The first day of class we learned that sexually active teens who are not using contraception have a 90% chance of getting pregnant within a year. The 16 & Pregnant episode for this week "Felicia" and the discussion guide put an emphasis on how Felicia and Alex rarely used protection and in addition she has older siblings that became pregnant at a young. She claims that she wanted different for herself and that she was not ready to be a mother. Where is the disconnect?
There are many opinions:
-They never thought it would happen to them
-They can't afford birth control
-etc.etc.etc.
The reading for this week: Guttmacher: "Minor's Access to Contraceptive Services" shows that in the last 30 years there has been an expansion of a minor's consent to health care, including care related to sexual activity.
I think that this information is where the disconnect occurs. How many teenagers are aware that they have the option (most of the time) not to tell a parent that they are seeking birth control or other contraceptives in order to have safe sex. The information on Guttmacher's article are not common knowledge to teenagers. Google can only provide so much research, where should parents/teachers/doctors step in to make sure that teenagers know all the facts?
Obviously there are issues with this logic:
-Information can become outdated and some parents/teachers may not be aware of changing health laws
-Personal Opinion/Bias: Some still believe that if you provide birth control, you are condoning the action
Megan Z
Although talking about sex to teens is very uncomfortable for adults,whether they are parents or teachers, it is very important to the trajectory of each individuals life. Sex is there,its obviously not going to disappear nor is it going to get any easier to talk about. As for parents and teachers I feel it is very crucial for them to be interactive with each other when talking about contraceptive and sex education. I feel that there needs to be a clear line of communication on where teachers end their discussion and where parents should begin. Then again this also raises some questions on where schools should draw the line on what they are teaching.
ReplyDeleteKristi H
I think access is still a major issue. Although there may be more options available on forms of controceptive you can take and a younger age at which you can start taking them, not every one has the ability to access the information about contraception. Young women who do not have access to computers can not research local planned parenthoods for example. Race and class play a large part in the accessability of birth control as well and even what types of birth controll are received. Instead of placing the responsibility on the parents to properly educate thier children on safe sex options, because we know a vast majority wont, the community needs to make information more accessable and equal to all seeking it. It takes a village, right?
ReplyDeleteOpps,I forgot to post my name at the end of it.
ReplyDelete- Brittany W.