Should Teenagers Have Access To Plan B Essay

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

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.

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.

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.

Teenagers should have access to birth control devices. The most compelling argument against this thesis is the idea that they are not emotionally mature enough to be having sex at all, in that it is a meaningful commitment that should be only taken up by adults who have the ability to consent fully and understand the consequences of their behavior. Additionally, sexual behavior contains a lot of risks of many different natures. There is the emotional risk of engaging in such intimate activity, with concomitant development of feelings that may not be reciprocated or healthy. There is also the physical risk of disease. For heterosexual women, pregnancy is an emotional, physical, and economic strain that could severely derail a promising

But they get the message that sex is risky.” They begin to see sex as a sensitive issue that should be taken very seriously because it involves life-changing consequences. Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that teaching about contraception and making them available to teenagers was not associated with increased risk of sexual activity as many abstinence-only supporters have insisted. Therefore, the availability of birth control along with education about it does not increase sexual activity but informs teenagers to practice good decision-making for their bodies and their future.

With adolescence being a time of both sexual maturation and increased risk-taking, it is unsurprising that adolescence is a period in which many young people become sexually active (Tillett, 2005). With 69% of year 10 to 12 students reporting having engaged in some kind of sexual activity and 34% having engaged in intercourse (Mitchell et al, 2014), the idea that adolescence is a period of sexual innocence is misinformed; young people do have sex, whether or not they have undertaken sex education or have access to contraception. The ethical issues around adolescent access to contraception are numerous. The idea that young people will engage in more sex if they are able to access contraception is persistent, and this holds the potential for unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and damage caused by having sex without giving informed consent. The second ethical issue of parental consent revolves around parents having the right to be aware of their children’s medical history, conflicting with the child’s right to confidentiality.

One of the most controversial topics in the United States is whether or not teenagers should be allowed to take birth control while they are still in high school. “… teen pregnancy is a serious problem in the United States.” (“Teen Pregnancy”). Girls should be allowed to take birth control because girls and guys are obviously going to mess around in high school; therefore, birth control provides a safe way for teenagers to have sexual intercourse. If they are going to do it, they should undoubtedly be protected. There are many easy ways for a teen to obtain birth control. For instance, birth control is free at the health department. If they

In today’s society, there seems to be younger teens engaging in sexual activity and it would be good to know that they have the pill available as a backup plan. This would let them know that if they do happen to have unprotected sex they know that they have an easy and safe option that would prevent a pregnancy. It is always nice to have this reassurance. The bills that have been proposed to allow this to happen have stated that if they are younger than seventeen, they need to have a prescription. This is not a bad proposal at all, it is smart and reasonable, but it continues to get rejected. Bills that proposed to allow fifteen year olds to get a hold of Plan B have all failed except for one in 2013. Alexander Otto, author of the article "Plan B One-Step now OTC for women 16 years old". Just by the title it means that Plan B can be bought by young teens as long as they have a form of identification, this was finally approved by the

Unintended pregnancy continues to be a growing controversy in the United States. There are many women and female adolescents that are faced with unintended pregnancies. Many have to decide whether to continue with their pregnancy or end their pregnancy. The most common method used to end an unintended pregnancy is by an abortion. However, many women and especially adolescents are not aware of an alternative method used to prevent an unintended pregnancy called Emergency Contraception (EC). This paper will explore unintended pregnancy, EC, pro-emergency contraception and anti-emergency contraception opinions. There are many women of childbearing age that have become pregnant unintentionally in the United States. As a result, many have

Did you know about 1 million teens in the United States become pregnant every year? 75% of these teen pregnancies are unplanned. Some states do not allow teens without parental consent to have birth control increasing our teen pregnancy rates and STD’s. Many teens because of many different situations are not able to get parental consent for birth control.Teens in America should be able to get birth control with or without parental consent to lower risks for STDs teen pregnancies.

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.

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.

While parents would like their children to wait as long as possible to begin having sex, the reality is that teens are having sex much younger than many parents think. Some teens, or preteens, begin having sex or engaging in sexual behavior in junior high. By the time they are seniors in high school, an estimated 65 percent of teens have had sex, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2007. (Dawn, 2009). Unfortunately, a percentage of those teens will become pregnant. After more than a decade and a half of decline (a 27 percent drop from 1991 to 2000), teen birth rates rose again in 2006, which was the last year for which data are available. It is still unclear on what caused teen birth rates to rise again, with supporters of abstinence-only sex education programs and contraception-based programs each blaming the other side for the increase. However, a 2007 study in the Journal of American Public Health attributed the trend in decreasing pregnancy rates to improved contraception use among teens during that time. (Anderson Orr, 2009).

"Teen pregnancy in the United States: In 2015, a total of 229,715 babies were born to women aged 15-19 years old, for a birth rate of 22.3 per 1,000 women in this age group. This is another record for U.S. teens and a drop of 8% from 2014. Although reasons for the declines are not totally clear, evidence suggests these declines are due to more teens abstaining from sexual activity, and more teens who are sexually active using birth control than in previous years. Still, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations, and racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in teen birth rates persist (cdc.gov)." As teenagers (in the United States), we are peer pressured or tempted to try new things. Some teens tend to try out drugs, and alcohol. However, some are having unprotected sex in which, is leads to having babies. This is called, teenage pregnancy. This has caused the United States to create records based off of the statistics and facts given from, researchers across the United States. In order to help prevent teenage pregnancy in the United States, teenagers must understand why, having a baby now isn’t such a smart move on their part.