Birth Control In Schools Essay

Birth Control in Schools Teen pregnancy has always been a problem, and some schools think preaching abstinence will make it go away. But telling teens to stay abstinent may be part of the problem.We need to not teach students that sex is bad, but rather unsafe sex is bad, not only because it risks pregnancy but STDs as well. Schools should provide students with birth control because abstinence should not be the school’s choice, it encourages safety, and it will help students who can’t get contraceptives otherwise. Schools that preach abstinence think they are helping the pregnancy rates drop because they are telling students not to have sex until marriage. However, studies have shown that abstinence-preaching schools may be increasing teen pregnancy rates. In a study done by the University of Georgia, it was found that, “public schools that choose to promote abstinence-only sex education are actually succeeding in

For all regions, “there are instances in which teenagers want to use protection but are unable to get it” (DiSabito). Some students have strict parents that would be furious if they found out their child was not staying abstinent. Parents do not know everything about their children, “though we think we do” (Birth Control at School?). There are also problems with the stigma around being seen buying contraceptives. Many teens are too embarrassed to be seen buying contraceptives. In addition, SBHCs do not require parental permission to obtain birth control. Many parents believe this is wrong since they are minors, but as stated by a Time Magazine writer, “If we don’t require consent for treatment, why do we balk at consent for prevention?” (Christakis). If schools were to make contraceptives more readily available for students, teenagers wouldn’t have to worry about where they’re going to get it from and pregnancy and STDs wouldn’t be as much of a