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Catherine
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« on: August 02, 2009, 05:02:28 PM » |
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The UK, for example, is in a complete mess. I think society's expectation is partly to blame as society tells us that women should be part of a couple, and so on, but married life is certainly not for everyone; some people really do love the single life and if a person chooses to live such a life, then I see no problem, so long as it is a choice and not something thrust upon them. Throughout history there have always been those who choose marriage and "homemaking" and those who choose the single life; both are acceptable, although they are different. Unfortunately, society likes people to conform to the norm, which can pressurise people into accepting certain situations. Whatever our own situation or preference we - society - should not force this upon others. There is a sizeable part of the population who are single for a number of reasons – including those who are "afraid" of being hurt again as a result of being in a relationship. I do see where Gebre Menfes Kidus is coming from as this is a very deep rooted problem. As a society, our priorities have changed: women are encouraged to be very self-centred by the media, etc; the clearly defined role models are disappearing; the traditional housewife and Mum is looked down upon and made to feel as though she is being taken advantage of and she has no life; it seems that people are entering relationships in a half-hearted or selfish manner – it is not a case of "what can I give?." Rather, it is a case of "what can I get?" Re: abortions; the UK, for example, has a very serious problem. Yearly abortion figures continue to rise, the age of first intercourse has been steadily declining. U.K teenagers are using abortion as a form of alternate contraception. We all agree that the abortion rate needs to be reduced, of course - abortion can be very distressing, etc - however, abortion figures listed by the Office of National Statistics and the Department of Health for England and Wales, from 1991 to 2007, show that repeat abortions have risen steadily from 1991 to 2007. There were 44,000 abortions carried out in 2007, on women under 20, and 4,400 abortions were carried out on women under 16. The UK desperately needs a mature, rational, healthy approach to sex and relationship education as this will lead to well informed children and young adults. Children need to be taught how to mature into young, healthy, responsible adults, they need to be taught that there are always consequences to face as the result of everything we do. We need to find a way to reduce the desperation and heartache which these sort of situations can cause.
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