[SamF]

Hrmm, got a lot to go at here.

Originally Posted by West Ender

And kids have sex because it's fun? Drinking alcohol can be fun but sometimes it can lead to disaster. Driving a car is pretty much the same. It needs to be handled with responsibility and a level of maturity then it can be very pleasant and enhance your life quality. Sex is no different in that respect, it's unsafe in immature hands. Of course it's fun, but it's so much more so when it's between 2 people who love and respect each other and have the maturity to know it has implications of reponsibility.

Firstly, you say if sex is handled responsibly it can be enjoyable - free condoms would aid this.

Secondly, maturity and age are often two different things. There is no "magic" age where a person wakes up and is suddenly mature enough for a sexually active relationship. Being given condoms at 13 is a "catch-all" meaning that those who are going to have sex early will have the precautions required.

Thirdly, if the reason for not giving condoms to 13 year olds is that the couple are not in love/respect each other it is a false arguement. The fact is that you aren't going to get 13 year olds going out to club on a friday night, drinking all night and going home with someone they've just met - as can be said for the 18-30's. As to the knowledge of the consequences - this can only be combated with a full education.

Originally Posted by panther

wonder who is the youngest then?

Reckon I can claim that at the ripe old age of 17

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Two thoughts have just come to my mind - the first being that you can educate a child not to have sex and yet they go ahead and do it so what makes us think that we can educate them to use a condom and they will? If the boy doesn't want to is the girl going to insist? Do they even stop to think about condom in the heat of the moment?

My second thought is, if educating them isn't working then maybe they should see live action film of the 13 year old screaming in agony through labour and birth. Maybe that would put them off.

As WestEnder says we don't condone 13 year old drivers or 13 year olds drinking and smoking so why should we condone underage sex?

~1st paragraph~
1st Question: Why not. If they are having sex anyway giving condoms away is going to have nothing but a positive effect.
2nd Question: Depends on the girl, but I would say, yes. No girl I know would have sex without some form of protection.
3rd Question: Yes.

~2nd paragraph~
That may work, though shock tactics are not normally favoured. This is of course assuming they need to be "put off" a responsible couple can have sex with over 97% chance of safety from pregnancy and transmission of STDs (that is using a condom which is 97% effective of preventing pregnancy + spread of disease, with the girl on "the pill" which is 100% effective - when being taken without memory lapses)

~3rd paragraph~
13 year old drivers wouldn't be able to afford the car, insurance running etc - however I also disagree with the driving age so I won't go there. As for drinking and smoking it is pretty much a no brainer. They definately cause harm, not matter what. Sex doesn't.

Originally Posted by West Ender

Believe it or not I was once a teenager and went through all the usual teenage emotions, desires etc. I was a normal girl, I fancied boys, was curious about sex, thought I was very grown up. The one difference between me, along with most girls who were my age, and young girls now is that we knew that slut was just what we would be called if we had sex. We knew that no one would respect us, our parents would go beserk and, worst of all, we would lose our own self-respect. We knew that even the boys who wanted to be our sexual partners woudn't respect us either. We would become girls to bed, not wed.

So everyone under the age of 16 is incapable of respect ? Just because a girl has sex doesn't make her a slut. There are teen couples that have lasted longer than some marriages. I actually find it quite insulting that you are so ignorant to assume that EVERY SINGLE male at the age of 13 onwards is after one thing and do not respect the girls they are with. That is simply not true.


With me you are getting the viewpoint of a 17 year old male. I wouldn't be offended to still be classed as a child to some of you. I am the person here most eligible to see "inside the mind" of a 13 year old male and I'll say this now, the benefits of giving away free condoms would far, far, far outweigh the consequences. As I mentioned before, being given a condom isn't going to turn the model catholic into the town bike, but it will mean that those who ARE going to have sex will have a higher chance of being safe.