birth control pills to middle school kids???? wow?

Question

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/10/18/middleschool.contraception.ap/index.html

i didnt know kids were having sex that young........maybe 15, 16 but 11-13?

Answer 1

*sigh* thats a toughie. I would really hope that just having the parents involved with their children would be enough. But that itself poses two problems.

One kids will do what they will do. Granted a well involved parent can make a world of difference but we can't forget that children especially tweens and teens are people themselves. With their own thoughts, feelings etc. They will ultimately do what it is they want to do. We can only hope to make them as well informed, and prone to making responsible decisions as possible. And hopefully that means that IF they do decide to have sex they make available the ability to get ahold of birth control.

The other problem is you have parents who really DON'T care. Who don't get involved, and in those cases at least if the children have access to birth control through schools, or planned parenthood, then maybe they can avoid being another statistic when it comes to pregnancy and STD's.

I would also hope it is the PARENTS who make available the access to birth control. If they don't want the schools that involved maybe they would feel more confortable if it was them providing the options to their children.

I plan to both speak extensively with my child, and provide to her whatever it takes to keep her safe. I would really hope that by speaking with her, she would wait until she is married or in a very long term monogomous relationship to have sex. However I'm not about to turn a naive eye to the matter and assume the temptation won't arise. I would feel awful if she got pregnant or worse contracted a life long or fatal STD because I was too stubborn and thought that the ONLY choice is abstience. While it might be the BEST choice, it isn't the only one out there.

And for those who say that giving a kid a condom will encourage them to go out and have sex I in a small way see your point. There may be those one or two "kids" who say well hell now that I have one....

However I also feel that the above "metaphor" is alot like saying Well heck I'm not going to encourage my son/daugther to buckle up when the drive, becaus that will just encourage them to drive like reckless idiots since they have "protection".

*shrug*

I think that this topic requires not only involvement in a childs life, but a realistic approach. There isn't ONE method to stop teenage sex, pregnancy and the spread of STD's I think it is a multi-fronted battle.

Answer 2

Its kinda sad that the parents would rather put them on BC than take a more responsible, proactive approach and actually parent the kids.

I have nothing against contraception. I have everything against using that instead of education and common sense.

hey "parents" you're 11-13 (heck all the way through 17) kids dont need to be having sex. And definitely not enough to where BC is needed. Condoms work just as effectively AND prevent std's.

Why isn't the school notifying parents of this activity? They are just going to hand out BC to kids and never notify the parents....thats wrong on so many levels. Not to mention, most kids are worried about pregnancy, not STD's. BC does nothign to stop STD's...but at least they wont get pregnant right? Why dont they have condoms instead of BC, BC is not the answer to anything.

The more I read about stories like this, the more I think my joke of an idea regarding forced vasectomies and govt issued approvals for child-birth is actually warranted.

Answer 3

I am absolutely amazed by the number of adults who earnestly don't understand their own reproductive/sexual health and therefore don't take the responsibility, so it's easy to understand why there are so many teens and pre-teens who don't.

Contraception is definitely needed, but I think education should come with it. It is astonishing how many girls/women don't even understand their own cycle! And how many men don't truly understand how pregnancy can occur. Very sad.
Not to mention education on STD's.

All these ignorant people, making babies, that go out and just make more babies...Anyone see that Mike Judge movie "Idiocracy?" heh heh heh...not a great movie, but it has a point.

Oh, well.

Answer 4

I'm against schools, and especially middle schools, dispensing contraception to begin with (I know, thumbs down), but I am horrified at the idea of girls as young as 11 taking hormonal birth control. It is really not a good idea to mess with their hormones at such an early age. This is very sad.

Answer 5

I just answered this in the parenting room...Here is my response.

How can society push or advocate abstinence when TV, radio, even video games & children’s clothing stores send the opposite message???

While I agree with you on your ideals for dealing with this matter on your own, sadly many parents are more like baby sitters and they rely on everyone else to raise their children, for whatever reason.

I would yank my children so fast out of a school system that supported the dispensing of drugs/hormones or even condoms to young prepubescent children. I feel that present more temptation than it does teach responsibility!!!

I think that sex education across the board is extremely lacking, and that is putting it mildly compared to how I feel.

Sex is a normal natural thing, (I am going to get thumbs sown for this…) that should happen between a man & and woman, when they are in a loving, committed, safe, relationship called marriage, and not before.

(There that just solved a bunch of issues like illegitimate children & STD’s, etc.)

Understanding the complexity of sex and one’s own sexuality should be learned early, with the teaching of things like modesty, and why it is important, and not by shaming our children or making them feel dirty for being curious, but by teaching them to embrace the wonderful differences between men and women’s body, and how special those parts are and that they are not for everyone. I have been teaching my son that since he discovered his penis at age 2.

I believe that birth should be celebrated and that young girls (as young as are mature enough) should be exposed to their mothers & aunts births of their siblings and cousins. That accomplishes the teaching that birth is not something to be afraid of, that women are strong and have wonderful bodies that have a special purpose, to create life as well as maybe deter teen-pregnancy by seeing just exactly how much work is involved.

I think young men should have to be responsible for their younger siblings/family members, once in a while and not leave all the babysitting responsibilities to young girls.

I believe that Sex Ed. should really explain in honest detail the truths about any question the child is already knowledgeable to ask. When I was in Sex Ed. in 4th grade a friend asked about birth control, and the teachers refused to answer her question saying that was part of the subject they were not allowed to discuss. I say if our kids have questions answer them, other wise they are going to ask someone else and you have no control over the answer they get, which should be the plain & simple truth.

I think that far too many young girls view their menstrual cycles as a burden that gets in the way of “doing what they want, when they want” and they have never been able to see it for what it is, it means they have the ability to share in creating life! What a special honor to have. Why are so many women today having fertility issues, is it the drugs/hormones or is it in part due to the fact that no one wants to think about the reasons that they have those special organs while they are “doing what they want, when they want” and not taking proper care of them selves? Why are STD’s everywhere???

Because, we as a society have stopped embracing and teaching these fundamentals of abstinence and sexual relationships within the confines of marriage.

There were things I didn’t learn about my body and its wonderful functions until I was pregnant. Though I was older and married, I wonder if that is what is going through the minds of teen parents, the things they didn’t know?!

Answer 6

Yes kids are having sex at 11 and 12 years old.....I'm borderline on giving them bc....it ways its good because some kids are scared to ask there parents about bc and have sex with out it so if the schools make it avaliable to them at least there would be less teen pregnancy.....But then again it's like they are saying that having sex at that age is ok...so who knows.....

Answer 7

Wow. I do know that there is a little girl in 8th grade at our middle school who is pregnant. And I have known of others in the last few years. Not a lot, but personally I think one pregnant girl in middle school a year is too many.

Answer 8

Honestly, the only thing I found upsetting about the article is the fact that it's the pill. The pill does have side effects and issues that I think should be handled by adults (at least 16).

But I wholeheartedly support handing out contraception.

Answer 9

well its true, they are getting younger. but if parents are at least getting their kids on birth control at least they are doing what they think they can do. they may not be wanting to encourage sex, but in this day and age, what can parents do to punish their kids. seriously, i know some parents are against spanking and what not, but the ones who do give spankings get horrible looks. you cant even slap your childs hand without evil glares from people who think you are abusive.

i blame it on parents not being able to be parents the way i was brought up or the way my mom was brought up. im sorry but it seems you read more about parents smothering their children and shaking them into brain disorders NOW than you did 20-30 years ago. Why? because parents just dont know what to do, or how to handle their children.

seriously, my mom would look at me and say "do you want me to pull your pants down and spank you in front of everyone?" was enough to scare me into submission. Of course i tried her patience, and sometimes punishment by spanking seemed unfair and cruel, but now that i look back, it put me in place and taught me to listen to my mother, who had enough to deal with, without having a brat kid to tend to.

Answer 10

oh yeah, just read all the answers here a day about 12 years old worrying or wondering if they are pg. I think it is great if they can get BC pills at an early age. If they start having sex that young better to have sex informed than to end up pg. Sad I know, but you can't scape the reality of things nowadays.