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Should teens be allowed access to birth control
Should teens be allowed access to birth control
Should teens be allowed access to birth control
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Today we have one of the biggest debates going on in America. The debate is whether teenagers should or should not have a prescription to get birth control. This debate can go either way. I believe they should not need a prescription to receive birth control because of three things: how it effects the woman and her body, pregnancy rate, and the government.
Birth control is very common in our world especially in this day and age, but did you know that doctors and physicians say it is safe enough for a woman to take without having a prescription? “Physician groups such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Family Physicians agree that the pill is safe enough to be available without a prescription. There are good studies in hand that show that women can use simple checklists to determine on their own whether the pill is right for them, and that when they can obtain the pill without a prescription, they stay on it longer than if they have to keep getting a prescription renewed.” (5) Doctors are all for no prescription birth control. The only concern they really have is when certain medications become over the counter the patients insurance no longer covers that medication. “This is a very rational concern. Another kind of contraception, emergency contraception — the so-called morning-after pill — is already available without a prescription. However, unless insurance covers it, emergency contraception sells for $35 to $60 at a pharmacy, keeping it out of reach for many low-income women. Not surprisingly, in the national survey mentioned above, women 's interest in regular birth control pills sold over the counter decreased sharply as the cost increased, with few willing to pay more t...
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...are.”(2) The democrats were caught off guard at that statement/proposal the Republicans gave. “They focused their counterattacks on their opponents ' history of anti-contraception and anti-abortion positions. They emphasize the importance of maintaining the contraceptive coverage guarantee in Obamacare.” (2)
There are others that disagree with getting birth control without a prescription. In a way
It could give teenagers the wrong illusion on sex. They could use birth control to have sex unprotected or whenever they want. STD rates would go up from all the unprotected sex, pregnancy rates would probably go down, but if the teenagers do not use it properly it will go back up. There are different angles one could see wrong with this debate and disagree with it. Now a days people will dislike something or disagree with it because of the president or the governor.
Eric Scheidler’s article “Teens Should Not Have Access to IUDs” was full of information opposing the idea of teens and birth control. This article was published in the year 2016, and lists several points as to why teens should not have access to birth control.
The fact that the only physician to support contraceptives was a woman speaks volumes about the disconnect between the male and female perspective on the issue. It begs the question: Can a man objectively weigh in on this issue? Since inarguably both the physical sacrifice and emotional burden of carrying to term and caring for an unwanted child lay solely on the
When legally introduced to society in 1960, the Pill stirred up a long period of controversy. The availability of the Pill had great impact on women’s health, social life, laws, religion, family, relationships, morality and sexuality. Initially conceived to be highly effective and safe, the Pill left many women with side effects – few which led to several fatalities. Before the Pill was created, many women postponed sex due to the social norm and fear of becoming pregnant before marriage. Families grew large and it was typical for a woman to have multiple children caused by the lack of birth control. Due to regulations, such as the Comstock laws, many people supported the prohibition of the Pill and other family planning practices. However, many women believed in the right to control their own body when it came to procreation. Despite the controversies, the Pill left lasting impacts, such as by opening society to the sexual revolution and...
More than often, American’s argue that if we have the technology to gain access to these “miracle meds”, then we should take advantage of it. To receive an opposing view, the National Institute of Drug Abuse asked teens around America why they think prescription drugs are overused, and the results were shocking; 62%: “Easy to get from parent's medicine cabinets”, 51%: “They are not illegal drugs”, 49%: “Can claim to have prescription if caught”, 43%: “They are cheap”, 35%: “Safer to use than illegal drugs”, 33%: “Less shame attached to using”, 32%: “Fewer side effects than street drugs”, 25%: “Can be used as study aids”, and 21%: “Parents don't care as much if caught”. I believe the major problem here isn’t the medication, but instead the fact that our nation is extremely uninformed on the “do’s and dont’s” of prescription medication. When “the United States is 5 percent of the world’s population and consumes 75 percent of the the world's prescription drugs” (CDC), there is a problem present, no matter the reason. Clearly, many critics believe the breathtaking amount of pills we consume in America is simply for the better good, but tend to forget the effects that are soon to follow.
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).
Birth control pills gave women the right to be in charge of their own conception or lack thereof.
The birth control pill was made to help women from having kids (while on the pill) because back in the 1960’s married women went through multiple pregnancies and this took quite a toll on their physical and mental health. It wasn’t just to control the births of American women, but also the women in foreign third world countries, seeing as they were already beginning to be overpopulated and living mostly in poverty. According to A Critique of the Sexual Revolution:
Lastly, to attain birth control, you should learn about it first. Some adults do not know how much priorities they will be faced with due to unsafe sexual intercourse. People who have the benefit of obtaining education regarding birth control are much more capable of deciding when they will start a family and how big it will be. Birth control is not only beneficial to those taking it and their relatives, but also the whole world, because it enhances the morality of society.
With all the work put into finding ways to prevent pregnancy and help the pain of menstrual cycles, it is a shame to see it denied to women working for big companies. The amount of girls and women who use any type of birth control is very high and continues to stay this way because of the benefits and the percentage of birth control working for these women. Taking away working women’s access to affordable birth control is unacceptable and I hope that one day soon all women will have access to affordable birth
One con is that employed Americans may pay more for coverage as employers try to lower the costs of providing coverage. Another con is that some of the required coverages are against the moral values of employers. Being required to offer contraception may cause friction with religious beliefs. In my opinion I don’t see this as that big of a con. It seems that if an employer wants to refuse to offer contraception, he/she is forcing their own beliefs onto their employees. Every United States citizen has the right to the freedom of religion, everyone can practice their beliefs as they see fit but I do feel that there is a problem when someone is trying to make others practice their religion. I see a big difference between preventing your own pregnancy, and a completely different human being preventing pregnancy. If someone else decides to use some type of birth control, it is their choice and in no way affects you. To me, the pros are able to outweigh the cons. There would be a reduction in uninsured health events. When an uninsured person needs emergency care and is unable to pay, hospitals either have to raise their prices or take more government money. If every citizen is required to be covered number of uninsured accidents would decrease. To me, another pro is that providers will no longer be able to discriminate against people for their gender or health issues. In the past
People buy health insurance to cover their medical expenses because accidents and health problems can arise at any time. Many health services are not reaching the medical needs of women and giving them exactly what they need and people don’t realize that there is more to birth control then what it seems. There are a lot of benefits from birth control and it is not just women trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Some examples of these benefits include; healthier skin, stopping menstrual flow, and preventing pelvic inflammatory disease. Society needs to be more aware of these benefits so that these women start getting the medical attention that they need. Therefore, birth control should be 100% covered by all insurance companies.
Freely accessible birth control for teenagers has always been a topic of debate, but it prevents pregnancy, abortion, and it also has many health benefits. There are cons to the argument that suggests a rise in promiscuity in the adolescent demographic, but in spite of these cons the rise of birth control continues, because access to birth control helps adolescents make an informed and safe decision on whether or not to participate in sexual activities. It doesn’t make the decision for them.
Furthermore, birth control has made a huge impact on society. Whether people view it as negative or positive it has allowed for change and sexual responsibility. Therefore, if eventually both male and female have the option to take or be injected with a form of birth control then who knows that revolutions that could bring forth.
As we see in the world today many teens are becoming mothers before they finish high school or before they turn 18. Although some teens are on birth control already many are not because they are afraid to tell their parents which may lead to their parents thinking they are sexually active. Moreover, teens usually find themselves in a professional clinic trying to seek different options of birth control but they are derailed by having parental consent or notification. Many clinics have a policy were teen needs to have parental consent to receive birth control. Many parents feel that teens should be able to make the choice by themselves if they are having sex or just being careful. But the one question many parents are unable to agree upon is should teens be allowed to receive birth control without parental consent.
“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.