Birth Control: With or Without Parental Control

956 Words2 Pages

Within the pro-choice world there are many issues that are discussed like abortion, the instant where life begins and the use of contraceptives. This article will focus on not only the issue of using of contraceptives, but specifically the distribution of oral contraceptives (“the pill”) to teenage girls without their parent’s consent. Nemours, a children’s health organization, created pamphlet for doctors’ offices geared towards parents and teens who have questions about common issues in the realm of sexual health. They define “the pill” as an oral contraceptive, “a daily pill that usually contains the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and is taken to prevent pregnancy.” Other points discussed in the pamphlet include the safety of teen girls taking “the pill”, its side effects, and what else these girls can do to protect themselves from diseases that oral contraceptives will not prevent someone from contracting. Nemours addresses the audiences of the parent and teen together, while maintaining that the teen alone could understand the facts about “the pill” so they singularly could make an informed decision about usage if necessary. After viewing the pamphlet’s inclusive tone and readability, I began to ask myself if any U.S. states give minors confidential access to contraceptive services. The Guttmacher Institute responded, “Half of states explicitly allow minors to obtain contraceptive services without a parent’s involvement or interpret the absence of a law in favor of minors’ access. The remaining states allow access to contraceptive services without parental involvement only for certain groups of minors, such as married teens.” Through more specific research it has become apparent that there is a trend among states, es... ... middle of paper ... ...d middle school health clinics provide birth control pills to students?. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. . Hersch, MD, Larissa. "What are Birth Control Pills?." About Birth Control: The Birth Control Pill. (2009): 1. Print. Kerns, Jeannie. "Yes." 20 Aug 2010. helium.com, Online Posting to Should schools give teens birth control?. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. . Mikulin, Rebecca. "No." 22 Sep 2008. helium.com, Online Posting to Should schools give teens birth control?. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. . "Sex And America's Teenagers." Alan Gutmacher Institute (1994): Hathi Trust Digital Library. Web. 18 Mar 2012.

Open Document