How many of us received "the birds and the bees" discussion from our parents? I know I didn't. Nor did I receive education on contraceptives or abstinence in the one sex-education class I had in junior high school.

My life now? I am a 20-year-old single mom. I work part-time to support myself and my son. I am a full-time student at Westminster College and also play on the college's women's soccer team.

Some may think I am stupid for the situation I'm in. Others may say it's just something that happens in life. What do I have to say about my own life?

I wouldn't give up my son for anything. But I believe that had I been better-educated about sexual intercourse, I may not be struggling, living paycheck to paycheck and depending on the help of family members.

I recently read an article in Time magazine about how we should teach our kids about sex. Some feel that the issue should not be approached in classrooms because teens will think it's OK to have sex. Others think that if junior high and high school students were better-educated on the subject, the rate of teen pregnancy would drop.

I believe students should learn more about sex and its consequences. I didn't understand much about contraceptives or the different types of birth control when I became pregnant at age 17. Why didn't I know about any of this? Because I was never taught about it.

I do not know if other teenage girls were uneducated on the subject before they became pregnant. I do know that every year about 750,000 teenage girls become pregnant. Also, more than two-thirds of teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school. The government spends $7 billion annually taking care of teenage mothers and their children.

That statistic in the research I read was followed by this: "Millions of dollars are spent in prevention programs." Is that really true? Where did these prevention programs take place? I am certain it was not in Murray, Utah.

I call upon parents and educators to realize the serious risk that teenagers face when they do not learn about the consequences of sexual intercourse. And I urge parents to have the "sex" discussion with their children.

I know many of you must think this would never happen to you or to your child. But those are the exact thoughts I had. And I became one of the statistics.

Brinna Bennion is- a student at Westminster College.