Health & Fitness >
Sexual Health
Get a Widget for this title
RSS FeedShould public organizations and schools distribute condoms?
Results so far:
| Yes | 59% | 852 votes | Total: 1448 votes | |
| No | 41% | 596 votes |
Yes
Write now
Print
Invite a writer™
Add to FavoritesHaving worked as director for a teen pregnancy program I must emphatically say that schools and other public organizations should distribute not only condoms but educational materials on sexual behavior, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This especially holds true for organizations and schools in rural areas.
The program I was running had been, and to the best of my current knowledge still is, seeing an increase in the number of pregnant teens and teens with STIs. This program is located in a rural state currently undergoing a major economic boom. Many of these teen girls had already dropped out of school and had moved here with either their parents or the father of their baby. These factors, in my opinion, had much to do with our increase in pregnant teens. By the time we had reached the halfway point in our fiscal year I had seen more than 120 pregnant teens from throughout our county. Considering that the largest town in our county has just barely (if at all) reached the status of a small city, this is a large portion of our teen population that has become pregnant.
Teen pregnancy has become a status symbol in our area. I can't count the number of times I have heard a teen state disappointment when I told her she was not pregnant. I even had one teen go so far as to tell me I could expect her back next month because she wanted to be pregnant. Her friend who had two children as a teen tired to tell this young lady why she did not want to have children at her age but this young lady was determined. It was only through fast thinking that I was able to come up with a way of deterring this young lady from continuing her way of thinking. This was my solution, and it worked. I asked her friend to allow this teen to be mother to her children for one weekend. I told her fiend to be there in case of emergency or problems with the children but to allow her friend to perform all the routine tasks of being a mother, including taking care of the middle of the night feedings of her newborn.
A couple of weeks later I saw the two girls walk by my office to the lab. I became very nervous, thinking I might have alienated this girl and possibly her friend, and that they had bypassed my office for a pregnancy test. I walked into the lab waiting area and spoke with the friend. This young lady was happy to see me. She told me she was going to stop into my office when they were done at the lab. I asked her what they were doing at the clinic. She explained that she had followed my advice but instead of the girl watching her children for the weekend she had her "play mommy" for an entire week. She said that this young lady did fine for the weekend but then she ran into problems while the "real mom" was at work. One of the children had become sick and wouldn't stop crying. The teen called the children's grandmother, then the father until someone could come to the apartment to care for the children as the mother was at work. I again asked "so why are you here then?" She told me her friend decided I was right and that she was not ready to have a baby so she was at the clinic for her first Depopravera shot.
Another teen I worked with, she was actually 12 when I first saw her, came to my office repeatedly for pregnancy tests. Nothing I said to her about STIs and teen pregnancy got through to her. She was dating and having sex boys who were in high school. She came in every other month or so for a pregnancy test. After a lot of educating by myself and the school nurse she finally saw a doctor. The doctor revealed that she had contracted and STI. Even this did not deter her from continuing her sexual practices. I then got a telephone call that revealed a lot to me about how uneducated this young lady really was. It seems the kids in school were taunting her about having what she called "the clack". I explained to her what the term "the clap" meant and how a person got it. I sent literature to her school, in an envelope with her name on it, which addressed sexually transmitted infections as well as information on safe sex, abstinence and why it is best to wait for sex. I don't know how this case came out because I no longer work for this agency.
I hope this helps those who are skeptical, about schools and community organizations providing condoms and other birth control, see the importance of these services. Many children do not get this information at home so they need a place to turn to for education and guidance. Abstinence is the best way but because of the nature of teen hormones more needs to be done to help our young people.
Learn more about this author, Jacqueline.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
No
Why do we want to give public organizations and schools the authority to distribute condoms to children? Is it necessary for a learning institute to provide birth control for its students? Shouldn't schools simply teach and inform students when it comes to questions relating to sexual reproduction and leave the responsibility for children's health and welfare up to the parents? Handing out condoms to young people is a sensitive area and brings up a number of questions. Parents traditionally have been responsible for explaining matters relating to sexual education and the conduct of their children but it does appear that the role is changing
It is within recent memory where the role of teaching sex education to youth has shifted significantly from the parent, and has become part of the curriculum taught in most schools. For many, this is a step forward in society but it may have come with unforeseen consequences. The problem is, if we expect too much from our educational system it may mean that parents will back away from the role which they have traditionally played for generations. It is not easy speaking to children about a difficult subject such as sex education but it appears that schools are doing the best job they can. However it really should be a responsibility that parents must take a leading role in. Therefore, the responsibility for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases should also be mainly the parent's role. This however does not seem to be encouraged enough by many church leaders, politicians, and educational institutions.
Another reason why schools should be wary of crossing the line from teaching sexual intercourse awareness to aiding students in providing the means to do so is the precedent it is setting. The perception is that schools, which in the past have only provided an understanding of how the human sexual production system works are stripping away parents rights by providing condoms to students. Naturally we expect educators to ensure that young people are made aware of the consequences of unprotected sexual activity. That only makes sense. The issue what many parents object to is that providing birth control to young people is either directly or indirectly encouraging intercourse between them. Parents may feel they have lost control of who should be providing this information and guidance. There is also the concern that birth control pills will be distributed to students without the parent's knowledge. With proven health risks involving women using birth control pills, this is another large concern for parents.
Naturally the argument for providing birth control is to prevent young students from having babies when they aren't prepared to take on that responsibility. We are well aware of the years ahead of commitment and sacrifice facing young people when a teen girl becomes pregnant. In addition, social programs will be provided at a cost to tax payers. However, providing condoms does not guarantee young women won't get pregnant; in fact it might mean that younger people will have sex more frequently and increase their risks because of it. The debate goes on about this issue.
Finally, we can't dismiss the fact that providing birth control to all students requesting it, will result in a significant cost to the taxpayer. In these difficult economic times it is hard to justify spending money on anything other than educational purposes.
Learn more about this author, Tom Karlin.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
