VIRGINITY REVISITED!!!!!!!
Shoba De's article Purity rings and Palin's problem (THE WEEK Sept 28,2008)has raised three issues.Was virginity dead?The perils of experimental teenage sex and the need of sex education.
Its heartening to see the welcome comeback of chastity in the western world,and I strongly believe that virginity never died in India and I would rather say that there hasn't been any significant change in the virginity status of the youngsters in the recent years.
Virginity,though always considered to be a middle class issue,has had and has its followers,in significant numbers
Being modern does not mean disregarding virginity!
The youth today is liberated,independent,experimental and adventurous,but the values have not vanished.
In fact the education has given them more discretion and a since of responsibility,not to the society,or the family but to themselves and the partners,and not to forget the health awareness and the scare of AIDS.
Even the young,smart,rich and independent youth,with all opportunities,don't seem to be in a hurry to loose their virginity,they wait for their life partners,and when they do decide on one,then they don't mind waiting till the wedding rings!!
The issue of Palins 17 year old unmarried daughter getting pregnant,is another example of the problems of the increasing experimental teenage sex.My heart bleeds for Palin ,as it would for any mother who has a 17 year old pregnant daughter to handle,and doubly more for Sarah,who is not only pregnant at seventeen,out of experimental teenage sex,but is being asked to have the child,and marry the irresponsible boy,who made her pregnant.And all this since she happens to be a politicians daughter.But even my sincere sympathies for Palin,cannot stop me,from condemning her decision that she is imposing on her daughter.She has proved to be an irresponsible mother,who couldn't guide her daughter well,and now is actually using her as a scapegoat,for her political interests,to force her to be a mother at seventeen,and spend her life with an immature,irresponsible teenager as a husband
Both these issues re enforce the need of sex education.Had Palin,as a mother spent some time with her daughter,she may have been motivated to retain her virginity,and not to indulge in experimental teenage sex,and if she did have to do it,she would have taken necessary precautions,not to get pregnant.
Hope this too big a price being paid by Sarah,for a momentary pleasure serves to be a great deterrent for other teenagers,and an eye opener for parents to be more careful and vigilant
Dr Sanjay Kapoor Lucknow
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2 comments:
Sanjay, interesting take! Just to add on to it:
In middle class India virginity is worshipped and the girls are taught that this is the biggest gift they can give to their would be husband(patiparmeshwar, another example of Hindu bigotry).
By contrast villages and low socioeconomic societies are rife with teenage marriage and pregnancies and the girl at 16 is cosidered too old to marry and may be they are right as life expentancy in some of these societies is still less than 50 and maintainig the progeny is the sublime goal.
In metropolis and newly rich India virginity seems to be a mere concept.
As physicians we know copulation is a normal physiological function; a function of hormones and hormone surges and in terms of evolution it is absolutely essential. These facts clearly demand education, education and more education and not abstinence( Remember ages 16 to 30 are the most productive).
Sarah Palin's own case and her daughter's case is an example of religious conservatism and ignorance as they strongly believe that child is a gift from God and abortion is the highest crime and this is what scares most americans. She new that her own baby had 'downs syn' and she still went ahead with the pregnancy and her only method of contraception is abstinence.
And Sanjay, that moment of pleasure is a liftetime of bliss and can only be experieneced at a certain age, time and place and must be spontaneous(marriage or no marriage) and not orchesterated, I mean after a long ritualistic, expensive and probably worthless ceremonies.
Ashwani
Dr Ashwani K Agarwal
Everything very well put,and taken
But it further strengthens my view that sex education is the need of the hour!
getting pregnant at 17 may be OK for a rural lady in India,but not for a girl like serah
am not being a moral police
let her,or anyone do what they want
but had they been mature,they cud have used precautions.
and pleasure or no pleasure
bliss or no bliss
a child at 17 and a teenage husband,is not a joke to carry on for life
i may be sounding conservative,but i mean what i am saying
sanjay
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