Attitudes Of Parents Towards Teen Contraceptive Use

First, most adolescents are not mature enough to make decisions that will change their lives forever. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius state, “Some older adolescents have the cognitive ability and capacity to reason similarly to an adult. However, neuroimaging studies

Akers, Borrero, Corbie-Smith, and Schwarz (2010) discussed the results of a study completed on African American family discussions with their adolescent children regarding family planning and contraception. The authors found this study important due to the extremely high rates of pregnancy in black adolescents, and suggests one of the solutions to this issue would be the communication between the parents are the children (Akers, Borrero, Corbie-Smith, & Schwarz, 2010).

Teenage sexuality and birth control have long been controversial topics that many find themselves unwilling to discuss. However, ignoring these issues will not make them disappear. The fact of the matter remains that teens are having sex and need confidential access to prescription birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancies. With the looming possibility of tremendous socio-economic effect upon society from an increase in teen pregnancies, allowing teens to access birth control without parental consent is

Thesis statement: In order to explain why contraceptives are becoming such a necessity in schools today, I will share how teen parenthood is being glorified, reasons for such an increase in teenage pregnancies, and how effective distributing contraceptives would be.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of restrictive contraceptive legislation on unintended teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy has declined steadily over the past 40 years, however in the past decade the rate of pregnancy among adolescents is rising. Restrictive contraceptive legislation such as abstinence only education, mandatory waiting periods, parental notification laws, or Medicaid funding restrictions could all play a part in the increase of pregnancy in teenagers. One study found funding for abstinence-only education programs were linked to increased birth rates among black and white adolescents (Yang & Gaydos, 2010). Another study found restrictive contraceptive legislation resulted in higher unintended pregnancy rates among adolescents. The implication of this review is state and federal policies should focus on improving education regarding contraception use and forming policies which improve access to abortion.

According to a poll done in 2006 that recorded the “Adult and teen preferences for type of sex education needed,” 14% percent of the adults interviewed thought that teens should get more information about abstinence, 8% that they should get more information about birth control, 73% that they should get more information about both abstinence and birth control or protection, 4% didn’t know, and 1% refused to answer. For teens (12-19), 7% percent thought that they should learn more about abstinence, 9% that they should learn more about birth control, 56% that they should learn more about both abstinence and birth control or protection, 22% didn’t know, and 7% refused to answer (“Adult and teen preferences,” 2010).

Did you know that today teen pregnancy rates have reached an all-time high in the United States? According to a healthcare organization called, Family Planning Plus, about 750,000 American teenage girls get pregnant annually, to date. In consequence, high schools around the country have taken a decision to step up and take an action in decreasing the rate of teen pregnancy. Becoming a parent permanently and profoundly alters a teenager 's life. Most of the girls forget about their dreams of happy marriage, and become mothers at an early age. College is almost always out of the question, graduating high School becomes a goal most teenage moms do not achieve. Today, there are many types of birth control found in schools across the country; however most parents and administrations are having trouble accepting the distribution of contraception in educational facilities saying that it enables students to have intercourse and is also against religious beliefs. From my point of view, schools should have contraceptive supplements available to young adults and teenagers because it can lower the risk of teenage pregnancy and abortion, prevent sexually transmitted diseases, and help teenagers be comfortable making responsible decisions.

Programs that encourage abstinence have become a vital part of school systems in the US. These programs are usually referred to as abstinence-only or value-based programs while other programs are called as safer-sex, comprehensive, secular or abstinence-plus programs which on the contrary promote the usage of effective contraception. Although abstinence-only and safer-sex programs disagree with one another, their core values and stand on the aims of sex education is to help teens develop problem-solving skills and the skill of good decision-making. They believe that adolescents will be better prepared to “act responsibly in the heat of the moment” (Silva). Most programs that have been currently implemented in the US have seen a delay in the initiation of sex among teens which proves to be a positive and desirable outcome (Silva).

For males the embarrassment of not being adept in the use of condoms far outweighs the threat of having unprotected sex, this conclusion was founded in a study produced by Abel & Fitzgerald (2006) on evaluating young peoples understanding of risk associated to unprotected sex. Abel & Fitzgerald's study shows that peer pressure on teenagers to have sexual intercourse prevails over the consequence of not using contraception in order to avoid teenage pregnancies. Embarrassment about contraception may distract teenagers from asking for help and advice about protection against pregnancy. Adolescents will face possible teenage pregnancies if they are unable to ask doctors, health professionals and/or even retailers for contraception.

For the religion CPT, my group researched the churches view of contraceptives. Before researching this topic, I was not against the use of contraceptives. I personally believe it is important to practice safe sex and it is important for adolescences to be aware of the methods of contraceptives available to them. I do not personally think by informing adolescences of contraceptive methods it encourages them to participate in sexual activates. It is not easy to prevent teenagers from engaging in sexual activities, but it is important for them to become informed of the consequences as well as how to prevent situations like teenage pregnancy. Not only is prevention important, but teenagers should be aware of the methods and resources available to them in their communities.

In our society today, the topic of birth control and other contraceptives for teens is a stirring debate. Teens are more promiscuous and sexually active than ever before; as early as middle school, we are seeing more teenage pregnancies, STD’s, and abortions than ever. Teenagers are not comfortable discussing their sexual activity with their parents and as a result they are seeking out other ways to gain access to birth control and other forms of contraceptives without parental consent. Access to birth control reduces the number of unintended teenage pregnancies and abortions each year, and access to birth control also fuels teenage promiscuity and encourages sex outside of marriage.

SLIDE 8: At the relationship level we will address social support of parents. This is important because there is often a lack of comfort for adolescent females in talking to their parents regarding contraception and the decision to use it. Many teenage girls fear talking to their parents about sex, A 2015 survey by the national campaign to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy found that 68% of teens don’t use birth control or protection because they are scared their parents would find out. We will use the theory of reasoned action to affect change here. While the theory of reasoned action is an individual theory it has a social aspect to it in the form of perceived subjective norms. It is especially relevant when discussing an adolescent

A controversy is rising in America about the nature of sex education in the nation's high schools.  Studies show that 81 percent of American adults support a joint program teaching abstinence and contraception as opposed to an abstinence-only program (Roper 0316946), and 79 percent support contraception education regardless of the level of sexual activity in teenagers (Roper 0340807). The sad fact is, contraception is society's attempt at a "quick fix" for a problem that runs far deeper than the issue of teen sex.  In the debate over the "best safe sex," educators and parents must consider not only the health issues, but must also reevaluate the morality of the nation's young people.

Raising young teenagers in today’s society is difficult at best. Although the majority of parents aim to raise their children the right way, outside influences and pressures play a role in their child’s decision-making. For instance, promiscuity among adolescents is a constant issues most parents worry about during this stage of development. Teens are learning about sex from friends, movies, and television shows where it is glamorized and seen as something fun and exciting. What they negate to show is the negative aspects of premarital sex, and what comes with making such an important decision before marriage or even prior to reaching the proper maturity level. As a result, instead of focusing on their high school education, they are instead dealing with teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other negative consequences that follow risky sexual behavior at an early age. Kearney and Levine (as cited by Whalen & Loper, 2013) suggest that, “Despite recent decreases in the rate of teenage pregnancy and increased prevention efforts, the Unites States continues to have the highest rate of teenage births of any industrialized country” (p. 347).Educating teens early may not always prevent them from choosing to engage in sexual behaviors; however, they will be better informed of the risks that come along with making these decisions, and hopefully will cause them to think before they act.

Recently, there has been a great deal of controversy about abstinence education in schools. Proponents of this type of sex education insist that it is the only way to reduce the teen pregnancy rate and that including information about birth control will 'confuse' the pro-abstinence message. As a teen, I beg to differ with this simplistic characterization of how teens make decisions.