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Listen, I agree with all of the responses from the parents who are vigilant with their teens and have educated them and taught them all of the ramifications that go along with having sex too early. I in no way shape or form advocate that they do so. I think most poster's teens are going to be at low risk, and I hope they stay that way.
But the reality is, ONE THIRD of teens in the US get pregnant. That's double the amount of any country in the industrialized western world. One tenth of those carry the baby to term. One tenth ends in spontaneous miscarriage, one tenth in abortion.
BC is not just for adults who are having regular sex. It's main purpose is to prevent pregnancy. Pregnancy that can (and often does) result from somebody's very first sexual encounter. I am not going to trust Little Johnny down the street who's 15 and has never worn a condom, with the monumental task of not getting my daughter pregnant.
I agree 13/14 is very young, and of course parents will use their discretion in this. (I have never mentioned 10 year olds, by the way, Hopes). But by 15 I suggest that by not doing so you are playing roulette with your child.
The side effects of BC are of course not desirable, but you can discuss it with your child's GYN and figure out the best course of action. Because the side effect of NO BC or CONDOMS ONLY, for fully ONE THIRD of teens, is PREGNANCY.
You can say "well only just under 50% of teens are sexually active." Yes, but that means 1 in 2 are at risk, and one third of them become pregnant at some point. You are never going to know for a fact that it's not going to be your child. Never. No matter how good a job you do of warning them of the pitfalls. Also, 1 in 10 teens have sexual intercourse that they have not consented to.
My idea might be radical, but it is only a possible solution to a shocking problem. We can prevent it (teen pregnancy) if we stop the emotional reaction to BC and start getting practical. It is available to us if we'd just use it. If there's another way I'm all ears. Let's hear it.
Last edited by FinsterRufus; 10-26-2010 at 10:00 AM..
Listen, I agree with all of the responses from the parents who are vigilant with their teens and have educated them and taught them all of the ramifications that go along with having sex too early. I in no way shape or form advocate that they do so. I think most poster's teens are going to be at low risk, and I hope they stay that way.
But the reality is, ONE THIRD of teens in the US get pregnant. That's double the amount of any country in the industrialized western world. One tenth of those carry the baby to term. One tenth ends in spontaneous miscarriage, one tenth in abortion.
BC is not just for adults in who are having regular sex. It's main purpose is to prevent pregnancy. Pregnancy that can (and often does) result from somebody's very first sexual encounter. I am not going to trust Little Johnny down the street who's 15 and has never worn a condom, with the monumental task of not getting my daughter pregnant.
I agree 13/14 is very young, and of course parents will use their discretion in this. (I have never mentioned 10 year olds, by the way, Hopes). But by 15 I suggest that by not doing so you are playing roulette with your child.
The side effects of BC are of course not desirable, but you can discuss it with your child's GYN and figure out the best course of action. Because the side effect of NO BC or CONDOMS ONLY, for fully ONE THIRD of teens, is PREGNANCY.
You can say "well only just under 50% of teens are sexually active." Yes, but that means 1 in 2 are at risk, and one third of them become pregnant at some point. You are never going to know for a fact that it's not going to be your child. Never. No matter how good a job you do of warning them of the pitfalls. Also, 1 in 10 teens have sexual intercourse that they have not consented to.
My idea might be radical, but it is only a possible solution to a shocking problem. We can prevent it (teen pregnancy) if we stop the emotional reaction to BC and start getting practical. It is available to us if we'd just use it. If there's another way I'm all ears. Let's hear it.
And let's not forget the potential impact of STD's.
If there's another way I'm all ears. Let's hear it.
Sexual education classes need to start at the early elementary level;1st-2nd grade.
By 5th/6th grade, those most at risk have probably already experimented, if not earlier.
Sexual education has to go beyond how to use birth control and reach out to kids on why they are having sex. High schools need to take trips to daycare centers, women's shelters, and foster homes.
Mainstream media has to stop glamourizing it and making it all ok b/c at the end of the day, mommy/daddy is going to step in & save the teen.
I unfortunately have to use such examples as Jamie Lynn Spears who made the cover of a magazine saying, at the age of 15, "Motherhood feels so great!".
And Bristol Palin..who has been watching her boy while she is at dance practice? Most 17yr olds are not in her position & she is plastered all over tv.
TV & movies have to take a stance & not bombard our youth w/ such images so much. Have some of you seen what is on tv at 9/10pm? And I don't know many teenagers who go to bed at 8:30. TV tells you it is ok. Magazines give the front cover to pregnant teens.
As a society, we have allowed sex to be desensitized & that there are no ramifications for it. "Just use protection" cannot be the only course.
I do not believe that hiding under the covers is the answer but I also do not believe that forcing birth control, w/o getting into more detail of the reality, is just as naive.
Most teenagers think they are invincible; it's not gonna happen to me! And they are not mature enough to realize that they are not invincible and that it could very well happen to them. A 15yr old does not need to have sex. And I would take a hard stand that many do not want to even have sex, but it is more based on peer pressure & feeling accepted. Sex ed needs to address this.
Sexual education classes need to start at the early elementary level;1st-2nd grade.
By 5th/6th grade, those most at risk have probably already experimented, if not earlier.
Sexual education has to go beyond how to use birth control and reach out to kids on why they are having sex. High schools need to take trips to daycare centers, women's shelters, and foster homes.
Mainstream media has to stop glamourizing it and making it all ok b/c at the end of the day, mommy/daddy is going to step in & save the teen.
I unfortunately have to use such examples as Jamie Lynn Spears who made the cover of a magazine saying, at the age of 15, "Motherhood feels so great!".
And Bristol Palin..who has been watching her boy while she is at dance practice? Most 17yr olds are not in her position & she is plastered all over tv.
TV & movies have to take a stance & not bombard our youth w/ such images so much. Have some of you seen what is on tv at 9/10pm? And I don't know many teenagers who go to bed at 8:30. TV tells you it is ok. Magazines give the front cover to pregnant teens. As a society, we have allowed sex to be desensitized & that there are no ramifications for it. "Just use protection" cannot be the only course.
I do not believe that hiding under the covers is the answer but I also do not believe that forcing birth control, w/o getting into more detail of the reality, is just as naive.
Most teenagers think they are invincible; it's not gonna happen to me! And they are not mature enough to realize that they are not invincible and that it could very well happen to them. A 15yr old does not need to have sex. And I would take a hard stand that many do not want to even have sex, but it is more based on peer pressure & feeling accepted. Sex ed needs to address this.
I agree with a great deal of your post. I especially agree with the blue part. But to me, that also indicates that we cannot just trust words when it comes to say, 15/16/17 year olds. The mere fact that they will do it against their own wishes is a huge red flag. I absolutely agree that sex ed should address this, and parents most definitely should.
Regarding the bolded part of what you said - I've said over and over again that BC should be used in conjunction with parental vigilance - nowhere did I say "just use protection". There are several other reasons why sex for immature teens is a bad idea. However the subject of this thread is teen pregnancy, not the other ramifications.
And I wish everybody would stop using inflammatory terms like "force BC", "throw on BC" and that starting girls on BC is "treating them like animals." We're never going to get anywhere near to solving the problem if people continue to have this attitude towards one of the medically available solutions. Like I said, you take them to a gynecologist and have an open and forthright discussion with the Dr and your teenage daughter about her options. Jeez, doing this alone might make enough of an impression on them that they think twice about having sex in the heat of the moment.
I like all you have to say, apart from the above. Unfortunately, (and I mean that without being facetious) I don't think it's going to be as effective at stopping teen pregnancy as an IUD.
I agree with a great deal of your post. I especially agree with the blue part. But to me, that also indicates that we cannot just trust words when it comes to say, 15/16/17 year olds. The mere fact that they will do it against their own wishes is a huge red flag. I absolutely agree that sex ed should address this, and parents most definitely should.
Regarding the bolded part of what you said - I've said over and over again that BC should be used in conjunction with parental vigilance - nowhere did I say "just use protection". There are several other reasons why sex for immature teens is a bad idea. However the subject of this thread is teen pregnancy, not the other ramifications.
And I wish everybody would stop using inflammatory terms like "force BC", "throw on BC" and that starting girls on BC is "treating them like animals." We're never going to get anywhere near to solving the problem if people continue to have this attitude towards one of the medically available solutions. Like I said, you take them to a gynecologist and have an open and forthright discussion with the Dr and your teenage daughter about her options. Jeez, doing this alone might make enough of an impression on them that they think twice about having sex in the heat of the moment.
I like all you have to say, apart from the above. Unfortunately, (and I mean that without being facetious) I don't think it's going to be as effective at stopping teen pregnancy as an IUD.
And let's not forget the potential impact of STD's.
This is a good point. Teens/young adults have a much higher incidence of STDs than older adults. According to the link I posted from the Kaiser Family Foundation,
"Compared to older adults, adolescents (ages 10-19) are at higher risk for acquiring STDs for a number of reasons, including limited access to preventive and regular health care and physiologically increased susceptibility to infection.
Approximately 1 in 4 sexually active teens contracts an STD every year."
This includes guys, so STDs are a more prevalent problem than teen pregnancy, which only occurs in girls (to state the obvious).
The only birth control method that offers even a modicum of protection against STDs is condoms (and abstinence, but that's not what we're talking about here).
Putting girls on hormonal birth control could have the paradoxical effect of increasing STDs. Hormonal BCPs have small, but real side effects and health effects. People who don't have sex as often as every three months do not need daily birth control. Condoms work just fine, and when combined with foam are quite effective.
I agree with a great deal of your post. I especially agree with the blue part. But to me, that also indicates that we cannot just trust words when it comes to say, 15/16/17 year olds. The mere fact that they will do it against their own wishes is a huge red flag. I absolutely agree that sex ed should address this, and parents most definitely should.
Regarding the bolded part of what you said - I've said over and over again that BC should be used in conjunction with parental vigilance - nowhere did I say "just use protection". There are several other reasons why sex for immature teens is a bad idea. However the subject of this thread is teen pregnancy, not the other ramifications.
And I wish everybody would stop using inflammatory terms like "force BC", "throw on BC" and that starting girls on BC is "treating them like animals." We're never going to get anywhere near to solving the problem if people continue to have this attitude towards one of the medically available solutions. Like I said, you take them to a gynecologist and have an open and forthright discussion with the Dr and your teenage daughter about her options. Jeez, doing this alone might make enough of an impression on them that they think twice about having sex in the heat of the moment.
I like all you have to say, apart from the above. Unfortunately, (and I mean that without being facetious) I don't think it's going to be as effective at stopping teen pregnancy as an IUD.
While the IUD does offer protection without hormones, it is not without a risk of it's own, young women are at an increased risk of IUD expulsion so if parents chose to use this form of b/c they need to make sure to take their daughter back after the first period after having it inserted to make sure it is in place.
This is a good point. Teens/young adults have a much higher incidence of STDs than older adults. According to the link I posted from the Kaiser Family Foundation,
"Compared to older adults, adolescents (ages 10-19) are at higher risk for acquiring STDs for a number of reasons, including limited access to preventive and regular health care and physiologically increased susceptibility to infection.
Approximately 1 in 4 sexually active teens contracts an STD every year."
This includes guys, so STDs are a more prevalent problem than teen pregnancy, which only occurs in girls (to state the obvious).
The only birth control method that offers even a modicum of protection against STDs is condoms (and abstinence, but that's not what we're talking about here).
Putting girls on hormonal birth control could have the paradoxical effect of increasing STDs. Hormonal BCPs have small, but real side effects and health effects. People who don't have sex as often as every three months do not need daily birth control. Condoms work just fine, and when combined with foam are quite effective.
This high incidence of STD's can also cause problems with an IUD, however, whatever parents chose to do for their daughters I really hope they are putting great emphasis on making sure to provide their daughters with condoms as well. While the IUD and pill should be effective at preventing pregnancy they do nothing to prevent STD's.
This is a good point. Teens/young adults have a much higher incidence of STDs than older adults. According to the link I posted from the Kaiser Family Foundation,
"Compared to older adults, adolescents (ages 10-19) are at higher risk for acquiring STDs for a number of reasons, including limited access to preventive and regular health care and physiologically increased susceptibility to infection.
Approximately 1 in 4 sexually active teens contracts an STD every year."
This includes guys, so STDs are a more prevalent problem than teen pregnancy, which only occurs in girls (to state the obvious).
The only birth control method that offers even a modicum of protection against STDs is condoms (and abstinence, but that's not what we're talking about here).
Putting girls on hormonal birth control could have the paradoxical effect of increasing STDs. Hormonal BCPs have small, but real side effects and health effects. People who don't have sex as often as every three months do not need daily birth control. Condoms work just fine, and when combined with foam are quite effective.
And yet we feed children chemical laeden food full of hormones in plastic....so in reality are the extra hormones really going to kill them?
Jill Murray, a psychotherapist in California who has worked with victims of teen dating abuse, says almost all her new cases in the past three years involve technology. In some instances, the victims, usually teenage girls, receive as many as 40 texts a day with negative messages from their partner.
This article hits many different topics, but what I was trying to get across in how sexual education has to expand. Teenage girls have got to have it pounded into their head, somehow or the other, that they do not HAVE to have sex. I am not saying this means no b,c,, but again, there has too be more to it all than one exteme or the other.
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