Pretending that marital commitment is unimportant to the fulfillment and well-being of most men and women and especially of their children is the worst lie we could possibly foist on teenagers, perpetuating trends that are already seriously damaging our country. Obviously, it will be necessary to challenge popular culture's negative, sometimes even hellish, image of marriage. Articles have begun to appear with a more balanced view, one that does not portray marriage as a saccharine sweet, catch-all heaven, but as a realistic, positive choice that takes work. This positive trend can be seen even within the world of professional educators. Historically, we have called that marriage.
Sexual union is then part of something bigger-the union of two persons' lives.
These and other resources can be ordered from the Center for Educational Media. 12 Notes 1. Premature Sexual Activity as an Indicator of Psrchosocial Risk, Pediatrics, vol. 87, no. 2, February 1991, p. 141-147. 2. The Effects of Sexual Activity on Adolescent Social and Psycliosocial Development, Final Report to the Office of Population Affairs, DHHS, June 1986.