ACCORDING to the article on Feb 9 ("Teen births drop to 20-year low"), over the years, the number of babies born to teenage girls aged 19 and below has dropped significantly, along with the number of abortions by girls aged below 20.
With no statistics given for the causes, the reasons cited for the drop include using contraception to prevent teenage pregnancy.
Practising abstinence before marriage was not proposed as one of the factors contributing to the drop, as if it were an impossible task for our teenagers.
One of the key messages of sexuality education by the Ministry of Education is practise abstinence before marriage, as it is the best protection against sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.
Casual sex can harm and hurt the teens and their loved ones. Therefore, only by practising abstinence before marriage can teenage pregnancies and abortions be ruled out.
As an educator who has worked with children and teenagers for 15 years, I feel we tend to underestimate our young people's capacity for self-control.
Thus, we tend to promote contraception rather than abstinence. It is no surprise that an increasing number of teenagers think that it is normal for them to have sex ("Underage sex more common, say social workers"; Feb 9).
My experience has shown that youth who are taught abstinence before marriage from a young age, and have also been given much family support, learn the value of loving themselves by not engaging in premarital sex.
Therefore, we should inform, encourage and support our teenagers in practising self-control. After all, it is a virtue that can take them far in life.
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