The decision to offer birth control to middle schoolers in Portland, Maine, has caused quite the commotion. On one hand, the age of middle schoolers typically ranges from eleven to fifteen, and many would argue that at school officials should not be handing out birth control like candy to such young students. The general fear is that this act makes it seem okay for students to engage in such a mature act. On the other hand, the outbreak in pregnancies indicates that middle schoolers are having sex. Not many students fall into this category, only a handful, but the public must be aware that the society in which Americans live encourages sexual activity more so than it inhibits it. Just look at who is idolized in the U.S.: Britney Spears come quickly to mind. Not surprisingly her sixteen-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn, is expecting a baby soon.The argument against giving contraceptives to teenagers is not a difficult one to form. In the state of Maine, the age for consent is fourteen, given that the other person involved in the act is less than three years older. Not only are many of the girls that are having sex in middle school breaking the law, but more importantly, they are putting themselves at serious risk. Pregnancy is not the only consequence of unprotected sex. Sexual intercourse puts those involved at risk for dangerous sexually transmitted diseases, which only condoms can help prevent. Likewise, consider the emotional stress that these young students are going through--sex is commonly known as a very mature act, and most would agree that it is not intended for a pre-teen. Clearly, these students are suffering from poor parenting. But parenting is not something that can be controlled with a pill.
For some good parents who find this to be ludicrous, they can find comfort by knowing that in order for a student to use this school health center, they have to sign a waiver giving parental consent. Unfortunately, this means that the school nurse cannot even give their child aspirin in the case that he or she does not feel well. But if they are bothered by the fact that what happens in the health center cannot be disclosed to parents by law, then that will be a sacrifice they make. A parent can always choose to dismiss his or her student from class and take them to a family doctor instead. If they really are good parents though, they should trust that their children are making good, healthy decisions by the time they are in middle school.
The big picture here is that sex in middle school is a result of change in culture. T
he times are changing and so are the kids. While many want to teach abstinence, equally many want to teach protection. This brings about the question of teaching in general: "Whose responsibility is it to educate these children on sex?" The school or the parents? if it is left to the parents, then there are going to be a lot of issues. Parents are not legally responsible for sexual education; however, they are legally responsible for sending their children to school. Therefore, sexual education by the school is the best way to make sure everyone hears it. But on the flip side, school officials can only teach from an educational standpoint--they can not compete with a parent's abililty to instill morals. As long as schools are doing their best to explain that sexual activity is a mature and risky act, then they are doing job. And if they find out that students are having sex, then teaching them the best methods to stay safe is also appropriate, even if it means giving a twelve-year-old the pill. By no means does this imply that these nurses enjoy giving out contraceptives. The thought of a middle school student having sex would probably keep any health care provider up at night, but I am sure the thought of a middle school student having a baby is worse.
he times are changing and so are the kids. While many want to teach abstinence, equally many want to teach protection. This brings about the question of teaching in general: "Whose responsibility is it to educate these children on sex?" The school or the parents? if it is left to the parents, then there are going to be a lot of issues. Parents are not legally responsible for sexual education; however, they are legally responsible for sending their children to school. Therefore, sexual education by the school is the best way to make sure everyone hears it. But on the flip side, school officials can only teach from an educational standpoint--they can not compete with a parent's abililty to instill morals. As long as schools are doing their best to explain that sexual activity is a mature and risky act, then they are doing job. And if they find out that students are having sex, then teaching them the best methods to stay safe is also appropriate, even if it means giving a twelve-year-old the pill. By no means does this imply that these nurses enjoy giving out contraceptives. The thought of a middle school student having sex would probably keep any health care provider up at night, but I am sure the thought of a middle school student having a baby is worse.The good news is that according to health officials, there has not been any increase in the number of middle school students who are choosing to have sex, which should calm the nerves of anyone thinking that this is going to encourage pre-teens to have sex. Personally, I think that my middle school's method of teaching birth control was quite effective. Unfortunately, it is much too unconventional to be used anywhere else. Growing up in a small town in Mississippi, right smack in the bible belt, educators just scared us out of having sex. They assured us that God would punish us for sex before marriage and that you could get pregnant just by getting too close. Coming to California has shown me that as much as we do not want to think about it, there are things going on in our country that call for a change in management. If these students need birth control, then we cannot ignore the truth, no matter how sad it may be.
2 comments:
First off, I’d like to commend the topic of your post, as its controversy makes it very appealing. I enjoyed how you referred to Britney Spears and her little sister as well, because we all know what a great role model Britney has turned out to be. I do believe that giving middle school students birth control can be a good idea, but there should be some guidelines that they must first follow. One, as long as the student’s parents agree, then the idea of birth control can be explored. Two, the students must have appropriate counseling beforehand, whether it be with a physician and their parents or the health clerk and their parents, every party must get involved to explain the dangers and consequences of having sex at such a young age. The parental consent form is a good idea, but what about kids who have their parents sign it and turn around and give it to another friend whose parents will not consent? I think that will be a bigger problem and will definitely have its share of legal issues.
I, along with many others, do believe that more kids or teenagers will take part in having sexual intercourse if birth control is available to them in school. I also had a few questions on your topic, as it got me interested in other thoughts you may have. Will the distribution of birth control be expanding across the U.S. in other schools, along with the schools in Maine? And what is the consent age in other states, such as California, where we reside? For those who may debate over this for a long period of time, what’s next, handing out nicotine patches to kids who smoke? These are issues that must be addressed, and I believe will be addressed in the near future.
Another concern for parents and students is how the pills may affect their future growth (hormones, menstrual cycle, etc.). I did not have sex-ed until I was a freshman in high school, and it was only like one or two classes worth. Are schools giving these classes earlier now that sexual intercourse seems to be increasing amongst teens and pre-teens?
I liked how you shared your own experience with sex-ed, as it hits home for you and offers your opinion on the matter. Overall, I really enjoyed your controversial post. Your graphics are relevant to the topic and the links you provide offer more insightful information.
In Mississippi we promote abstinence, and it has been an absolute failure. The frequency of STDs and teen pregnancies is significantly high. With the threat of over population of humans and the burden which higher frequencies of STDs would put on public health, we cannot afford to depend on these barbaric, religious (which is unconstitutional to promote in public schools) scare tactics which OBVIOUSLY are not effective.
We must accept that the newer generations are engaging in intimate acts much earlier than those of us who have a few years behind us would expect (or hope). I think educating the kids is a good idea, and supplementing their sex-ed with contraceptives is probably the best approach. It is my opinion that sexual education in Mississippi is simply going to have to change if we want to significantly decrease the frequency of STDs (particularly AIDS, syphillus and herpes in Mississippi).
I agree with the previous poster in the sense that the distribution of these contraceptives to our youth should be closely monitored and extensively regulated.
Basically, kids will be kids. They ARE going to have sex, so let's accept that and try to apply the statistically most effective measures to supress the frequency of individuals contracting STDs and the frequency of teenage pregnancies.
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