At what age can I?

any age	Receive contraceptive advice/treatment without parents' consent if you meet certain criteria outlined by your GP/Health Nurse Be prosecuted for having sex in front of someone likely to be offended Discuss having an abortion without parent's consent with a termination counsellor
at 10	Boys can be prosecuted for having sex with a girl under 13, even if she consents
at 16	Have sex with a boy or girl aged 16 or over if they consent Be prosecuted for having sex with someone under 16 Have an abortion without parent’s consent Get married/live together with parent’s consent
at 18	Get married/live together without parent’s consent

Are you ready?

Two of the biggest questions young people have about sex are ‘When is it okay?’ and ‘How do I know when I’m ready?’ At least half of young people in the UK wait until over age 17, but there’s more than age to consider. Can
you handle the intense emotions? Are you responsible enough to protect yourself and your partner? Do you understand the risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)?

• 31% of British teenagers feel under pressure to have sex
• 82% had sex because they were drunk, curious, desperate to impress mates or pressured
  Source: Bliss Magazine, 2003

Sorting out contraception and other details

Think you want to have sex? Sometimes the urge is very strong! But before you get down to it, there are a bunch of things you need to get sorted out:

• What are you going to use for contraception? It's possible to get pregnant the first time you have sex! Before you go all the way, you need to know what you're going to use. Know your options.
• How are you going to protect against STDs? Sexually transmitted diseases can cause pain, infection, infertility and death -- but often, people don't even know they have them. Find out how to protect yourself.
• What will you do if something goes wrong? Sometimes contraception fails, or things get out of your control. You need to have a back-up plan ready for if anything goes wrong. Find out about emergency contraception.

Don't want to have sex?

Feel it's all too complicated? Not ready to take on the responsibility and risks? You're not alone. Here are some of the ways Oxfordshire teens say no:

• I’m not ready and would rather wait for a bit longer.
• I need more time before committing myself to sex.
• I don't want sex yet. Full stop.
• Thanks but no thanks.
• Marry me first!
• Do we really want that commitment at this stage?

(compiled by Caroline Bates and Susan Mendelsohn)

Remember, it's your body and your decision, so things should only ever go as far as you want them to. Celebs agree:

• Sex is a powerful thing and needs to be handled with care. Don't take pressure from anyone. Ms Dynamite
• It's important to be clued up about sex. Darius
• It will always be the gutsy girls who can stand up for themselves that truly rock my world. So stay sexy and speak up! Ben, A1

From www.RUThinking.co.uk

Experience

I got pregnant at 15 and had my child at 16. Although I knew about the risks of unprotected sex, I thought that we would be safe. It was something that happened to other people who had sex all the time, not people like me. We had only done it a few times and I was going to get contraception. I love being a mum but if I am honest I wish that I had waited until I was older. Sometimes it is really hard and tiring especially when I don’t feel my best and my daughter gets ill. – Young Mum, 16, Oxford