Many people tend to believe that teenagers are going to have sex anyway, that’s why it’s better to provide an easier access to condoms. In some European countries condoms are even handed out at schools for free. However, is this measure really helpful in achieving the main purpose of the campaign– to decrease the rates of teen pregnancy and venereal diseases?
Statistics show that distribution of condoms turns out to be not really helpful. The rates are still growing and there are some truly gruesome cases, when teens of 13 or 14 get pregnant. And the reason, in my opinion, is that easy access to condoms does not cultivate safe sex; it cultivates irresponsibility among people. In the times when contraceptives were either ineffective or extremely hard to get, the moral level of society protected teenagers from getting pregnant – there was an understanding that the consequences of having a good time may be very, very unpleasant. Free sexual relations were shunned by society.
Modern teenagers that are taught from the very childhood that sex is completely alright, no matter in what age, with whom or in what circumstances you have it, that you can buy condoms anytime and anywhere, and you shouldn’t have such preconceptions. They know that all the negative consequences may be easily averted if sex is safe – but it only breeds overall contempt for the above-mentioned outdated preconceptions and the precautionary measures as well.
Easy access to condoms doesn’t and cannot prevent teen pregnancy, for it doesn’t make an influence on the source of the problem; in fact, it only makes it worse. If teenagers don’t understand the seriousness of consequences, social problem will never be resolved.