SEX AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE (as submitted to Planetary Magazine)

Submitted by Luciana Pimentel on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 at 10:41:55 AM EST.

Nobody knows exactly how to talk about sex. Information is shown on TV shows broadcasted throughout Brazil, especially in the country's famous soap operas that deal openly with sexual issues. Brazilian health authorities consider this precocity, which is followed by a tendency toward drug use at earlier ages, as the most serious adolescent social problem. According to Maria Helena Brandão Vilela, a sex education specialist, "The sexual life of kids is not subjected to the same level of repression as it was the case with their parents" and this makes young people feel free to start their sexual life. As a consequence of having sex too early we can mention: drugs use at earlier ages, HIV, teen pregnancy and abortions.
Abortion is a crime committed against a fragile life. The consequences are very dangerous: death of the mother, caused by the fact that more than half of the abortions happens in clinics that don't have the license to perform abortions. Besides this situation, abortion can be provoked by gas ingestion, washing up liquid or big amounts of drugs. Many people put objects inside their vaginas causing cuts, wounds and internal bleeding.
For all these reasons, it is time to talk about sex not only openly but also seriously and responsibly.


Class P21
Emily de Carvalho Mueller
Pedro Cavalcanti Botelho
Pedro Pereira de Hollanda Moreira

Discussion about this story:

You must be logged in to join the discussion.