As 17-year-old Danny walks through the drugstore, he looks at the different prices and brands until he finds the type of condoms he and his girlfriend like the most. His first time with his girlfriend made him wonder if they should have waited, but they did make a commitment to each other which changed the way he felt about having sex.
According to a 2011 report from the National Center for Health Statistics, among teens 70 percent of females and 56 percent of males first had sexual intercourse with someone with whom they were in a serious relationship with.

Junior Danny Guardiola and his girlfriend, not a North Garland student, have been together since April. After six months, they considered themselves in a serious relationship with each other. “It should not matter whether or not sex becomes a part of the relationship,” Guardiola said. “If someone loses their virginity in a relationship, it should not change who they are.”

Freshman Jennifer Jaiyeola is, as she calls herself, a “hardcore Christian.” Her beliefs about sex go by the Bible, but do not come directly from it. “Waiting until marriage is the right, spiritual thing to do,” Jaiyeola said. “It makes you different from what everyone else has done.”

Jaiyeola believes that waiting until marriage was a principle of being a Christian but developed her own opinion about it. She knew that her parents did not wait until marriage, since her father proposed to her mother when Jaiyeola was 3 years old.

Senior Melissa Lara also believes in waiting until marriage and said that her religion did not have much to do with it.
Her parents, because they went through difficult times and lived in a different culture, had a strong impact on her opinion. “Their past experiences and what they have gone through influenced me on deciding that I wanted to wait,” Lara said.

She knows that her parents grew up in Mexico when the culture dictated waiting until marriage. They waited because of the consequences they would have to face.
“Back in the day you would get shunned for having sex with someone, and even if you did not plan on marrying them, you’d be forced to,” Lara said.

She believes in her opinion, but does not judge anyone who decides to have premarital intercourse.
“I remember my friend was in a serious relationship and she ended up getting pregnant,” Lara said. “But they live together now and are really happy.”

Lara understands that her opinion is not the same as everyone else’s. Regardless of this, she believes in her choice.
“Waiting until marriage is the right thing to do,” Lara said. “It makes a person happier when you are with the one you want to be with forever.”

Read about students’ opinions on whether sex education should be offered in Texas schools here: https://www.raiderecho.com/features/2014/05/02/speculations-on-sexual-education/