I hope I won't offend anyone with my post, but this is something that really bothers me, and I do believe I know the reason teenage pregnancy is sooooooo common in Western society.

The reason...

Lack of education? Perhaps part of the problem...

Lack of parental guidance? Pretty big part of the problem...

Lack of religious or moral values?...pretty major problem in my opinion.

Too much socialization with members of the opposite sex in explicit clothing? MAJOR PROBLEM...

The fact is, no matter how much you educate kids about sex and the consequences, it is a NATURAL thing, a natural urge, and the trigger is NOT education, or lack of education. In fact, being constantly talked to about sex could trigger curiosity about it, and the wish to experiment. The trigger, and main trigger is WAY too much opposite sex mingling. In societies where men and women are not so 'free' and 'open' with each other, this problem is not nearly as common.

Face it. When there are half naked girls around boys in schools, cafes, restaurants, malls, magazines, EVERYWHERE...and there are boys out there who follow lust and desire and have no moral values, what is to be expected? How can a society give boys and girls the full freedom to be alone together, do anything together, expose their bodies to each other, and then, expect nothing to happen? If there are boys and girls together, and those boys and girls have no moral values or no proper upbringing, sooner or later, they are going to be involved in the act. When these girls and boys are encouraged to go to proms, dance together, hug and kiss each other...my gosh...doesn't anyone know how human emotions work? When young boys and girls are encouraged to interact, show each other affection, dance...only a strange person would have no feelings or desires develop from that. Once youngsters begin desiring sex and have the full opportunity to be with members of the opposite gender, that's calling for trouble. Our society has a major lack of moral character in general, and instead of being discouraged, it is encouraged. It is not only the open sex issue, but people in society, youngsters in general often use foul language, have no respect for others, and have hardly any manners at all. The problem needs to be nipped at the roots, not at the leaves. When a leaf or stem is cut off a plant, it just grows back. Until the problem is cut at the roots, nothing is going to change. Until boys and girls are taught to refrain from each other and stay in the boundaries, nothing's going to change. If boys and girls are encouraged to dress in exposing clothes, sit close to each other, hold hands, kiss, hug, dance, be close friends, and do anything and everything together, their parents shouldn't go crying when their daughter announces her pregnancy. The problem is the lack of moral values in society. People LIKE to stay outside of marriage these days so that they can fool around and not have a commitment with one person. Married couples so often break their commitment and fool around with other people. The result is the destruction of the family. Destruction of the family is destruction of society, as the bases and roots of a good society are good, close, committed families. Where have the family values gone today? Where have moral values gone? Really...the lack of moral values in this world often makes me sick, and it really isn't a problem that hard to solve. The only problem is people LIKE to expose themselves in ways that WILL lead to trouble. Like it or not, being too close to the opposite gender is the root of the problem. When people don't follow the commandments of their Creator, they will be in for trouble no matter what. Sex is supposed to be something you do with the one special person you've committed your LIFE to...not something to do with a random 'anyone'. Yuck.

Come to think of it, having a sexual relationship with the one special person in your life that you're committed with, starting a family together, blooming together, sharing a bond of love is probably one of the MOST beautiful parts of life that God has created. Something that can bring a person such joy is so abused these days, to the point that its results in society has become a big problem. People who do things the wrong way have to face the consequences, and sadly, when something wrong becomes so accepted in society, then it is the entire society that will have to face the consequences of the matter. People think using birth control or condoms makes irresponsible sex safe. In my opinion, that is nothing but BS. Many people who use BC STILL get pregnant. Its not a guarantee. Even if one DOESN'T get pregnant, having sex makes a person VERY close to each other. When that closeness is not a committed bond, once it breaks (and it DOES most of the time), it causes great emotional pain. Emotional pain is sometimes worse than physical pain. Why do things that would hurt you in the end? Parents need to discourage girls from dressing in exposing clothing, and they need to discourage both boys and girls from being too involved with each other. Until that happens, nothing is going to change. The root of the problem is boys and girls mingling too freely. In families and societies where free opposite gender mingling is prevented, these problems hardly exist...and people who live such lifestyles still experience love, relationships, and probably a much deeper, truer commitment with their partners than people who fool around and have relationships with many, many people throughout their young years.

JMHO on this topic that often upsets me.