programs ran from the elementary to
high school levels of school. The government’s action against this “evil” was effective
and was effectively run. So, why have the sexual awareness programs failed so
miserably? The questions may lie in the information above, but another, more reasonable
conclusion can be reached.
The solution to this question of effectiveness comes down the apathy of the
government towards the problem of pre-marital sexual intercourse. Despite the risks of
sexual transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy and abortion, all of which are major
social problems, the education that is to provided to students by the government and
educators has failed and has been pushed aside as commonality in American society.
Looking past the moral aspects of this problem, since many do not follow these
standards, the consequences that pre-marital sex can bring about should be reason enough
for the government to address. More extensive and informational programs must be
installed in every school, even starting at the elementary level. Being too concerned
about a child’s maturity level to teach elementary schoolchildren these facts is not a
concern that will lead to a solution. Research has proven that sexual activity does not
wait for a certain age, but begins as early as pre-teen and early teenage years. The most
important times in a person’s life are the early years of elementary, middle and high
school. The moral foundation for that person’s life is laid at those points, shaping the
decisions that will be made in the future. Such education must provide in order to make
these decisions not only moral decisions, but responsible and safe choices.
The blame of what has caused such an acceptance and activity of pre-marital sex
in today’s society can be attributed to many groups. The influence of society, the
inaction of the government and irresponsibility of parents are all answers that focus the
attention of the problem away from what really matters in social problems such as this – a
solution to the problem. Further education and media responsibility are two crucial steps
that must be taken to even give the chance of reducing the abortion rates and
impoverished families with children that cannot provide the proper support to raise the
child. Once these are established, the moral integrity and wisdom gained by young
people can be used together to make responsible decisions. That “steel” and
“knowledge” spoken of before are not easy attributes to achieve and are even harder to
maintain, but with the proper tools provided and with the moral strength, a safer, more
virtuous and responsible America will be created. Society must address these problems
from moral perspectives, because these problems are ones of immorality. The education
of the respect of life and responsibility to carry out the common good of the society must
be ingrained into American culture, just as the thinking of society has been ingrained
with the acceptance of pre-marital sex and the acceptance of other moral problems as
commonplace. Through the proper education and reintroduction of strong, traditional
morals and values, society as a whole will make a shift back into what matters the most –
the concern for and action for the betterment of future generations.
