Free Birth Control in Public Schools - Essay Example

Free Birth Control in Public Schools Providing contraceptives to high school students, to some, is a rational, proactive response to reducing the occurrence of teenage pregnancy and social disease. To others, dispensing birth control pills and condoms to teenagers encourages immoral behaviors by impressionable youths. One side of the argument relies on facts; evidence and common sense while the other has developed on opinion based chiefly on emotion. Teenagers understand the reasoning behind offering birth control in schools but some parents are understandably more skeptical. They spend much of their time thinking about how to keep their children safe and protect them from the evils of the world. When school officials suggest kids essentially be encouraged to have sex, parents object instinctively, particularly parents who have preached abstinence before marriage believing that method is the safest way to avoid pregnancy and disease. Of course they are correct. The U.S. is the wealthiest country and its people among the most educated in the world yet the teen pregnancy rate is highest among all other industrialized nations. It is a problem that has answers but as of yet few solutions have been realized. Polls show that more than two-thirds of Americans approve of allowing public schools provide students with methods of birth control along with sexual education. Of course, most Americans do not presently have children attending school and can consider the subject more at a macro level with less personal bias. The Associated Press-Ipsos poll found opinions were divided along racial, income and generational lines. Nearly two-thirds believe giving birth control to high school students would reduce teenage pregnancies. (“Birth Control,” 2009). Those who believe birth control being available in schools encourages students to have sex earlier have offered no credible scientific evidence to back up their claim. On the other hand, much evidence exists that supports the concept idea that when contraceptive methods are made available to students the rate of teenage pregnancy drops considerably. In New York City approximately 7,000 girls aged 15 to 17 become pregnant each year therefore the city is experimenting with several ideas to allow contraceptive disbursements to students. Only about 10 percent of students took advantage of the Plan B pill offered by schools which terminates an early pregnancy yet more than 500 girls would not give birth in the 2011-2012 year due to the program. That’s 500 girls who will not drop out of school and raise a child in poverty, a child who is more likely than average to have a child of its own while still a teen themselves. Moreover, among all women, the availability of free birth control prevents thousands of abortions each year according to a study published in an Obstetrics and Gynecology journal this year. (Stepp, 2012). Teenagers should have some say in this debate. They are the ones who make all other choices in their lives that matter. They decide whether or not to drive too fast, text and or drink while driving, study for their final exam and have sex. No parent can make any of these choices for them so it’s the teen that must make the decision to use contraceptives which should be readily available such as at school by the school nurse. Teenagers have rights and legal protections under the law. Over the past 30 years teenagers have experienced solid gains in the lawful acknowledgment of their right to privacy. As of today, 21 states allow all teenagers to acquire birth control pills and condoms without parental permission and 25 others allow minors to acquire contraceptive with consent and for teens who are married. Ironically, there is likely not a school in the country that would give a student an aspirin without parental permission. Therefore it makes sense that parents should also be involved when their child is asking for birth control pills at school because it is a more important decision than taking a Tylenol. Maybe counter intuitively, it’s not a decision where a parent should be involved. If for no other reason, teenagers are usually more comfortable with having sex than talking to their parents about it. Asking a parent to take “the pill” is the same as asking them for permission to have sex, a horrifying thought to both parties. Contractive services provided by schools are precisely for students who cannot ask permission at home. One-third of teens say that the subject of sex is never spoken of at home including methods to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD). It’s not exactly dinner conversation for many families. If all students were in the same situation as the two-thirds that speak with their parents about sex, contraception being available at school would not be a concern. The reason it should be is mainly for those one-third. Sadly, some teen girls have been molested by family members and certainly do not want to discuss the issue at home. In addition, these girls are more likely to become pregnant. “The public health safety net is there for a reason: to protect the most vulnerable.” (Christakis, 2012). All 50 states permit minors to obtain treatment for STD’s without parental consent or notification. If states don’t require parental consent for the treatment of STD why require parental consent it for the prevention of STD? Not all parents are convinced by the compelling arguments. These well-meaning parents support abstinence only sex education. Many of them not only do not want contraceptive available at school, they are against any type of sexual education being taught at school. They claim it’s not the schools place circumvent the parent’s wishes whether this issue or any other. They firmly believe giving access to contraceptives legitimizes sex before marriage and encourages already hormonally charged teenagers to have premarital sex, which is immoral as well as unsafe. Distributing contraceptives in school goes against what they taught their kids at home which sends conflicting messages. Because teenage pregnancies result in single parents, a circumstance strongly associated with poverty, fewer teen pregnancies mean fewer people in poverty. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, “just half of girls who had children before age 18 graduate from high school, and less than 2 percent earn a college degree by age 30.” (Welsh, 2012). Waiting until marriage to have children acts as a stabilizing factor and a greater likelihood of financial stability. Encouraging teens to have sex by offering unlimited contraceptives does not promote healthy families and healthy children. In addition to having children out-of-wedlock, other results of teen pregnancy will severely alter a student’s life like a greater statistical chance they will abuse drugs and drop out of school, a factor which assures a life of poverty for them and their children. The list of detrimental outcomes for pregnant teens is long .According to research provided by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, “those who were sexually active were three times more likely to be depressed than those who were abstinent. By contrast, teens who abstain from sex enhance their abilities to achieve short-term and long-term life goals.” (“Schools,” 2010) Teen pregnancy has declined to about one birth per 32 teenage girls although the U.S. still ranks at the top of teen birth rates. The National Center for Health Statistics reveals that this number is lowest it’s been since 1940. The reason is not abstinence education. Contraception use among teens is the reason for the decline according to researchers from the Guttmacher Institute at Columbia University. “In 1995, there were just under 100 pregnancies for every 1,000 teenage women age 15-19, By 2002, this had gone down to just over 75 per 1,000.” (Freeman, 2012). The main reason, by far, is the availability of contraception for teenagers. For many years the State of Texas has allocated great amounts of money for abstinence only education. The state has consistently been among the country’s leaders in pregnancy rates. Minnesota decided to experiment by spending $5 million on abstinence education but only for some counties. The five year trial resulted in a difference in the number of teen pregnancies per capita. The counties that did not provide abstinence education actually experienced fewer teen pregnancies. Abstinence education raised the number of pregnancies slightly. (Goldin, 2006). “Abstinence only education tells students to wait until marriage to have sex. While abstinence does prevent pregnancy, failing to teach students about the risks of sex and to provide them with ways to protect themselves strikes many as a poor idea.” (Freeman, 2012). Students cannot get an aspirin at school without parental permission. They can’t even buy a soft drink at school anymore. It seems odd, at first glance, that schools would be providing “the pill” freely and without consent. Given the reasons and evidence it seems unimaginable that they wouldn’t. Providing contraception makes students healthier, lowers the instances of poverty and improves lives, for a lifetime. It’s common sense though it offends the sensibilities of those who discard realities for stubborn ideologies. The health and welfare of children is the responsibility of every parent and school therefore contraction should be free and available to all students. Works Cited Birth Control at School? Most Say It's OK. February 11, 2009. CBS News. Web. December 8, 2012. http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-3439598.html Christakis, Erika. The Argument You Don’t Hear About Birth Control in Schools. Time. September 26, 2012. Web. December 8, 2012. http://ideas.time.com/2012/09/26/the-argument-you-dont-hear-about-birth-control-in-schools/ Freeman, A.E. Distribution of Birth Control in Schools. Life 123. 2012. Web. December 8, 2012. http://www.life123.com/parenting/tweens-teens/teens-sex/distribution-of-birth-control-in-schools-2.shtml Goldin, Rebecca Ph.D. Contraception v Abstinence Education. George Mason University. December 12, 2006. Web. December 8, 2012. http://www.stats.org/stories/contrac_v_abst_dec12_06.htm Schools Should Give Kids Free Contraceptives. Bloomberg Businessweek. 2010. Web. December 8, 2012. http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2009/07/schools_should.html Stepp, Laura. Morning-after pill in high schools makes sense. CNN. October 9, 2012. Web. December 8, 2012. http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/09/opinion/stepp-new-york-contraception-schools/index.html Welsh, Patrick. Schools dispensing birth control. USA Today. April 3, 2012. Web. December 8, 2012. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-04-03/teen-pregnancy-birth-control-schools/53979070/1 Read More