Would making free birth control available to school kids decrease the rates of teen pregnancy, welfare dependence, and school drop-out?
Yes they should, they're going to do it either way
Making birth control free and available in schools and colleges isnt going to encourage the teens to have sex. Just to have safer sex. The statistics won't go up, they'll just stay the same, and the teen pregnancy rate will go dramatically down. Either way it's a win-win situation. I give my kid condoms and this way it's not coming out of our pockets.
Posted by: AnonymousI do think that making free birth control available to school kids would decrease teen pregnancy, welfare dependence and drop-out rates.
Sexual education programs are not only behind the times, they are also irrational. Making birth control available to school kids is the best way to make sure they are being responsible about sex. Since unplanned teen pregnancies are a large source of welfare cases and also contribute to drop-out rates, preventing those pregnancies seems like an easy way to ease the burden on the welfare system as well as to curb pregnancy-related drop-outs.
Posted by: ToughEfrain26Teen Birth Control
It would increase teen birth rate. Too many teens are having un-protected sex because they cannot get to these options. If put in schools nobody has to know if they are going to get them. Have your teen protected if they are doing it. Nobody wants to talk about it too them. Relationships begin to fade and they don't know what to expect.
Posted by: AnonymousI support providing free birth control because the kids that are going to have sex are going to do it whether or not it is available.
I would rather have birth control available than force the kid to either tell his/her parents or be unprotected. With the rate of teen pregnancy and STD's so high, it makes me wonder if it is because they are dumb or they are scared of telling their parents. The kids that aren't going to have sex, won't have sex just because birth control is all of a sudden available.
Posted by: BGrahamBetter Sex Education and Free Contraceptives Would End Abortion
The abortion argument needs to stop. All people should be personally against abortion. Whether or not a fetus is truly a live being doesn't actually matter; it has the potential for life so it should be protected. What seriously needs to change is the level of quality sex education that young people get, and the availability of contraceptives to the public. We need to teach our kids through school and parenting that they need to use contraceptives if they're going to have sex. Teenagers and some younger kids will have sex and continue having sex; there's no getting around it. If we were to offer condoms and other forms of birth control to adults and teens (WITHOUT their parent's consent), unwanted pregnancies would go way down and abortion would go down with it. To be anti-choice AND anti-sex education is hypocritical. To be against free contraceptives for everyone is foolish. If we bring the number of abortions that occur down, there wouldn't be as much to argue about on the subject.
Posted by: AnonymousTeenagers should have easy access to birth control because they cannot use it if they do not have it.
Attempting to control teenage pregnancy through encouragement of abstinence is admirable but impractical. The fact is that many teenagers are going to experiment with sex. If we cannot keep them from having sex, the only way to prevent teenage pregnancy is through education and access to birth control. If sexually-active teenagers do not understand birth control and have easy access to birth control, then the result will be teenage pregnancies.
Posted by: FullWesley36Birth control in school.
I am a teen and I feel it's too awkward to ask for condoms. Yes, I'm young and I shouldn't have sex but at the same time, it's how I prove my love to my boyfriend. I understand where both sides are coming from, but kids are going to have sex regardless of birth control access or not.
Posted by: AnonymousYes, making free birth control available to school kids would help to decrease the rates of teen pregnancy, welfare, and drop-outs, because teens would be less likely to have to support a family created by unplanned births.
I feel that if you made birth control available to school kids, you can prevent unwanted pregnancies, and in turn decrease the drop-out rate and welfare dependence. This program would of course need to be established with some clear educational boundaries, but it would be one more tool in helping the youth to be successful. Every chance to ensure a better future needs to be taken.
Posted by: CaIEatsFree birth control and family education would help curb the disadvantages of early parenthood.
Teen pregnancy will not be as great of an issue with freely available birth control. With this should come a reality check about the advantages of 'not' being a parent so young. Let's face it, a child takes a lot of money to raise, and much attention during the first few months of life. The more we help young people gear their expectations towards family life, working for a living, and meeting their own needs, the better off teens will be.
Posted by: ErvAstaIt definitely should be available.
It may be a "parent and student problem" but it's the schools job to educate. Some schools don't even have sex education (WHICH THEY SHOULD). About one third of high school students are sexually active. Add all of the high school students who are sexually active together, how many is that? Too many. It's better that high school students have something to protect themselves from STDs and from getting pregnant rather than nothing at all. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Posted by: melamonsterFree birth control paired with sex education may well decrease the rates of teen pregnamcy, welfare dependence and school drop out.
If you notice, I added the codicil that sex education would have to be provided. Free products do little. Sex education which tells girls how to recognize it when the guys are just snowing them (by saying things like, "If you don't do it with me, I will get sick." "If you don't do it with me, I will leave you." etc.) and how to deal with these and avoid having sex until they are older, married or whatever critera they have for themselves. Also it pays for the students to know how to use the products well to avoid leakages of condoms etc. (The condoms themselves are not just good to prevent pregnancies. They are also effective against the spread of some sexually transmitted diseases and for this reason alone may be something to encourage the use of if and when a teen decides to have intercourse.) I do not believe that young people should have sexual relations but do believe that they probably should be given all of the tools necessary to know how to avoid sex that they do not want and what to do should they decide they must have it. The thought of one teen dying of a sexually transmitted disease which could have been caused by the failure to wear a condom or to take other precautions which could have been taught in a sex education class outweighs any qualms I might have about making birth control available to teens.
Posted by: SportyHartMaking free birth control available to school kids is logical and morally sound because statistics show that, despite our best efforts at teaching abstinence, teenagers are still having sex.
Statistics show that, despite our best efforts at teaching abstinence, teenagers are still having sex. Since we know this is happening, we can either stand idly by, or offer them some level of protection from venereal disease and pregnancy. Offering school kids birth control is not tantamount to telling them to have sex. It is still their choice. We are simply offering them an alternative to unprotected sex and unwanted pregnancy. Should they choose to abstain, more power to them. However, we cannot continue living under the delusion that our children are not having sex.
Posted by: C Valentine 83Sex education and access to contraceptives are a good idea, because it allows children to act responsibly with the right information.
If our society could look at the situation logically and rationally, we would certainly be in better shape, more than if we continue to allow religious and cultural dogmas to force us to hold on to impractical beliefs. If kids can understand and make responsible choices themselves, they will be in much better shape.
Posted by: LivingJimmyI do believe that free birth control to school kids could decrease the rates of teen pregnancy, welfare dependency and school drop-out rates because birth control would be more easily available to them, preventing possible pregnancies before they happen.
Many school-aged children are afraid to ask their parents or talk to anyone about birth control in the first place, not to mention the fact that a lot of them can't afford it. There are places like Planned Parenthood that they can go to get discounted birth control but it's still not free and they still fear that their parents will find out. If birth control did become available to them for free, it would also have to not require parental involvement or it wouldn't make much of a difference on teen pregnancy rates.
Posted by: jaamataUnfortunately, this is probably a good idea and could have positive results.
Since it seems like abstinence is a foolhardy consideration, providing free birth control to teens could help prevent pregnancy, and help kids to stay in school, get their diplomas, get jobs or go to college when possible. This could reduce the drop out rate among pregnant teens, might help keep them off of welfare. The most important thing though, which could go hand in hand with passing out free birth control, is that teenagers learn the consequences of having a child when they are mentally and economically unprepared. They need to know that sex can have serious consequences if they aren't careful.
Posted by: PinkMychof coarse
Lets just face the truth. Teens are going to have sex. What teens really need is access to birth control. To all the people who say giving birth control is encouraging sex its not. It making sure they dont have babies. It might be better to give them condoms because thats at least not a drug.
Posted by: bethanyI can not believe that so many people have ticked NO?? I am a 36 year old mother and was a teen mother.
I have sat and listened to many of my friends male and female discuss their sex lives. To all those close minded parents out there - Teens are going to have sex with or without birth control. Not only is it our responsibility to give teenagers birth control but also explain why having a baby as a teen will dictate the rest of their lives. I often tell my teen, " How it will be knowing that her husband married her because he wanted to and not because they have baby". Also her education and freedom to finding herself and being a woman before being a mother. So many teens don't realize that they will need to build a foundation in 9 months that normal couples take 10 years to build, so of course their foundation will have cracks in it and the teen will end up being single parent!
Posted by: Anonymousdumb dumb dumb!
Teens are stupid now days they need to have these things to be safe. Why would we not want them to have them be safe? It makes perfect sense. Plus welfare is killing America, why should we not provide them with the means to protect themselves? I mean I'm just saying. I know too many pregnant teen girls.
Posted by: Anonymous
When did teenagers become lost causes?
The only connection between welfare dependence, school drop-outs, and teen pregnancy is that they are all a result of bad parenting and irresponsibility. Unprotected sex doesn't make you poor or cause you to drop out of school. Those are consequences of some people's choice to have sex. Seriously? you think that kids can't get condoms on their own? they're smart enough to get illegal drugs so what makes you think they can't find a condom? teen pregnancy isn't the problem. teens having sex is the problem. Saying that teens are "going to do it anyway" is saying that teenagers have no self control. That no matter what you tell them to do they'll rebel against it. This doesn't have to be the case. I'm a teenager and the students that attend my school are mostly abstinent. Everyone knows which kids have sex and which stay away from it and the kids look up to their abstinent peers. Teenagers will think it's normal to have sex in high school if you tell them it is. I've noticed that most teens who are sexually active at my school come from broken homes or have parents who aren't always around. Better parents make for morally stable kids. Telling kids they should just "be safe" with sex rather than staying abstinent is just telling them it's okay to have sex in high school. Kids need to be educated on the physical, mental and emotional effects of sex. They need to realize that no sex is "safe sex" in high school. There's really no way to protect yourself from unwanted pregnancy or STDs 100% of the time. High Schoolers should be taught that. They should be taught that their bodies aren't just toys to share. The media gives them the completely wrong message when it comes to sex so parents need to set the record straight with them. Sex isn't a game. It has consequences if you use it improperly. giving them birth control is exactly like handing them a joint and saying: "you were going to experiment with it anyway. just don't get addicted." It doesn't work that way. Here's an idea? Give your kids some freaking boundaries! They should know that they can't have sex under your roof. You should be in contact with their boyfriend/girlfriend's parents and they should be told that you expect more of them. It's impossible to be responsible enough to have sex if you're not even responsible enough to pay your own bills. If I had a teenage son or daughter I would tell them that if they want to have sex, go ahead, just get out of my house and prove that you can stand on your own first. Prove that you're mature. Mature high schoolers don't have sex. They get good grades, get a job, and get into college. That should be their focus, not a relationship or sex. It pisses me off to no end that people think teens are incapable of keeping it in their pants. grow some balls and take responsibility. kids need good parenting and positive role models, not condoms.
Posted by: AnonymousMaking free birth control available to school kids would not decrease the rates of teen pregnancy, because it would just give kids the idea that sex is fine.
By allowing kids at school to have access to free birth control, it would show kids that having sex is fine and that schools are giving them approval. It would make kids who were taught that they are too young for sex second guess their thoughts on it, and they would be more prone to do it. Because of the increase in sex, then there would be an increase in pregnancy, even with more birth control use. Plus, children are not responsible enough to use it properly anyway.
Posted by: eyeslikethatThis is a parent/child issue that the school should not have to regulate.
While having students on birth control may reduce the number of pregnancies it may increase the number of sexually transmitted diseases. This issue is a parent/child issue that should be addressed in the home. I agree that sex education seminars in the schools are useful to break the ice and talk about some of the embarrassing issues parents may not want to discuss. They give students the opportunity to question the issue as well.
Posted by: Ment0n3Free birth control will not reduce teen pregnancy, welfare dependence, and dropping out of school, because the birth control does not address the real cause of the problem, which is the poor quality of our educational system.
By the time students become teens, if their experiences with school is negative, due to the focus on standardized tests and the turning of classroom time into practice working on totally boring things, they have dropped out, mentally. Having a baby becomes much more meaningful than the stupid things being done in schools.
Posted by: KenP4tPARENTS & KIDS...that's their buisness...
Birth control is the responsibilty of parents taking the time to talk and explain how sex works. Schools should not be the ones to inform students on such a private aspect of a student's life. That is the job of a guardian. Also, birth control can create an issue between certain families, religions, beliefs, and ideas. Birth control is also not 100% effective. Therefore, if something were to happen, it would be the schools fault for not providing birth control that is completely guarenteed to be safe.
Posted by: debategirl21I do not think that making birth control free to school age kids would decrease the rates of teen pregnancy, welfare dependence, and school drop-out.
I think that by making free birth control accessible to school age kids would result in a lack of responsibility and an even more dependent attitude on state and government aided programs. This does sound somewhat backwards, but first of all, it is saying to school aged children that it is okay to have sex. Second of all, most of the school aged children are not responsible enough to keep up with taking birth control pills or putting on a condom. This would result in teen/pre-teen pregnancy and going on government assistance.
In today's age, I feel as though most school aged children have been introduced to being lazy. Everything is done for them, basically. This is not a good idea. If anything, it would make matters even worse when it comes to teen pregnancy, state and government assistant, and health care programs.Posted by: AgreeableDelmar51No it would not
Yes it may decrease the rates of teen pregnancy but giving out free birth control will increase the rate of transmitted diseases. It will make kids want to have sex without a condom because they feel they will be covered because they have birth control but that's not the case.
Posted by: AnonymousMaking free birth control available to school kids would not decrease the rates of teen pregnancy, welfare dependence, and school drop-out because it does not deal with the reasons for these pregnancies.
Those who work with at-risk teenagers have said that boys join gangs because they want to "belong" and girls have babies for much the same reason. It has almost become an accepted fact that teenagers--and even pre-teens--are going to have sex.
And yet, many do not. The idea of free birth control is very attractive--it is a quick fix--a magic bullet that will solve the problems in our schools. No, it won't.
Our school system needs a complete restructuring, and that restructuring will be difficult and painful because it must involve EVERYONE. Teachers, students, school administrators, the politicians responsible for figuring out how to fund the schools, and above all--the parents.
If all these disparate and currently unconnected and unconnecting groups are brought together with the one goal of getting our children through their teenage years intact emotionally, educated, and without becoming teenage parents--we could succeed.
It is very probable that we would need to implement some kind of training and education for parents--the children will model them more than any others in their lives.
America gives lip service to the "importance of education" but we won't put our money where our mouth is--we won't pay the monetary price.Posted by: CI3IikeProviding free birth control to school kids may decrease the rate of teen pregnancy, but education and abstinence are likely to be much more effective.
Welfare dependence and school drop-out rates are not always direct results of unwanted teen pregnancies. Often, students drop out because they are bored or think they are ready to enter an adult world. Dependence on welfare is a cycle that needs to be broken, but this should be accomplished through providing opportunities for the child to succeed and helping them learn what talents they can offer. Besides, offering free birth control to children will likely result in other problems - namely, an increase in sexually transmitted diseases because the amount of sex will increase if they believe the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy are not present.
Posted by: TownWettMaking birth control free would certainly decrease dropout rates. This seems to be an uncontroversial claim to me.
Whether or not you believe birth control encourages teens to have more sex (it doesn't, but that's another debate entirely), it seems clear that high school age people have always been having some sex, and occasionally getting pregnant. As any sex ed class will tell you, teen pregnancy is generally not good for your life plans, and certainly increases the mother's likelihood of dropping out. Since free birth control would prevent at least some of these pregnancies, if not most, it would definitely decrease rates of teen pregnancy and its associated ills.
Posted by: VultureDerGovernment subsidization increases the activity - d-oh!
If the goal is to have more people having more casual sex, then this is the route to go! Government birth control sanctions the activity by legitimizing and encouraging it. At the same time, "free?" Government birth control moves the bonus of responsibility from the individual to the state, thus encouraging irresponsible behavior. The argument that "kids are going to do it, anyway" is an abdication of parental and adult responsibility. Children don't know better. That's what responsible adults are for. Adults should know better, and act accordingly. When "free" Government birth control becomes the norm, the infantilization of American society will take a giant leap forward. And we will all suffer horribly as a result.
Posted by: Anonymous