Letter to My Senator, but since health care passed I know she is not listening!

As one of your constituates I feel it is my duty to express my concerns for the future of our country and hope you will take these concerns and attempt to make changes in Congress. I consider myself a person of character that values the chastity and sanctity of sexuality. As a female, I place a high priority on women being respected and valued for who they are and not what they look like. When we look at the number of teen pregnancies and out of wedlock births each year within this great nation it is clear that we have a problem. It is clear that we are no longer sending a clear message to youth about the meaning of sex and human sexuality. I also firmly believe that this ambiguity surrounding teen sexuality is due to the disintegration of the family unit, lack of proper information in the school systems, and the constant messages of the media. While Congress has done much to influence the information adolescents receive in school and refuse to address the issues surrounding our nations families they have done little to address the issue of human sexuality and the media.
The media consistently portrays sex as a normal experience for adolescents. While the majority of adolescents do engage in sexual intercourse it is a very slim majority and that does not seem to be the case until they are in their last year of high school. Younger adolescents participating in intercourse is still very rare, yet the media continues to depict sexual intercourse by young adolescents as normal. I am also concerned that the media attempts to portray teen sexuality as healthy and without consequences. The consequences, according to research, of teens engaging in sexual intercourse are more than pregnancy. These teens are more likely to engage in other risk taking behaviors such as drugs, binge drinking, poor school performance, and are more likely to be victims of violence. These teens are also at a greater risk of developing serious self-image issues and depression.
More than anything else I am concerned about the image the media is portraying for young females. While the media is being to portray more intelligent, powerful women, they are also showing an increased number of women who are morally loose and are basically seen as sex symbols. The media is teaching young women that their value lies in their sexuality and their ability to “catch and keep” a boyfriend and not in their brains or values. I am concerned that if the media trends continue on the current trajectory we will produce a generation of women that are so concerned about having boyfriends and being cool that they will do just about anything, regardless of the consequences.
I support the standards are which this nation was built. I support freedom of speech and expression. What I will not support is the exploitation of women and the portrayals of sex as a “human recreational activity” all in the name of art or freedom of speech. These ethics were established to protect the rights of the citizens and citizens of this country have the right turn on their televisions without being wary about the content coming into their homes. They have a right to raise their children in a country that supports the dignity and worth of young women. Adolescent girls have the right to look in the mirror without self loathing because they do not look like the women they see on television. This is a serious and real problem that needs to be addressed in order for our country to continue to prosper and to uphold the principles and ethics outlined in the constitution. I urge you to draw attention to these serious issues and concerns and hold the media industry accountable for the messages they are sending our youth. After all, these youth may someday be in your shoes.