How do you feel about schools giving contraceptives to middle school children regardless of parents' wishes?

Question

Here is an interesting article on the subject:

http://thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=4331.2581.0.0

Any comments?

Tardis girl:
I for one can say that. There is nothing wrong with waiting for the right time and person.

Answer 1

It beats the alternative of unwanted teen pregnancy.

Answer 2

Birth control is an excuse for promiscuity. Anyone who gives birth control pills to someone else is encouraging that person to commit sin -- and God will hold both parties responsible. Birth control should only be practiced by faithful married couples whom do not wish to have (more) children.

If schools want to do something without the parents' explicit permission, then they should require a full range of sexual education which emphasizes the moral and health issues involved and graphically shows to worse side of promiscuity. Ever heard of Scared Straight? Ever heard of Tough Love?

If single people (too young, or not) wish to practice promiscuity, then they should also have to suffer the consequences of such a bad decision. If you remove all of the negative reinforcement from a bad practice, then you merely encourage the bad practice. The thing everyone, young and old, need to learn is that there are consequences to bad decisions. Removing the consequences just leaves people ignorant.

Answer 3

Interesting topic. As seen in the news, of course. I've got mixed opinions about this.

My concern with birth control pills being available at the school is the possibility that they could conflict/interact with other medications the child is on. Or there could be an allergy to them. I'd also be concerned about if the proper education regarding smoking, taking pills at correct times, what to do if a pill is missed, and the ineffectiveness when combined with antibiotics, is being provided, as a child may not be able to ask this of their doctor since the parent will likely be with them. Also, birth control provides no protection against STD's.

As for condoms, I see no reason why they shouldn't be privately available to the students. A student who has decided to have sex is going to do it regardless of parent wishes, or if condoms are available. If protection is readily available, through relatively discreet means, then perhaps they will be more likely to use it. This could reduce unwanted pregnancy in the age group, as well as the transmission of deadly disease.

-- As a side note, most public health departments already provide this service. Discreet paper bags containing condoms are kept inside the front door, and require no permission, explanation, etc to be taken by the general public.

From a parent rights perspective, and as a parent, I wouldn't want my child put on a medication that could have potential side effects without my knowledge, but if access to condoms would allow my child to practice safer sex, so be it.

It's a scary reality that children this age are having sex, but it is the reality. There is a lot of pressure on these kids, and not all of them can resist it, for whatever reason. This isn't, in my mind, a religious issue or a issue of parental rights -- its a safety issue for our children.

Answer 4

If the parents are deeply involved in the lives of their children, then they will know if they are in danger of becoming sexually active, and be able to deal with it appropriately. If parents are deeply involved in their children’s lives, then this is not a danger to their children.

If the parents are oblivious to where their children are going, who they’re with, and what they’re doing, then someone needs to make sure that those children – and make no mistake, they are children – are not getting pregnant.

11 and 12 year old children should not be unsupervised for long periods of time. They should not have coed parties at which parents are not present. They should not be left home alone and given the opportunity for boys and girls to get together and experiment with sex. They should be in school, in supervised after school activities, and controlled and monitored play with their friends.

If these kids have time to have sex and become pregnant, then they could be playing with matches or guns, or finding other ways to hurt themselves or others.

This is a case of the government stepping in to pick up where the parents are falling down. As usual, the government is stepping in rather clumsily, like a bull in a china shop, but they're doing something, and that's more than some of the parents. If the parents did not fall down, then the government (school board) would not have to step in. If some of the parents are doing their jobs, then this is an opportunity to have a dialogue about social awareness, social responsibility, and about their families values and moral code as it applies to sex.

Answer 5

I disagree with it I understand that not all parents are good ones. Not all people should have children. And for some it could be beneficial for the schools to hand out contraceptives but as a parent that is involved in my child's life and cares about her well being physically as well as morally I think the government (school) needs to let me decided what is right for my child.

Answer 6

Middle School children are getting laid regardless of their parents wishes and without their knowing already. Should those children be without protection just because their parents are ignorant? I don't think so. Sexually active teens and preteens are unlikely to consistently use proper protection, which makes them an at risk group for unwanted pregancy and STDs. At the same time, I do think that the parents should be notified that the school is handing out protection, but it should be a bulletin not a permission slip.

Answer 7

I don't think it's a good idea to give contraceptives to preteens, unless the statistics show that underage sex in that age group is a big problem.

But here are the issues with the article: It assumes that the contraception causes sexual behavior. That's quite ridiculous. It is a completely ethical and responsible technology, only opposed by conservatives who are "pro birth" more than "pro family" or marriage. And the reality is that teenagers (not preteens) engage in sex at rates over 50%. To ignore that with abstinence only education would be irresponsible. Can anyone on this thread honestly say that they did not have sex until after the age of 18?

Answer 8

I was under the impression that the parents had to give consent for that. However, I guess ultimately your child either will or wont have sex based on what they have been given by you as a foundation and whether or not they succumb to peer pressure. If they give in, at least they would be doing so with less risk of pregnancy and disease with contraceptives. I would be dissapointed though.

Answer 9

Wow. Is this the power of the pharmaceutical companies or what?

Issuing contraceptives to middle school kids won't work. Those responsible enough to take them every day won't need them, and those impulsive enough to engage in sexual behavior won't use them.

Besides, there are side effects and pathologies associated with these drugs; they are not harmless, and chidren are more susceptible to toxins in medicine than others.

I think this is a misguided, counterproductive idea. I don't know exactly what to do, but I do know that this fits in the category of what NOT to do.

Answer 10

I don't have an answer as much as I have another question. In my state, and I think most states there is a thing called statutory rape, which I believe is anyone having sex with an underage girl...even an underage boy. I knew of someone when I was in high school who was arrested for this because the girls parents found out they were having sex and had him arrested, even though it was consensual.

So my question is that if this is a crime, then wouldn't giving birth control out be some sort of accessory to a crime, or at least justifying the crime? Could you relate it to schools giving out marijuanaa because we know that kids use it, so lets give them safe marijuana instead of them possibly getting contaminated marijuan on the street?

Answer 11

I think it is a violation of the parent's wishes. I will say I saw it coming a long, long, time ago. This is a different world and a different country than the one I was born into and I have seen these changes coming and expect the worst is yet to come.

After reading the posts above me I would like to add that MORALITY CANNOT BE LEGISLATED (emphasis only) It can only be taught.