Resisting Being Pressured to Have Sex

-This was not written as a religious piece, but for a pregnancy crisis center and for that reason it is much more secular than my normal writing.-

If you love me, you’ll have sex with me…
If you won’t have sex with me, I’ll find someone who will…
Everybody has sex…
We had sex before. What’s the problem?
I want to marry you; you know were going to get married?

Do any of these sound familiar? These are among the multitude of things that boyfriends can say to try to push their girlfriend to have sex. But, if you look at the root of each statement, it is not loving or caring; rather, it is a selfish desire to have intercourse, regardless of your feelings on the issue.

As a woman, you have a right to be treasured and valued and not to be pressured into having sex. It should be considered that sexual intercourse is not merely an action; rather, it involves a person to enter your body. If you really think about it, do you let anyone stick their finger in your mouth? No, of course not, then the same should be considered when having sex. Ultimately, as a woman, you really don’t need to explain to anyone why you don’t want to have sex. The fact that you don’t want to have intercourse is your decision and should be respected.

Sexual intercourse and other sex acts are, as I said before, not merely physical acts, but there is a psychological and emotional connection that exists in participating in these activities; ultimately, it is a very intimate giving of yourself. Just as we don’t readily reveal deep secrets about ourselves to anyone, we should not just give the most secret part of ourselves to just anyone. 

There is little doubt that there is some type of connection with your boyfriends, but you should be careful not to confuse love and lust. All people have feelings and emotions, but we have to be careful about being dominated by them in a moment of passion because our actions can carry long repercussions, including pregnancy, acquiring an STD or even being labeled as being easy or loose. We should strongly consider the commitment of our partner and if he is man enough to carry the responsibility of being a father, or is he just a child being ruled by his emotions, saying that he loves me, but thinking with under the mask of his sexual desires. Does he really love me, or does he lust after me?

In talking about love, I think we should define it. I could look at a dictionary, but I find their definitions too mundane and propose that love is the unconditional giving of one’s self. It not merely physical, but requires the constant consideration for others, and in the case of relationship, for the partner. Still, it should be considered that in a relationship, love needs to be reciprocal and just as you care and love your partner, he should care for you. In a loving relationship, there should be no coercion or physical force used, especially when discussing sexual matters. If you find that your relationship is very one sided, it may require you to reassess your relationship. You may need to have a very serious discussion with your boyfriend or lover and try to facilitate an environment which allows mutual respect, especially as regards feelings on sex. Still, if this is unproductive and he can’t respect you and your feelings, it may be time to move on because in a loving relationship feelings are respected, and if a man truly loves you, he will love you for all that you are and not just sex.

We live in a society where lust is often thought of as love, where we mistake sexual passion for a loving desire of the other person, but love goes far beyond that. The truth is love is expressed in many ways and is not limited to the sexual experience. In being considerate, talking, genuinely looking after your boyfriend, you can show your love. Love means participating in dialogue and growing to understand one another, and we should consider that there are many married people in society and they love each other, but if you examine their relationships, you will see that they are not having sex all the time, but show their love by an embrace, a kiss, listening to their spouse when they are troubled, by giving of themselves when they are exhausted, so if your boyfriend think love is all about sex, he has a serious misconception about love. It is so much more.

Ultimately, you are a woman. You are a special person with your own feelings, emotions and gifts. You are special and there will always be people who love you and care for you. If your boyfriend loves you, he has to love you for who you are. If he can’t do that, kick him to curb. There are always many more fish in the sea, and remember, if he is not man enough to deal with the responsibility to be a father, he is not man enough to sleep with you.

As for the statements I started with, here are some answers you can use:

If you love me, you’ll have sex with me…
“If you love me, you’ll stop trying to make me do something I don’t want to do.”

If you won’t have sex with me, I’ll find someone who will…
If you’re going to make threats, maybe we should see other people.”

Everybody has sex…
I don’t care about everybody. I care about this body. I’m responsible for me.”

We had sex before. What’s the problem?
“I changed my mind. I have too much I want to do without risking it all again.”

I want to marry you; you know were going to get married?
“If and when that day comes, we can discuss it then.”
“What does marriage later have to do with sex now?”[1]

Regardless of your past decisions about sex, you always have the right to say no and it has to be respected. If your decision isn’t respected, you are in a bad relationship and it is time to move on; additionally, you have recourse to the authorities if anyone ever tries to force themselves upon you and it is a serious offense. Past consent doesn’t mean that you consent all the time, and you can stop having sex whenever you want and start anew. Ultimately it is your decision and your choice. You deserved to be love not objectified, and remember that ending a relationship is not the end of the world, but allows for a new beginning and a new chance at happiness. In the end, we deserve not be dominated by anyone, but to be genuinely loved.


[1] Basso, M. (1997), The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality. Fairview Press: Minnesota.

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