Premarital sex is increasingly becoming a real problem in Britain. One very troubling manifestation is the fact that 4 in 10 babies are now born to unmarried parents. The Daily Mail's social affairs correspondent Steve Doughty wrote: "The number of children born to unmarried mothers has risen by a third in 10 years . . . More than 42 of every 100 babies were born outside of marriage last year . . . In the early 1970s, it was less than 10 per cent" (May 13).

Although not exclusively a teenage problem, the growth in abortions is another disturbing aspect of premarital sex. A recent feature article reported that "a dramatic rise in repeat abortions has reinforced fears that women are increasingly having terminations for lifestyle reasons. One in three abortions is now carried out on women who have had at least one before."

Abortion is increasingly called "the new birth control." This year the number will most probably reach a record high in England and Wales.

Sexually transmitted diseases are out of control among teenagers, with enormous increases reported in various types. Little that really works is being done to discourage these society-destroying trends. In fact, the reverse is true in some quarters.

According to Daily Mail media editor Matt Born: "Television viewers face a dramatic rise in sex, swearing and violence as restrictions on what can now be shown were swept away yesterday. The broadcasting regulator OFCOM signaled the dawn of a new permissive era by stating 'freedom of expression' was the principle at the heart of its new broadcasting code . . . Broadcasters will be able to show much more graphic sex and violence—as long as there's sufficient warning for viewers" (May 26).

The standards are gradually falling. So it is no surprise that a report from the Royal College of Nursing stated that "increasing numbers of teenagers are indulging in pre-marital sex." Free access to contraception (without the knowledge of parents) is a contributing factor. Also young people feel pressured into having sex by their peer groups and by the negative influences of the media as a whole.

The core of the difficulty is that true biblical standards are no longer being taught with conviction either in schools or at home. The resultant fruits are inevitable. Noted columnist Melanie Phillips remarked: "There is another type of family where all standards or restraint and civilised behaviour have broken down: a pattern of recklessness which is increasingly being repeated throughout Britain" (May 25).

If you would like to understand the background to some of these societal problems and how to better cope with them, please request our free booklets Making Life Work and The Ten Commandments. (Source: Daily Mail [London].)