[Baby-_-Girl-_-19]

For school we're having to write a persuasive paper on a topic of our chosing. I recently had to switch mine because, I was having issues finding information on my other topic. The topic I got switchted to is 'Contraception in schools' basically whether school nurses should or should be allowed to give out contraceptives, confidetially and at low cost. Just out of curiosity more than anything I was wondering what Other people thought about this topic. Any of your opinions would be apretiated, and/or imformation that could help me with my paper...

[charlotte234s]

I think that once this kids are around high school age, that condoms should be available to them through a school nurse, pehaps, and birth control if the girl is at least 16-17, most health clinics will give out condoms and have birth control available cheaply for young girls confidentially. However, I don't think they should be passing out condoms during home room, people say it will encourage sex, well they should make them available but not force them on kids. And as for children who are like 12, they don't need to be having sex, if the parent did anywhere close to a decent job parenting, they wouldn't even be considering having sex until they are several years older, I don't think we need to be giving condoms or BC to them.

[RickJ]

I say stop letting the schools take decisions like this away from the parents. Schools should be giving education, not contraceptives.

[magprob]

I say stop letting the schools take decisions like this away from the parents. Schools should be giving education, not contraceptives.

There it is there.

[charlotte234s]

I don't know, the schools don't want to offend parents by offering education, they often have to have permission to learn about contraception, and many schools have abstinence only programs and those are obviously failing, and many, many studies have proven that.

[jillianleab]

There was a recent thread about this:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/politi...es-142731.html

You can see people express opinions on both sides.

[tomder55]

Presumably every child in school has a parent or a legal guardian . Before the school distributes contraception of any kind; it should be a requirement that the parent /guardian signs a healthcare proxy waver to the school specific to the distribution of contraceptives. The general waiver currently used that alows the school to give the kid an aspirin should not be sufficient.

[NeedKarma]

I agree with Tom. (Is that the seventh sign? :D)

[Synnen]

I don't think the Pill should be available through schools, but condoms should be there for anyone who has the balls to ask the school nurse for them.

The REASON I don't think schools should be giving out the birth control pill is because I believe you should have a full medical examination, plus talk to a doctor about everything ELSE you're taking/doing. Some medications interact badly with others, and I believe (but I am not sure) that there are some that would render the Pill useless.

Because of the fact that it is medication, I don't want the school providing MEDICATION to my child without my consent. If my kid wanted information--well, that's different.

I believe the schools should be teaching sex-ed, and that it should be a heck of a lot more comprehensive than "Don't have SEX! It's bad! You'll get a disease or get pregnant or BOTH!". But once we open the doors to schools being able to provide birth control pills without our consent, what OTHER medications will they be able to give out without parental consent?

[charlotte234s]

Yeah, abstinence only sex ed is just propagating ignorance and putting kids lives at risk because they know nothing. Knoledge won't force kids to have sex if they don't want to in the first place, and it won't hurt them either.

[speechlesstx]

Originally Posted by RickJ
I say stop letting the schools take decisions like this away from the parents. Schools should be giving education, not contraceptives.

Another ditto from me. I cannot fathom schools such as those in Maine and Denver wanting to give prescription birth control and even emergency contraception to teens, and at least in the case of Denver the responsibility falling to "High school principals in consultation with health centers' staff."

I thought principals were educators, not doctors. The proponents of this nonsense are "pro-choice" and yet their goal is to take choice away from the parents that are responsible for raising these children, and that is unacceptable.

[speechlesstx]

Yeah, abstinence only sex ed is just propagating ignorance and putting kids lives at risk because they know nothing.

Can anyone prove that? If so, how? How many kids do you think don't know about condoms?

[jillianleab]

Can anyone prove that? If so, how? How many kids do you think don't know about condoms?

I haven't read all of this, but you might want to check this document out for the problems with abstinence only education.

http://oversight.house.gov/Documents...2153-50247.pdf

They're lying to the kids, speech; they aren't giving them the information they need to make healthy decisions. And just because you know about condoms doesn't mean you know enough to use them properly. Poke around on the pregnancy and sexuality forums here, and you'll see just how UN-educated teens are about sex, contraception and pregnancy. That's the result of current education systems not working.

[speechlesstx]

First Rise in U.S. Teen Births Since '91

By MIKE STOBBE – 15 hours ago

ATLANTA (AP) — In a troubling reversal, the nation's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years, surprising government health officials and reviving the bitter debate about abstinence-only sex education.

The birth rate had been dropping since its peak in 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. On Wednesday, government statisticians said it rose 3 percent from 2005 to 2006.

The reason for the increase is not clear, and federal health officials said it might be a one-year statistical blip, not the beginning of a new upward trend.

However, some experts said they have been expecting a jump. They blamed it on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education that doesn't teach teens how to use condoms and other contraception.

Some key sexually transmitted disease rates have been rising, including syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The rising teen pregnancy rate is part of the same phenomenon, said Dr. Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health.

"It's not rocket science," she said.

At the same time, some research suggests teens are using condoms far more often than they did 15 years ago.

The new teen birth numbers are based on the 15-19 age group of women, which accounted for most of the 440,000 births to teens in 2006. The rate rose to nearly 42 births per 1,000 in that group, up from 40.5 in 2005. That translates to an extra 20,000 births to teen mothers.

In 1991, the peak year for teen births, there were nearly 62 births per 1,000.

The new report is based on a review of more than 99 percent of the birth certificates from last year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report, released Wednesday, quickly took on political implications.

Opponents of abstinence-based programs seized on the data as evidence of wrong-headed government policy.

"Congress needs to stop knee-jerk approving abstinence-only funding when it's clear it's not working," said U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo. who is pushing for more comprehensive sex education.

The new report offers a state-by-state breakdown of birth rates overall. Many of those with the highest birth rates teach abstinence instead of comprehensive sex education, according to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

And research has concluded that abstinence-only programs do not cause a decrease in teenage sexual activity, Planned Parenthood officials added.

"In the last decade, more than $1 billion has been wasted on abstinence-only programs," said Cecile Richards, the organization's president, in a prepared statement.

Decreased condom use and increased sexual activity are two likely explanations for the higher teen birth rate. But not all data supports those theories, said John Santelli, a professor of population and family health at Columbia University's school of public health.

For example, a biannual government survey of high school students found that the percentage of those who said they used a condom the last time they had sex rose to 63 percent in 2005, up from 46 percent in 1991.

Contraceptive-focused sex education is still common, and the new teen birth numbers reflect it's failing, argued Moira Gaul of the Family Research Council, a conservative advocacy organization in Washington, D.C.

Condom use among teens has risen 17 percent and yet teen births and STD's are rising. Furthermore, according to government reports back in July, fewer teens are having sex.

In 2005, 47 percent of high school students -- 6.7 million -- reported having had sexual intercourse, down from 54 percent in 1991.

If more kids are using condoms and fewer kids are having sex, why are teen births and STD's rising? Note this report from Contraceptive Information Resource on teen birth control failure rates.

8.1 percent use no method of birth control.
8.5 percent use male condoms, 17.7 fail after one year, 27.5 percent fail after two
16.7 percent us oral contraceptives, 8.6 fail after one year, 14 percent fail after two
0.6 percent use contraceptive patch, 8.6 fail after one year 14 percent fail after two 4.4 percent use Depo-Provera, 4.3 fail after one year, 8.5 percent fail after two
56.2 percent use abstinence, there are zero failures

[jillianleab]

Condom use among teens has risen 17 percent and yet teen births and STD's are rising. Furthermore, according to government reports back in July, fewer teens are having sex.

Kids lie, especially teenagers. Also, condoms aren't 100% effective, everyone knows that. Teens especially are going to be more likely to use them inconsistently or improperly. They also might use condoms that are expired, don't fit, or otherwise should not have been used.

56.2 percent use abstinence, there are zero failures[/INDENT]

Of course abstinence has a zero failure rate. But that doesn't mean that current abstinence only education is the right way to be educating our kids. Read the link I posted; you can see for yourself the medical inaccuracies and manipulation of statistics in those programs. Should kids wait until adulthood or marriage before having sex? Absolutely. Should they be given accurate, factual information about contraceptives, STDs and pregnancy? Absolutely. Abstinence only programs DON'T DO THAT.

[NeedKarma]

56.2 percent use abstinence, there are zero failures

Did you know that 100% of people who don't drive cars do not have car insurance??

[parttime]

Again I say, facts are useless, they can be used to prove anything.

[speechlesstx]

again I say, facts are useless, they can be used to prove anything.

With all due respect that's just plain silly. Facts are that which is actually true.

[speechlesstx]

Kids lie, especially teenagers. Also, condoms aren't 100% effective, everyone knows that. Teens especially are going to be more likely to use them inconsistently or improperly. They also might use condoms that are expired, don't fit, or otherwise should not have been used.

I've already conceded previously that kids lie, and I'd be foolish to believe there are kids that don't know how to use a condom, but that does not justify any outside organization undermining parental authority, rights and values.

Of course abstinence has a zero failure rate. But that doesn't mean that current abstinence only education is the right way to be educating our kids. Read the link I posted; you can see for yourself the medical inaccuracies and manipulation of statistics in those programs. Should kids wait until adulthood or marriage before having sex? Absolutely. Should they be given accurate, factual information about contraceptives, STDs and pregnancy? Absolutely. Abstinence only programs DON'T DO THAT.

I have never said I support "current" abstinence education. In fact, I believe public schools should be teaching reading, writing and arithmetic and leave the rest for responsible parents to decide. Yeah, I know that leaves those kids who don't have responsible parents and that is a problem, but for the millions of responsible moms dads out there the government has no business intruding in personal areas such as sex and teaching or espousing values that run counter to the parents.

That's what the very proponents of sex education expect when it comes to religion and political values in school - and the "right to choose" (or right to privacy, however they look at it today) for both minors and adults - it's only fair and consistent for them to respect the right of parents to choose how to raise their children as well without interference and subversion.

[charlotte234s]

Can anyone prove that? If so, how? How many kids do you think don't know about condoms?


George Washington University did a study on the results after abstinence only sex-ed and found it to be failing. And honestly, in my high school there were abstinence only sex ed and some kids did not understand proper condom usage or thought that one birth control pill would protect them from pregnancy. It was an outrage, theywere screwing these kids by not teaching them right.