I'm sure you've seen those "Not Me, Not Now" ads that conclude with the slogan, What Smart Kids Say to Sex. I just saw one. It brought up a lot of frustration and anger.

Details of the business of losing one's virginity are personal, nobody else's business but that person's own, nobody else's place to tell that person what is "smart" for them and what is not. I know that a lot of people - mostly female, I find - believe sex should be saved until marriage. If premarital abstinence is your choice, power to you. But why do people think that they have the right to tell others that not following that rule, their way of living, isn't "smart"? What law states that one must meet this criteria to be deemed intelligent? I see nothing wrong with having sex before marriage, nor having sex as a teen. We do, after all, have to learn these things - and, the legal age of consent where I live is sixteen.

A large percentage of those who believe in premarital abstinence think the same way I do: that the issue is nobody's business but their own. Unfortunately, there are loudmouths from either side that taint the credibility of the rest. I once had an anti-abortion online friend who just admitted that although she herself would never have one, she would never dream of stopping another from making their own choice. But, the American Life League website makes their association appear to be comprised of hypocritical, Bible-thumping, overly-preachy anti-abortionists. (It amazes me that people can preach the rights of a "completely-innocent" hour-old fertilized egg over those of a completely-innocent cow doomed to the slaughterhouse and fate as a hamburger.)

Let's pretend that I'm in a long-term relationship, and we hit the sack. However: we always use a condom, I'm on the Pill, and I'm prepared to both detect and survive or terminate a pregnancy if need be. That makes me a dumb kid? Maybe I should get drunk and let a guy whose name I barely know finger me in the back of his truck. Is that girl smarter than me because she didn't go all the way?

Absolutely not. Ugh.