Condom Machines in School One of the major issues that happens all over the world are teenagers being pregnant or having a STD at a young age. Instead of thinking about all the consequences, a lot of teens are becoming sexually active without the knowledge of understanding the precautions that need to be taken into before they have sex. Providing teens with the option of using a condom without question would greatly decrease these risks. The teens that are sexually active will most likely have sex with or without a condom, so providing them with the right guidance will make these teens feel more comfortable to make the responsible choice to use one. Some people may argue that handing out condoms is a misguided solution due to the fact …show more content…
In 2013 they done a survey among U.S high school stating that 46.8% had sexual intercourse, 40.9% didn’t use condom and an estimation of 8,300 young people aged 13-24 in 40 states reported of having HIV in the year 2009. By providing condoms in high school it would give protection against pregnancy and STDs that put teens at risk. Now I am not saying that condom will entirely stop pregnancy and STDs among teens, but it will drastically drop the rate of many things due to teen pregnancy and STDs. According to the Huffington Post on December 26th 2012 they discussed that, “one-third of Philadelphia high school is now offering free condoms to students in condom dispensers.” One of the reason that they opt to put condom machines in the school is because Philadelphia has the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases (Huffington Post). If this program is established in all of New York City high schools the rate of get pregnant or a STD’s will be twice as …show more content…
Some will even tell their teens to stay abstinence, but we all know that teenagers hate when others tell them what to do with their life, that’s why the only way they can listen is if we educated them. There are still teens who are sexually active that have sex with or without a condom, but will still most likely take condoms that is free and accessible, they would even take more than what they usually get. Let’s say if the condoms are for sale from the vending machines school can provide condom coupons so students can buy ten condoms for two dollars. The high school dropout rate can be decreased due to the fact of teen
...own. Bratsis went onto argue that the reason for the decline could possibly be to public ad campaigns, particularly ones that display the downsides of being a young mother. Bratsis (2015) also argued that 86% of teens claimed that they the last time they had sex they used contraception, namely condoms and birth control (12). The author pointed out that we need to educate teens in the benefits of using long-acting reversible contraception instead of condoms and birth control. Bratsis suggested that we should take away the barriers, increase availability, access and awarenss of this type of contraception because it can prevent pregnancy for three to 10 years depending on which method is used. However, teens do need to be aware that they do not prevent STDs. Bratsis believes that educating teens about this contraception will help reduce the teen pregnancy rate.
A parent may think the college is placing the dispensers to increase sexual activity. The student can’t have intercourse on campus so what is the point of having the dispensers? “United States Representative Tom Coburn attacked that conclusion, claiming that the distribution of school condoms conflicts with “common sense” and increases condom use but does not necessarily lead to lower rates of either pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. The implementation of abstinence education in schools, he maintained, was followed by lower rates of teen pregnancies out of wedlock.” Having condoms can escalate students to explore and cause the students to get in dilemma.
The second reason for contraceptives being given to teenagers, will help them avoid many dangerous Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) associated with unsafe sexual practices. Studies have shown an increase in unprotected sexuality among teenagers can result in a wide-range of social problems, such as STDs. The topic of birth control in public schools has attracted much support from the American public, according to statistics surveyed. For example, a 2006 Associated Press-Ipsos survey discovered that 67% of Americans support the provision of contraceptives to students. This study also determined that, “About as many - 62 percent - said they believe providing birth control reduces the number of teenage pregnancies” (Associated Press).
Sex education in schools now seems to be more and more of a controversial issue. People are arguing over what the curriculum should be in sex education, if it should be taught in schools or at home by parents and the main point of this paper if sex education is actually doing what it was set out to do. The idea behind this paper is to determine if sex education in schools really does keep down the amount of teens with STD’s or who become pregnant.
Teens walk out of abstinence-only classes having been taught that condoms are dangerous, instead of the importance of using them correctly and consistently if they decide that abstinence isn’t the path for them. In her article “Mixed Marks for Sex Education Classes,” Karen Kaplan reveals that only 70 percent of students are taught the importance of proper condom use, 60 percent are taught where they can find them, and a measly 54 percent learn how to use them correctly. Kaplan goes on to say that 95 percent of students learn about STDs. That leaves 25 percent of the future of our nation without knowing where to go to get protection from STDs, and 5 percent are not being taught about STDs at
Many questions and concerns have come about regarding this promotion of condoms being distributed in public schools. Will it lower teen pregnancy rates? Will condoms reduce sexually transmitted diseases? Will the distribution of condoms in public schools make students more sexually responsible? Who will fund these interventions? Some people believe teaching children and teens about abstinence is the best way to minimize pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Birth control is an alternative used to prevent pregnancy, not necessarily sexually transmitted diseases and using condoms is always a way to protect from diseases and unwanted pregnancies. With these different alternatives and many parents feel as if the program goes against their beliefs and values as a parent/guardian, implementation of the program is a legitimate way to reduce the new trend of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
A person’s mind naturally develops with age (passage of time). As stated previously and supported by Dr. Klaus’ quote above, the over-the-counter presence of Plan B emergency contraceptive could influence younger female teens to engage in riskier sexual behavior, because of the notion of “it’s okay, I have Plan B so I can do whatever I want…” On another note, emergency contraception is not the same as regular contraception. Let’s take a male condom for instance. While use of it requires the male partner’s willingness, it is a more preventative form of contraception, as opposed to Plan B, a last-ditch attempt to fix something that did not go your way (i.e. unintended pregnancy). Due to its more “preventative” nature, regular contraceptives, such as male/female condoms, should continue to be available to people without a prescription. Barring rape or sexual assault (or any other situation with possible pregnancy in which the female in question had no control over or a pregnancy filled with health risks) any form of emergency contraception should not be available. Clinics should be set around cities to allow women to obtain emergency contraception prescriptions after “normal” business hours when the aforementioned situations occur. Even if something like this is not a permanent solution, it would be a compromise for both sides
Analyses of the Urban Institute’s National Survey of Adolescent Males (NSAM) show that although most sexually experienced teenage males have used condoms at least once, many do not use them consistently. Only 35 percent reported using a condom every time they had sex in the past year. But teenage males use condoms more than older men, and between 1979 and 1988 reported condom use among male teenagers doubled. These patterns indicate that teenagers are a promising target population for condom promotion efforts since they appear more ready than older men to change their behaviors.
The United States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of all developed countries. That’s pretty scary being compared to China and other developed countries with higher populations and still having the highest pregnancy rate. Schools need to start programs that encourage abstinence, and show or list the consequences of being sexually active. “They are not taught the importance of abstaining from sex nor, at the very least, the proper use of effective birth control and protection from sexually transmitted diseases” (Johnson). And the problem that occurs with this is that the parents or family that interact with the teenagers are no more educated than the teenager themselves.
Many schools have provided teens with sex education classes to provide students with information about safe sex. Furthermore, Moskowitz explains that the “New York City board of Education programs are allowed to distribute condoms to high school students without parental consent.” Although many parents were against the school policy the court decided to allow students to receive condoms without parental consent. By having classes that discusses HIV, AIDS, and teen pregnancy teens may feel that having condoms distributed in schools is great to coincide with the classes being taught at the school. Condoms are the first method of birth control for teens and are a great start for teens that are having sex if they are not sure their parents should be involved in their decision on having sex.
The government likes to pretend that if high school students get taught the “abstinence-only” method they would never think of taking part in sexual activities. Statistically this is incorrect. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “56 percent of high school students are virgins”(Martin). For the 56 percent abstinence only is doing them well, but there are still 44 percent of high school students engaging in sex without knowing the precau...
Three million teenagers will contract a sexually transmitted disease and one in three women will become pregnant before they are twenty years old. Teens are contracting sexually transmitted diseases and getting pregnant at an alarming rate causing the government, schools, and parents to scratch their heads. America is the country with the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world. Many are wondering what can be done to stop this. A debate has been going on about whether abstinence only education is doing any good for high school students in America. Abstinence only education teaches teenagers to abstain from all sexual acts until they are married. It does not teach about pregnancy or the different types of contraceptives that are available to prevent pregnancy. On the other hand, there is safe sex education. Safe sex education teaches teenagers facts about intercourse they need to know, acknowledges the potential consequences or risks of sexual behavior, and helps them make better decisions to protect themselves and their bodies.
Though I am not a sexually active teenager, refraining from sexual involvement has been difficult. I have been in serious relationships where the desire to have sex has been complicated by emotional expectations. Abstinence is especially hard in a society that seems to promote sex, as long as it is "safe" sex. I feel that the support, which used to come from authority figures such as parents and educators, is crumbling because of the initiation of programs such as condom distribution. It is as though parents and schools have forgotten that some teenagers, for whatever personal reasons, do not desire to be sexually active. I do not minimize the need to educate teenagers about safe sex and the risks of sexually transmitted diseases, for I am ...
“Forty-one percent of teens ages 18-19 said they know nothing about condoms, and seventy-five percent said they know nothing about the contraceptive pill” (Facts on American Teens). Even if schools taught just abstinence it still would not be enough. “In 2007, a study showed that abstinence only programs have no beneficial impact on the sexual behavior of young people” (Facts on American Teens). Sex education is not taken as seriously as it should be in schools, it is treated like it is not a big deal. Schools should require a sex education class that specifically teaches students about sex and goes into depth of all the possible consequences because of the high pregnancy, abortion, and virus rates.
...y way to 100% prevent unwanted teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Other supporters claim that by using education to promote understanding of STDs along with an abstinence-only program, teens will receive all the information that is needed for them to be able to make healthy choices.