In romantic relationships, the question that will inevitably arise is whether or not to engage in sexual intercourse. After all, for some young couples, this act may seem like the ‘typical’ next step in a relationship. However, if not exhaustively discussed ahead of time, or if strong boundaries are not established or followed, then decisions could be made based on the intense emotions of the moment. Decisions that could potential change one’s life forever, especially for a teenager.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, research shows that “about 77 percent of teen pregnancies are unplanned. In other words, they are unwanted or occurred “too soon.” This means that these teens who became pregnant after engaging in sexual intercourse weren’t ready to take on the responsibilities that come along with pregnancy.

In order to be fully prepared to take on this responsibility, a person needs to be a lot more secure in all aspects of life: vocationally, financially, emotionally, mentally, and in their romantic relationship to name a few. Sexual intercourse is not an act that is done without consequences. It is as Sir Isaac Newton said about the 3rd Law of Motion, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. To put in plainly, if you choose to have sex with your partner, then there is the potential for a pregnancy to occur. The only sure way to prevent teen pregnancy is to decide to wait to have sex until you are more secure in all the aspects of life as mentioned above.