The Importance of Teenage Access to Contraceptives
About 77% of all teenage pregnancies are accidental, and of those, 30% end in abortion, the solution preventing the unwanted pregnancies at hand is the guaranteed access to over-the counter birth control. Girls avoid contraceptives for many reasons, whether it be prohibiting parents, lack of education, or monetary issues concerning health care. These limitations cumulatively lead to teenage pregnancies, which amount to far greater sacrifice and consequence than the simple ability for a teenage girl to walk into a pharmacy and purchase a pill, or patch of her choice which could prevent a child being brought into this world to unwilling, and incompetent parents. Access to over-the-counter birth control could solve these problems, and ultimately limit the amount of teenage pregnancies in America.
Many parents do not allow their children to take birth control. Their intentions, although in the right place, do not always produce the outcome they originally long for. Whether their reasoning stems from religious beliefs, or social standards, these parents are creating
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In the case where birth control were to be offered over the counter, young women would not need the approval of their guardian, they could purchase it just as any other item in a pharmacy. The embarrassment a young woman has when asking her father for birth control is unimaginable. If her parents don't allow her to take birth control in the first place, why would they be pleased with the idea of her having sex? Easier access can put a cap on this embarrassment and discomfort and create a less negative connotation on the subject of birth control for teenage girls. This could also improve upon the home life of young women in their relationship with their parents. In this case, the act of teenage sex isn’t always preventable, and for the parents ignorance is
CP should be on first shift. Having two Officers primarily in the inner parts of campus promoting safety, and building a rapport should be done at the peak time of the university. If CP leaves second shift it will give the opportunity for second shift officers to continue to get out of their cars and participate in activities. I am not saying that these Officers have to do a dunk tank, which I wasn't a fan of, but to continue what CP was originally made for, making contact with people on campus and making it a safe place to
Teen girls between the ages of 15 and 18 should be able to receive birth control and contraceptive without the consent of their parents because most believe that’s a good mature age. Birth control is a crucial factor in preventing pregnancies. Birth control motivates young females to be responsible and have knowledge about their sexual health and also have control on their general health. After interviewing
As of recently, the approval of the emergency contraceptive Plan B, for the use of girls as young as fifteen years old has stirred up quite some controversy (Belluck, 2013). Those who oppose it cite the diminishing moral values that this would impose on an already increasingly secular society. These individuals believe that having access to such a powerful substance would encourage young girls to engage in sexual promiscuity without any fear of repercussion (Belluck, 2013). However, proponents of this new law argue that giving full access to fifteen year old girls would discourage them from becoming pregnant at such an early age and gives them the opportunity to make wise decisions about their bodies. Aside from the two strongly opposing sides to this dilemma, the actual nature of the dilemma stems from the ease with which these young girls would be able to access the emergency contraceptive drug. Before the new law came into place, the emergency contraceptive was only available through the prescription of a doctor and could only be accessed through a pharmacist (Aleccia, 2013). With the new law, anyone fifteen or older would be able to access and purchase the drug over-the-counter. Granting such access to girls who may at times not be fully aware of the consequences of their actions is the nature of the dilemma.
One of the many purposes of birth control is to avoid unwanted pregnancies. In this day and age the decision to take birth control should be a mere right and not a debate, but society has still not fully accepted the use of birth control even though “ninety-eight percent of women use birth control at some point in their lives” (Milligan, 2014, p. 3). Birth control has unfortunately earned a negative stigma because it allows women to have sex without getting pregnant and that is frowned upon throughout parts of society. Some members of society have even compared the use of birth control to abortion. Women who choose to take birth control should not be judged and the use of birth control amongst women should no longer be considered disgraceful. The reliable access to birth control should be made available to all women no matter their race, age, and class.
In truth, contraceptive access will not increase the rates of teen sex, according to a 2017 paper co-authored by five John Hopkins doctors and pediatricians (Gebelhoff 7). The pamphlet used to help teens decide if they are ready should be viewed as a good thing because it gives students reasons not to proceed (Culp-Ressler 4). Additionally, John Hopkins says, teenagers on the pill or other hormonal birth control options are more likely to be protected from pregnancy than those who use condoms because the pill has a lower rate of failure and is not influenced by pressures in the moment (Gebelhoff 8). Hormonal birth control is more effective at preventing pregnancy, but it would be impossible for most teen girls with reluctant parents to obtain if states require parental permission due to the scarcity of clinics and lack of over the counter
Today, in every state, teenagers can get contraceptives to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies even if they can’t talk about sex with their parents. However, some state and federal lawmakers want to take away the teens’ right to do that confidentially. They want to prevent teenagers from getting prescription birth control unless they first tell their parents. Many opponents argue that these proposals would rapidly turn back the clock on public health policy, and put teenagers at risk. After extensively researching the topic, I believe that teenage girls should have the ability to access prescription birth control without parental consent. With results of evidence based research, I hope to persuade you to also believe that requiring
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.
Teenagers will still be able to choose whether or not they want to protect themselves from pregnancy if their parents are not there for them. In the other hand some individuals think that having birth control available over the counter will cause individuals to have more sex and some women are not responsible enough to take the pill everyday at the same time. Some may argue that providing birth control over the counter can cause woman and teenage girls to have more sex than they were before and sime may question if women are responsible enough, it should be sold over the counter because it will reduce the number of abortions and pregnancies by allowing these women to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies.
the role of parents and the decision of their daughters to have birth control is unclear. The denial of birth control does not prevent teen pregnancy and the knowledge of the parent is understood.
Within the pro-choice world there are many issues that are discussed like abortion, the instant where life begins and the use of contraceptives. This article will focus on not only the issue of using of contraceptives, but specifically the distribution of oral contraceptives (“the pill”) to teenage girls without their parent’s consent.
Seven hundred fifty thousand teenagers, ages fifteen to nineteen, become pregnant each year (“Facts”). Teenage birth specialists have often debated whether or not teenagers should have access to birth control and other contraceptives. Although some people think teenagers having birth control will promote promiscuity, birth control should be accessible to teens because they will put themselves at a higher risk for disease and pregnancy without it, and more teenage girls would get a high school diploma with it.
Birth control has prevented many unwanted teen pregnancies, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen births in the United States reached a historic low in 2015, which can be explained in large part by an increased use of contraception among young people” (Gebelhoff, Robert). As of right now, women have to get a prescription to get oral contraceptives from their doctor. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, this movement to make access to these contraceptives is supported by them. Although, teenagers are more likely to use birth control pills compared to using condoms, they are not being influenced by their sexual or emotional pressures. This article also says, the public-health benefits from
Teens should be allowed to purchase birth control without parental consent because many parents agree that their child is mature to make the decision on their own. The author of “Contrceptive should be available to teens without parental consent claims that birth control is a freedom of fundamental human rights.” If teens are making the decision to have sex without parental consent birth control should be the same when it comes to protecting themselves against pregnancy and other life changing decisions. Furthermore, many teens are not open when it comes to talking to their parents about sex not to mention birth control. Birth control should be attained without parental consent unless the individual decides if her parents should be involved.
Today, sexually active teenagers can get contraceptives to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies or sexual diseases without a parent’s permission. In some states federal lawmakers have taken away the ability for teens to protect themselves, they want to prevent sexually active teenagers from getting birth control and condoms unless they get parents permission. Preventing teens from getting contraceptives unless they tell a parent will not stop them from having sex. It will drive them away from the services they need to protect themselves, leading to higher rates of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases
A question that is asked around when people get pregnant is, “Will you choose abortion, adoption, or parenting?” Those are just three of the options when others get pregnant. However, all of it could have been prevented by using contraceptives. In the article “High Teen Pregnancies Blamed on Contraceptives”, it states that, “Twenty eight percent of couples who want to use family planning don’t have