Premarital Sexual Intercourse among Adolescents and Baby Abandonment (2012)

PREMARITAL SEX AND BABY ABANDONMENT1

Premarital Sexual Intercourse among Adolescents

and Baby Abandonment

Hafizatul Salma Harif Fathilah (101059)

Siti Aisyah Mohd Khizam (104412)


Centre for Foundation Studies of International Islamic UniversityMalaysia

GHM2113 Basic Research Methods & Report Writing, Section 803

Madam Nursiah Abu Bakar

March 28, 2012

Research Idea

Premarital Sexual Intercourse among Adolescents and Baby

Abandonment

Research Question

How does uncontrolled involvement of adolescents in premarital

sex lead to the abandoned babies?

Research Hypothesis

The higher the number of adolescents who get involved in

premarital sex, the higher the number of abandoned babies.

Independent variable : The number of adolescents who get

involved in premarital sex

Dependent variable : The number of abandoned babies


Premarital Sexual Intercourse among Adolescents and BabyAbandonment

INTRODUCTION

Premarital sexual is now becoming a serious problem in our

society, more or less to the individual who involves as well due

to the number of cases which are very surprising. Lee et al.

(2006) revealed that 5.4% of 4500 adolescents had experienced

sexual intercourse before marriage when the questionnaires being

distributed to the selected location in Negeri Sembilan,

Malaysia. Sixty-five infants have been found so far this year,


causing officials to fear the total will exceed the average of

100 per year (Gooch, 2010). In order to handle this problem, it

is going to take a combined effort to focus on the factors,

causes and solutions. Thus, it can help to end this issue in our

society.

The goal of this research is to establish awareness among

society within this issue, so that it will indirectly reduce the

number of cases in future. This report is written due to our

concern in order to fulfill our responsibility towards society.

Adolescents are the major group that involved in the problem.

Readers should realize that this kind of problem emerging many

threats. This literature review considers whether our finding can

contribute solution regarding the issue of premarital sexual

intercourse among adolescents that affect the number of abandoned

babies by responding to the following questions:

1. What are the factors of premarital sex and baby

abandonment issues?

2. Does premarital sex lead to baby abandonment?

3. What are the best solutions to apply?


According to West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2

(2008), “Premarital sex is sexual intercourse between a man and a

woman who are not married to each other”. This has brought the

idea that adolescents who are still young and immature to be

involving in the serious relationship such marriage are the major

focus in the subject matter. There are very strong evidences to

indicate that pre-marital sex is definitely the norm rather than

the exception and there are no doubt that the majority of

Malaysians today engages in pre-marital sex (Seng, 2009).

Adolescents living with one parent have higher rate of sexual

activity than those living with both parents (Lee et al., 2006).

The other familiar names for premarital sex are also called

fornication, non-marital sex, youthful sex, adolescent sex and

young-adult sex. Again, it is clearly shows that the indicator of

who involves is there.

The phrase “baby abandonment refers to discarding or leaving

alone, for an extended period of time, a child younger than 12

months of age in a public or private setting with the intent to

dispose of the child” (Child Welfare League of America Program


Office, 2001) or commonly known as the practice of dumping

offspring outside of legal adoption. The abandoned babies refer

to children who have been treated in this manner, also called a

foundling or throwaway.

What are the factors of premarital sex and baby abandonment

issues?

“Many adolescents have engaged themselves in premarital sex

as a result of curiosity” (Adewale, 2009). They thought that they

were searching for reality but they ended up destroying

themselves. Even though they have been approached to the negative

side of premarital sex but they are still unsatisfied with the


fact that they must avoid themselves from committing sex.

Children develop right and wrong concepts not from the books but

from what they see on the television and what they see around

them (Shahid Athar, n.d.).They really want to experience this

thing because they want to prove that they are already grown up

but the truth is they are still immature to know what they doing

are wrong or right and they need someone who can guide them.

Adewale (2009) believed that media is the cause of

premarital sex. Adolescents exposed to sexual content through

televisions, films, songs, videos and other electronic media. It

can clearly be seen its potential effect on their sexual

attitudes. Presently, adolescents have easy access not only to

sexual content in movies, television, and music videos but also

to Internet-based pornography (Wong et al., 2009). Every products

advertised on television are just promoting sex. In fact, to

advertise food items they use the element of sex and of course

this may lead them to experience what they saw in television.

Sieker (2004) wrote that negative sexual attitudes and roles


portrayed in drama and especially music videos can lead

adolescents to misguided and damaging behavior.

Baby abandonment happens because of the societal norms and

the fact that our governments have now made our sexual attitudes

and behaviors extremely liberalized that western values are now

excessively glamorized and that parents are permissive and over-

indulgent, and are very neglectful of their duties toward their

children (Ngum, 2009).

“Weaknesses of the family institution also may lead adolescents

to get involved in premarital sex” (Awang, 2010).

There are many parents who trust their children to

determine the direction of their life. They are not monitoring

their children on what they are doing, who their friends are, and

where they are going. This will break their family institution.

These adolescents will make friend with people who will

influenced them to commit sex. Thus, premarital sex is not

hundred percent can be blame on adolescents. Furthermore,

children that are not well brought up are likely to fall into

wrong hand (Adewale, 2009).


They will start to engage to unhealthy relationship. Once

they commit sex, they will be addicted to it and keep on doing

it. As the result, it may cause early pregnancy to adolescent

girls. Christopher & Cate (1984) believed that many of them who

get pregnant as involving in premarital sexual are willing to

throw the baby with the hope that it will give the opportunity

for them to start a new life and also caused by them who are not

will being teased and swear by the local community that considers

the issue as a disgrace.

Does premarital sex lead to baby abandonment?


The increasing number of adolescents engaged in premarital

sex is a major concern that may cause pregnancies somehow will

lead to abandoned babies (Ab Rahman, 2011). The pregnancy might

not happen only if studies were prioritized rather than having

relationships with the opposite sex. Most of the girls just bear

with the consequences mostly when their partners did not want to

be responsible, thus they do not have any choice rather than

abandoned their babies anywhere (Adewele, 2009).

Adams (2012) reported that “Over 80% of post abortive women

said they would have had the baby if the guy had been supportive.

Five guys find out their girl is pregnant; the first two pressure

abortion, the third walks away or was never present, the fourth

sticks around for 80 to 120 days, and the fifth steps up

totally”. This not a woman’s problem only but it is a lack of

manhood problem.

For those who are not having enough gut to take the risk for

abortion, they rather decided to give birth to the baby, but then

at the end of it, because of some reasons, they dump the baby

without hesitate. In 2011, Perera (2011) proclaimed that cruel


deed happens repeatedly to these babies usually just after they

were born. Gooch (2010) also noted that they also do not have any

idea on how to raise their babies at young age and facing problem

such as being thrown away by their own families. In most of the

cases, the babies were already dead when they were found by

someone else.

Many adolescents have “engaged themselves in premarital sex

as a result of curiosity” (Adewale, 2009). They thought they were

searching for reality, but they ended up destroying themselves.

They are not satisfied with what their life and start to rebel by

experience it.

A researcher found that some of adolescents get involved in

premarital sex because of money, wealth and position at all cost

hence, they are willing to use their bodies to get it by sleeping

around with men (Poulin,2007,p 2388). Adewale (2009) noted that

most of them came from broken homes. They easily fall into wrong

hands due to the situation of their homes. These may consequence

unwanted pregnancies and to survive, they abandoned their baby

without any piety.


What are the best solutions to apply?

An expert revealed that “Pre-marital sex, intercourse that

is committed between two persons before entering a commitment of

holy marriage, appears quite commonplace in today’s society”

(Howard, 2007). In this case, to guarantee a hundred percent


success in solving this problem is probably impossible but when

the “solution is presented to teens in a way that provides the

knowledge and skills needed to abstain from sex before marriage”

(Rocky Mountain Family Council, 2011). Everyone should take part

in educating adolescents especially parents. Ishak (2010)

tells us that children who grow up without guidance and knowledge

on sex may end up misusing whatever information they have

gathered informally. Many parents are less keen to talk about sex

openly with their children (Jain, 2011). Durojaiye (1972) (as

cited in Olubunmi, 2010,18) believed that this is because for the

elderly, the issue of sex is less important to be discussing with

the children and parents are not fully equipped with the answer

on sexual matters helpfully.

Siraj (as cited in Amirul Ihsan, 2010) uncovered that there

are two extreme views, one is the traditional, restrictive and

conservative parents who never educate their kids or talk about

sex and the liberals who think that it is not important anyway.

Both conservative and liberal parents must meet in a halfway for


them to realize that sex education talk by them may help their

children to deal with the issues.

Amirul Ihsan (2010) stressed that parents must be part of

their adolescents children in any matter, treat them as your best

friend, show your concern and never raise any irrelevant issue

about only children must show respect towards parent but you must

respect them neither. They will never do something wrong behind

your view, instead “we should expect more virtue from our

teenagers and they should expect more wise counsel from us”

(RMFC, 2011). Educate them with moral and religion knowledge so

that they will aware about allowed and forbidden acts (Shahid

Athar, n.d.).

Although, the government has proposed to create a sex

education subject in school has invited a variety of reactions

from parents and the community. For them, if these subjects are

taught at the school, it will only encourage teenagers to have

sex outside of marriage. This situation causes many girls

involved in the problem of abandoned babies for pregnant before

marriage (Gooch, 2010).


As parents, it is important to understand the depth of sex

education to their children to prevent their teens to get

involved. Mohd. Amin (2010) wrote that the government claimed the

subject was intended as a protection for the children on matters

related to sexuality and anatomy of the human body. Therefore,

youth are able to distinguish between what is right with the

things that bring the evil in their lives such as baby

abandonment case.

The abandoned baby cases become worse because of young

children are now exposed to a variety of information about sex

and related teachings from sources such as friends, books, and

media, consisting of advertising, television, magazines and the

Internet (Lee, 1999). Filby (2010) proposed that these materials

have been misinterpreted by teenagers thus sex education will

help them to provide authentic and info to improve their

misleading information.Therefore, the problem of abandoned babies

can be reduced when the awareness of the importance of care issue

that has been born with perfect.


Controlling the media resources action should be taken

seriously such computer safety, television blocking and cell

phone safety. Again, parents should show their support in order

to keep track and control over content access by their children.

Filby (2010) wrote that “Parents must restrict not only the

quality of media children consume, but also the quantity”. He

doubts that when a child is watching many television programs, it

is consider danger to soul to be compared with previous time when

it is only wasting time. Set a limitation in your children’s

usage and educate them with general understanding while surfing

the internet; about how to evaluate the content and protection

from immoral sites and channel.

An expert posited that once these are established, the moral

integrity and wisdom gained by young people can be used together

to make responsible decisions (Howard, 2007). Through the proper

education and reintroduction of strong, traditional morals and

values, society as a whole will make a shift back into what

matters the most the concern for and action for the betterment of

future generations.


CONCLUSION

The problem of premarital sexual intercourse among

adolescents and baby abandonment can be solved through a combined

effort and effective support from many people. Parents, peers,

school, government, media as well as society as a whole must give

a hand in order to keep track as one to tackle this problem. Mass

media, bad parenting style and lack of knowledge in the


consequences of premarital sex cause them to get involve with or

without their consciousness. These leading factors had affecting

the number of abandoned babies. In order to shape the future, the

solution begins at home. Parents must be their best person to

spoke to whenever they need help; government should play their

role in monitoring sex education provided as well as filtering

the media to avoid on screen too much about sexual behavior

scenes in films or dirty lyrics. If the cooperation among all can

be achieved, we will surely see a decrease in cases of premarital

sexual intercourse among adolescents and baby abandonment.

Perhaps these will generate a better generation afterwards.


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Premarital Sexual Intercourse among Adolescents and Baby Abandonment (2012)

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