Birth Control Assignment Research
The problems, related to teenagers’ pregnancies, diseases, availability of contraceptives are rather acute for most of the modern societies and need to be treated from various sides, in order to find the correct balance, not doing any harm to teenagers either morally or physically and at the same time improving the situation with unplanned early pregnancies and state of health of young people. Nowadays most of teens have access to contraceptives without getting permission from their parents directly. However, the issue of parents’ consent necessity is being discussed in some states, because the specialists of the legal federal system want to make teens tell their parents about it first. Such proposals seem to have much less positive features, than negative and would most luckily be rather risky for health of teenagers.Birth Control Assignment Research
There were numerous researches done, the results of them confirm the fact that the necessity to tell their parents about getting contraceptives will not stop teens from having early sex experiences. Rather on the contrary, this necessity would most luckily make them forget about such important services as contraceptives, which in its turn would lead to devastating consequences, increasing the number of unplanned early pregnancies and spread of sexually transmitted diseases.Birth Control Assignment Research
That’s why most of the medical organizations, related to these issues, oppose introduction of such laws, which foresee involvement of parents before selling contraceptives to teenagers. Apart of possible health risks, such laws could be interpreted as violating the rights of young people. Thus the question is considered to be utterly controversial especially taking into consideration the increase of the number of early pregnancies. This is the first sign that it is necessary to reconsider the actual situation and probably work out the corresponding steps for improving of it. Talking about modern contraceptives, it is necessary to admit that the list of them is rather long – “For example there are methods such as the patch which is a sticker that releases hormones into the body that has to be changed every week for three weeks, the implanon: a rod like needle inserted in the arm to release hormones into the body which can stay in for up to two years, birth control pills: distributes hormones throughout the body which has to be taken at the same time every day for three weeks, then on the fourth week placebo pills to take the place of these pills so that the female can have her menstrual cycle, last but not least the male and female condoms which out of all contraceptives has two purposes, one to prevent pregnancy and two to prevent the transmission of STDs and HIV from both participants” (Hock-Long 2003). Young girls aged thirteen eighteen should be provided the possibility to have direct access to contraceptives with the aim of better birth control and avoiding of diseases’ spreading.
One of the first reasons, which is usually discussed in the frames of allowing teenagers get contraceptives without additional permission from their parents, is related to the general relations between children and parents. This is a huge mistake to think that in all families those relations are ideal or flawless. Correspondingly their problems in relations lead to problems in communication, especially communication, related to sexual themes. In other cases, parents just don’t know how to talk to their growing children about sex or just ignore this theme, because they have their work, a lot of problems either personal or professional. Their children have the only source of information – their friends, maybe also Internet. The results of the research done by the University of Florida IFAS Extension Solutions state that “This is, the challenges of the adolescence derive from the fact that youth today are both in need of parenting that promotes their positive development.” (Harlap 1991). One of the good and rewarding ways out for the teenagers from such families could be providing of other resources for them, where they could without any problems get the access to the information about sexual problems and sexual health. These possibilities could be provided by health care organizations, non-profit organizations. Qualified specialists and professional psychologists would be able to provide all the needed informational and practical help to young girls, supporting them in a very difficult period of their lives.Birth Control Assignment Research
The second reason not to apply such laws, which would demand teenagers provide the consent of their parents, in order to have access to contraceptives, is the approach of some parents, who consider the sexual relations to be a kind of prohibited topic. Instead of providing corresponding understandable information in a friendly way to their children, they prefer to use various excuses, ether their lack of time or “talk to you later about it” arguments, which lead to some bad situations in the lives of their children, as they are luckily to become victims of sexual harassment, or develop psychological problems within sexual relations in the future. “Another reason is that parents think teens are more informed about sex than they actually are—and may even think that their teens know more about sex than they, as parents do” (Harlap 1991). All these situations become rather dangerous, if teenagers become sexually active and still lack the necessary information about contraceptives and have no possibility to access them freely. Such risks, as unwanted pregnancies and STD (sexually transmitted diseases) are on the top of the list.
Apart of moral and psychological aspects of contraceptives for teenagers, which should be provided without their parents’ consent, there are also purely medical reasons – “girls should be allowed to receive birth control and contraceptives without the consent of their parents is because they may be dealing with internal issues that may require the usage of these contraceptives. For example medical issues such as tumors in the uterus, situations such as this may need the hormones in birth control pills to regulate excessive bleeding.” (Harlap 1991). There is a need to support the balance of such hormones as estrogen and testosterone in the organism of a woman, especially a young girl, as breaking of this balance might lead to development of male like qualities, causing further health and psychological damage to teenagers. The specialists state that “If you have had ovarian cysts, you might be given the pill to help keep new ones from forming. Your clinician might also prescribe the pill to help with symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as mood changes or migraine headaches.” (Hock-Long 2003).Birth Control Assignment Research
The fourth reason not to limit teenagers in getting access to contraceptive without permission from their parents is related to the fact that depriving them of this access will not stop automatically their sexual activities. The only real outcome would be that girls will never think of visiting doctors, they will miss the necessary screening or even treatment of STDs, usual gynecological exams and other services. There is enough statistical data, proving that teenagers are at risk nowadays, for example around three million of teenagers in America contract STD annually. If there is no timely treatment provided, those STDs might lead to further serious complications, including infertility. Four out of ten teenager girls become pregnant for the first time at the age under twenty. The highest rates of gonorrhea and chlamidia are reported exactly by teenagers and so on. Thus in case if young people have additional obstacles for getting contraceptives, those rates would continue to grow, making the size of the big problem enormous. “In a single act of unprotected sex with an infected partner, a teenage girl has a 1 percent risk of acquiring HIV, a 30 percent risk of getting genital herpes, and a 50 percent chance of contracting gonorrhea.” (Harlap 1991).
Opponents often base their arguments of their assumptions that girls between thirteen to eighteen years are not able to bear responsibility for their health and take vitally important decisions, without involvement of their parents into the matter. With their desire to access the forbidden fruit they are not able to make rational judgments and take the correct decisions, as this is the period of hormones, emotions and rebellion. Actually this is correct, however, adding more restrictions will not be good for them, as exactly taking into consideration the peculiarities of this age, of this life period of young people, there is a strong need to provide all possible support and help for them in all life spheres, including sexual experiences.Birth Control Assignment Research
This is a period of serious changes in young people, both mentally and physically, those changes are rapid and unexpected for teens, this is the main reason of their behavior, wrong choices and rush reactions. On the one hand it is too early for them to bear the complete responsibility for themselves, their life and health, on the other hand this is exactly the period, when they need to learn to do it, and certainly this is the task of their parents, tutors, psychologists, doctors, state officials to guarantee them safety and support in all their problems, instead of pressing and restricting their rights and choices. Thus they should be allowed to have access to contraceptives without consent of their parents, because this would contribute to preventing pregnancies, distribution of STDs and teaching them of bearing responsibility for their lives and for lives of other people.Birth Control Assignment Research