To do it or not to do it? That is the question. And the responses are as varied as human beings themselves.

According to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the consequences of penis-vagina intercourse (PVI) are many, including pregnancy, sexually transmitted infection and infertility.

Even the risk of cervical cancer is greater in those who are sexually active.

Also, those who are abstinent do not have hormonal or other medical side effects attributed to birth control. Abstinence is free birth control. It is also endorsed by many religious groups.

Bryan Wiles of the H20 Church reminds college students that our culture can be deceiving especially in recent sex-laden television shows.

“Our culture has lied to us more in this area than any other,” he said. “We have shows like Sex in the City, The Bachelor, Temptation Island and tons more – what they show you are a bunch of people going around and hooking up with whoever they want to and there are no consequences to their actions.”

Wiles also said that PVI is better in marriage “between two people who are joined together in marriage and are committed to each other spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally.”

While Christianity, according to Wiles, holds that PVI outside of marriage has negative consequences and that “anything else is outside of God’s plan for our life,” others have a different policy.

The director of the Women’s Center on campus, Mary Krueger, holds a slightly different point of view. Mainly, do what you believe in.

“The best advice for having a happy sex life is to make sure that your sexual behavior and your sexual values are in line with each other,” Krueger, also a long-time women’s sexuality instructor, said.

Krueger said that students should walk the walk that they talk: Their life values should not conflict with their sex life.

Doing this, she said, will lead to a sex life that is “happy, rewarding and makes them feel good instead of bad.”

Jenna Lake, president of the Organization for Women’s Issues, agreed.

“Do what you are comfortable doing. If you’#39;re uncomfortable, emotionally or physically, do not feel pressured to continue or to start in the first place,” she said.

Lake said she personally does not believe a student must wait until marriage for PVI or equivalent sexual acts, “but I support those students that do feel they must wait.”

Lisa Graf, student representative of Vision, the campus gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, questioning, and/or straight supportive student organization, agreed with Lake, but extended the idea to members of the GLBTQ community.

“Everyone has the right to experience sex. There are no special rules for them because they have a different sexual orientation,” she said. “Everyone having sex needs to be an adult and take the necessary steps to be safe about it.”

Graf added that masturbation is okay, too – that the practice “allows a healthy way to express and explore your sexuality and to release sexual tension without all the associated risks of sexual intercourse.”

While Lake said that she believes sex does not need to occur within the bounds of marriage, she also said that it must still be consensual.

“No means no, and a no that is ignored indicates rape or sexual assault,” she said.