by margaret hillcroft

Created on: October 23, 2008

Times have changed. Like it or not, since the sexual revolution of the 1960's which , with the arrival of the contraceptive pill marked the arrival of a much more liberal and open attitude to matters sexual, we have behaved like a load of school kids in toy shop. Sex has become a source of entertainment, marketing and media fodder in all departments and in all genres. Pandoras box has been opened and there is no way we can get the lid back on.

Had we considered the effect all this sexual permissiveness and openness would have on our children we might have thought twice before exploiting this energy so ruthlessly. We did not and we have spawned a generation of young people who have been thoroughly informed about sexual behaviour in adults since the day they first picked up a newspaper or watched a tv show, even if censorship denied them the explicit details. How can we, in all honesty, now start moralising and judging the sexual behaviour of teenagers?

Sexual energy is the most powerful energy, especially at the time of adolescence and it is right that children will indulge in and experiment with sexual interaction with thier peers. It is right that they are not filled with feelings of guilt or shame about this because these can stay and mar loving relationships in the future. It is important that the adults they rely upon to guide them through this period in their lives are non-judgmental sensible and frank about sexual matters. It is, after all where we all came from and is as natural as breathing. Given that young adolescents are going to have sexual encounters, why not give them access to contraceptives ?

When I look back at friends who were forced by their parents to have abortions, the worry each month that there might have been an "accident" and the shame that todays teenage mothers have to endure at a time when they most need the worlds support, I think it is time that ALL the puritanical shame and guilt attached to sexual activity are eradicated forever. It is NORMAL to have sex, it is NORMAL to have babies. It is how we are made. Contraception is a blessing because it enables us to excercise responsible choice over conception. Why should sexually active teenagers not be encouraged to take advantage of condoms? They often prevent untimely pregnancies and protect from sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS

If we were too open in the past about what some may consider a private business, we cannot turn the clocks back. Our only option is to support our

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