Adolescence is a time of great change, both physically and mentally. During this time, teens are undergoing puberty and making the transition from childhood into emerging childhood. Due to this, the issue on whether or not adolescents should be allowed access to contraceptives is a heavily controversial one. Many argue that adolescents are too young to receive this privilege, or that allowing access to them to contraceptives will further push adolescence to sustain sexual activities. However, with today’s hyper sexualized society, it better serves the public interest to grant adolescents access to contraception. If adolescents have access to contraceptives, such as Plan B (“the morning-after pill”) or birth control pills, than the number of teen pregnancies in the nation would decrease. Furthermore, adolescents are mature enough to make their own decisions, thus they are grown enough to have the right to use contraceptives.
The biggest concern people have with making contraceptives available to adolescents, is the belief that the availability of such material will result in increased numbers of teens engaging in sexual activity. In a survey taken in 2007, 46% of Americans said that “providing teens with birth control would encourage sexual behavior,” (Finer & Philbin, 2013, p. 887) On the other hand, it has been supported that granting access to adolescents about contraception has no affect on teen sexual activity. In a recent study, the data shows that giving girls the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine, a form of contraception that helps protect against sexually transmitted diseases, did not increase their sexual activity, (Finer & Philbin, 2013, p. 890). According the American Academy of Pediatrics (2007), if adolescents are ...
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...llow for a decrease in teen pregnancies and STD’s. In order to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancy and sexual illness, sexually active adolescents need access to contraceptives, (Bankole & Malarcher, 2010, p. 119). Without access to proper and effective contraception, adolescents are left at a higher risk for unwanted teen pregnancies, “back-alley” abortions, and sexual diseases, which can all be potential life threatening conditions. Thus, allowing adolescence to obtain contraceptives will help those sexually active engaged in safe sex.
Works Cited
Pediatrics Vol. 120 No. 5 November 1, 2007. pp. 1135 -1148
Finer, L. B., & Philbin, J. M. (2013). Sexual initiation, contraceptive use, and pregnancy among young adolescents. Pediatrics, 131(5), 886-891.
Contraception and adolescents. (2007). Pediatrics, 120(5), 1135-1148. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2535
...reduce teenage pregnancies which disrupt students’ lives. Moreover, contraceptives enable sexually-active students to avoid sex-related dangers such as STDs. Finally, despite the fact that contraceptive use by students attracts different reactions, birth control is necessary to students so as to prevent the numerous harmful effects that come from unsafe sexual practices.
Today’s young Americans face strong peer pressure to be sexually active and engage themselves in risky behaviors (Merino 100-109). Anyone deciding to have sex must first think about all the risks involved. Kekla Magoon, author of Sex Education in Schools, says that “half of all teens aged 15 to 19 years old in the United States have had sex” (Magoon 64-65). It is currently not required by federal law for schools to teach Sex education and those few schools that do teach Sex education have the decision to determine how much information is allowed. Advocates from both sides of the Sex education debate agree that teens need positive influences in order to make practical decisions (Magoon 88-89). Opponents of Abstinence-only education believe it fails because it does not prepare teens for all the risks of sex (Magoon 64-65).
Freely accessible birth control for teenagers has always been a topic of debate, but it prevents pregnancy, abortion, and it also has many health benefits. There are cons to the argument that suggests a rise in promiscuity in the adolescent demographic, but in spite of these cons the rise of birth control continues, because access to birth control helps adolescents make an informed and safe decision on whether or not to participate in sexual activities. It doesn’t make the decision for them.
We already know that some minors are stupid enough, naive enough, or defiant enough to have sexual intercourse with another person. That is all you need to know to figure out if minors should or should not be able to use birth control, if they’re going do it anyways, they should be able to protect themselves for the future. Approximately 1 million adolescent teens become pregnant each year and 86% of STI’s (Sexually transmitted infection) happen between ages 15-29 years old, showing just how big of a social issue this is for Americans. A valid argue against is, if you don 't let them protect themselves, they won’t have sex at all, fearing the consequences. This essay will cover why it is imperative that it is legal for minors to use birth
“Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health.” Guttmacher Institute. Guttmacher Institute, June 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
In the United States today, many teenage girls are facing lots of problems. New problems are rising such as an increased pregnancy rate among teenagers. Our teenage girls are less developed and unprepared for the problems which come along with their decision to have sex. It is also too early for teenage girls to become pregnant. Many teens think having a baby is some sort of joke. They believe it will never happen to them but the reality is that every time teens have sex, there is a possibility that the sperm will find its way to the egg if they do not get protection. As a nation, or society, it is in our common interest to protect our teenage girls from getting unwanted or unplanned pregnancy. However, this issue of protecting or preventing our teenage girls from pregnancy plays a dynamic role and is a matter of choice. Many parents and educators have long argued over whether teens should get a comprehensive sex education or abstinence only education. The question is which of these programs is more effective at stopping teen pregnancy. To prevent teenage pregnancy, the United States, should force schools to teach comprehensive sex education for many reasons. For many people, instructing teenage girls about the usefulness of birth control and condoms is more important than just simply mentioning to avoid sex until marriage. Comprehensive sex education is needed to teach teens about the usefulness of condoms.
Studies show that between 2006 and 2011 there was an average drop of about 30% of teen pregnancies and 50% of teens involved in any kind of sexual activity (not just intercourse) in America. According to a recent study as of 2008, teen birth rates in the U.S., (which have been declining for tw...
Reminiscing about my high school days I can remember the pressure there was to have sex. Within the male high school community, having sex was a “right of passage”. As we all know this attitude was very wrong. There are many issues that affect young people these days. One of these one in three sexually active people will have contracted an STD. The numbers about other birth control methods don’t lie either. Eight to nine percent of adolescents used a condom always for STD prevention and seventeen percent used a condom to prevent contraception. Condoms do offer more protection against those STD’s spread by fluids such as Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and HIV. Condoms do however offer less protection for those STD’s spread by skin-to-skin contact such as Herpes and Syphilis. The use of condoms in preventing contraception and STD’s is not as safe as choosing to abstain from sex altogether.
Teen pregnancy falls into the category of pregnancies in girls age 19 or younger (NIH). Although statistics have shown a decrease, the number of teen pregnancy in the U.S. is still relatively high compared to the rest of the world. Sexual health is one of the top priorities in early adolescence health in the United States. Consequences of having sex at a young age generally results in unsafe sex practices. The consequences can be due to the lack of knowledge about sex education, and access to birth control/contraception (NIH, 2005). Due to the lack of knowledge and access to birth control, adolescents involve in risk taking when they start to explore sexual intimate relationships. Consequences of unsafe sexual behavior include sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy (NIH, 2005). This paper will focus on the majority aspect of pregnancy in adolescent.
In an article by choices pregnancy care center, “Reports indicate that there are approximately 1 million teenagers in America that become pregnant each year. Seven out of ten teens have engaged in sexual intercourse by their 19th birthday. Teens have 18% of all the abortions the United States. 78% of teen pregnancies are unintended. Of all the teenage women that become pregnant, 35% choose to have an abortion rather than bear a child” (Choices). In a recent study of schools done by Guttmacher institute, “72% of U.S. public and private high schools taught pregnancy prevention; 76% taught abstinence as the most effective method to avoid pregnancy, HIV and other STDs; 61% taught about contraceptive efficacy; and 35% taught students how to correctly use a condom as part of required instruction. 60% of females and 55% of males are being taught about birth control and other forms contraceptives” (Guttmacher). Most girls believe taking a form of birth control such as the pill will prevent them from becoming pregnant but they are wrong. No contraceptive is 100% effective and there are even case of women getting pregnant with the highest form of birth control which is the IUD. Most boys believe that just because a girl is on a form of birth control that she cannot get pregnant but unfortunately, they are wrong, men still need to wear a form of protection to reduce the chance of pregnancy even more. Of the percentage of girls who get
Kirby, Douglas. "Abstinence, Sex, And STD/HIV Education Programs For Teens: Their Impact On Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, And Sexually Transmitted Disease." Annual Review Of Sex Research 18 (2007): 143-177. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
The United States is notoriously known for having the highest rate of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among developed countries. To reduce these rates, the U.S government funded abstinence-only programs for the youth. Many have speculated whether abstinence programs are the best approach to lowering teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Although there is enough data and research showing that comprehensive sex education is best, Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall and David W. Hall continued to provide data on how abstinence-only education affects the youth.
Sex before marriage has always been a major issue. Teen pregnancy seems to double yearly: with no sign of stopping. Some teens use contraceptives and birth control incorrectly. They think pregnancy just can’t happen to them. In a lot of cases their embarrassed to buy protection or just simply unsure of how to use them. Many unplanned pregnancies happen beca...
The topic of condom distribution in public schools has caused many heated debates throughout our country in the last decade. Proponents of distribution state that free condom distribution will ensure that teenagers will practice safe sex and that the rate of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy will decline. Opponents of distribution state that free condom distribution will encourage sexual activity and foster the idea that premarital sex is acceptable. Judges in federal court have even considered whether or not condom distribution and sex education without prior parental notification violates parents' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The only viewpoint absent in a discussion of this very controversial topic is the one that holds the most value: the viewpoint of America's teenagers. Teenagers are the only ones who can fully explain why condom distribution fails to respond to the needs that foster sexual activity among young people.
We have all heard sad stories of unwanted teenage pregnancies. There are the girls who drop out of school to care for babies they did not really want, having to work to support their unexpected new "families." There are the guys who marry before they are ready and perhaps to wives they would not otherwise have married-so often these marriages end in divorce. Most tragic of all, though, are the children who grow up knowing that they were not wanted in the first place, knowing that they were more a burden to their parents than a joy even before they were born. Clearly, we as a society need to get a grip on this problem of teenage pregnancy, and the obvious solution is to encourage teens to be responsible and practice birth control. But we face so many choices in deciding which type of birth control to use. Condoms? IUDs? Diaphragms? DepoProvera injections? "The Pill"? Abortion? Abstinence? Which method of birth control is the most practical and the most likely to provide a legitimate solution to the problem of teenage pregnancy?