What Are Your Thoughts On Birth Control for . . .?

middle-school chlldren without parental consent. I'm watching the Today Show & a middle school in Maine voted to allow their students to have access to birth control pills without parental consent. A survey at the school indicated that 13% of the students have already had intercourse.

Some parents feel that this is telling the students that it is OK to go ahead & have sex. I feel entirely different. As much as we might not want to admit it, children are having sex younger and younger every day. The majority of kids do not feel comfortable asking a parent for birth control. By having the opportunity to receive birth control at school from a registered nurse, is also providing them with the education about pregnancy and STDs.

My daugther was able to talk to me about this situation when she was 14. I took her to her pediatrician & allowed them to have a visit without me. If there is 1% possibily that my daugther is going to have sex, I want her to be informed & protected

I'm pleased to see well thought out responses to this question. This is a very tough subject. You may think you know your child well, but don't be so sure. I have always been extremely open with my daughter -- more so than most of the parents that I know. Allowing my daughter to take birth control pills was not a way for me to approve her being sexually active. I just faced the unfortunately reality of today's world. Aside from my daugther taking birth control to prevent pregnancy, I also strongly enforced the use of a condom by any partner to prevent STDs, etc.

Most teens think they are invincible -- it is just a way of life -- don't you remember those days? I'll never be the one to get in a car accident, I'll never be the one to overdose on drugs, I'll never be the one to get pregnant or develop a STD.

Do you really think that if you deny your child access to birth control or condoms, etc., it is going to prevent them from having sex?

I went to our local health department and got birth control without my parents knowing. I'm 17 and i didn't want to ask my mama about it because i didn't want her to think of it as a bigger deal than it really was. So i went by myself and i am so glad i have the freedom to do that. It should be that way everywhere. because unless we want to notice it or not there is kids having kids and this can help problem be eliminated.

Birth control actually help lighten up periods (my mom might let me because Ih ave heavy ones) and help releif alot of side effects from period cycles (bloating, cramps etc) Report It

also I have all my shots to protect agaienst genital warts etc, beut no one askes me out because I'm not fast like most of the girls at my school. Sorry I don't know why but my typing is sucky today. Report It

I'm around four teen and I know all the risks... so many girls at my school are getting pregnet (Ik now one whose 7 months and I think her bf left her, shes only in 9th grade, she got preg in 8th) Report It

Plus I've talked ot my mom and I told her if I did have a bf and we wanted to have sex I'd ask her first and shes really open about it... She knows I am responsible and I am agaienst abortions.. Report It

my mom said if I ever did get pregnet, she would be very upset if I got one... she said its ok to come to her about it... theres always adoption right. Report It

I think that is ridiculous... children are trying to grow up too fast these days. Yes, I know kids should be informed, but to just go and throw them on birthcontrol seems a bit much. When I was in school I had 2 girls in my class who convinced their mothers that their periods were irregular so they could be put on birth control because they where promiscious. They didn't want to talk to their parents so that is the way they went about it. I guess it would have its good and bad about it. I really don't think that the parents should be left out of what their child is taking though.

true, in a way, it is saying, "go do it" but it depends, do you take the chance of them having sex and getting pregnant? or do you put them on the pill and hope that they will make good decisions? i mean, the pill can't do anyhting about STDS. im not sure what my thoughts are, it is a very gray topic....

I think middle school is too young to even hold hands but I know that hormones run high in Jr. High.

My fear is that birth control pills are not right for everyone -- being a person who cannot take them, it is a fact that they can be very dangerous. If a minor takes them without parental consent and then develops complications, how will the parents know how to help their kids?

The other issue, is that kids at 14 have zero ability for abstract thought. It's great that they won't get pregnant but frankly, there are FAR worse things out there than pregnancy. HIV, HPV, Herpes, etc. There is not a 12 - 14 year-old kid alive who can actually comprehend what and STD can actually do to them.

I'm not a hard core conservative or anything. I just really think that girls should really be encouraged to keep their legs closed until they are old enough to understand the possible consequences of their actions. Boys need to be introduced to "Rosey Palm" and her 5 friends and keep their zippers zipped.

Just because we CAN do something, doesn't mean we SHOULD do it. I wish parents would take more initiative in preventing these situation to begin with. Set some rules for God's sake. Don't allow dating until they are older. It is still okay for parents to tell their children, "NO!"

They may not like it, but they'll hear you anyway.

I absolutely 100% agree with you! Unfortunately many parents believe this is giving their teen permission to have sex. Teens are going to have sex with or without birth control, so they might as well be educated and protected against it.

your kids will have sex one day.get over it ! if you brought the kid up properly then she wont make silly mistakes

I agree with you. It is no good sticking your head in the sand and hoping it will go away. Knowledge is power. Give the contraceptives if it is necessary, but give the talk aswell.
i would rather children be protected from infection and unwanted pregnancy than pretend it isn't happening.
A girl in my school had two abortions at 14, a baby at 15, married at 16 and divorced by 18. My best friend had her baby at 17. Lots of girls were having sex at 14, I was 18 before I did. This was 20 years ago!!!

Take a proactive approach to this and other issues - like drink. I would rather they drink safely in my house than on a street corner !

I think its great,but along with it i sure hope they are teaching them about everything std are really bad nowadays.And i have 3 teens myself and 2 stepsons that are also teens .I was oldest of nine children and begged my step mom to put me on pill and guesss what she did not then i ended up knocked at 16 and hid my pregnacy for 8 and half months,i thought about abortion,and adoption and i was a kid myself ,and boy i had to grow up quick ,but i did it and life has been tough .And if they want to educate these kids and protect them then i say thats wonderful cause not all parents do soo.Im all for the guardsil shot also my daughter just had her 3 one ,she is only 12 but when she is ready i dont want her to go thru what i have been thru,and i know im not alone.

Is the school nurse going to start screening for STD's and giving pap-smears now? Isn't that what is usually required before a prescription is written? Who will pay for the pills? Taxpayers?

I don't think this give the go-ahead for children to have sex. That lies in the parents court to let their values be known (or at least it should.) Speaking from personal experience, I could not believe it when my parents were completely absent due to their drunkenness, dating lives, TV, and work schedules, then they were shocked when my little sister went out to find attention by having sex at 12. Good grief, what do you expect? Kids shouldn't have to raise themselves. That is the real problem.

I have to agree with you begrudgingly. It is better to protect the one child that would get pregnant and allow everyone else to have birth control than to destroy that one girls life and everyone that it touched. I do not think that the added availability of birth control will add to the sexual conduct of our youth. The key would be that they have to be educated though. They should not be able to take it like candy, but instead show that they have the maturity to get the pill by attending a class. Without the class parental consent would still be needed. I realize this means the people who may be at highest risk dont get the pill, but I am not about to let uneducated girls have access to something that "keeps them from getting pregnant" in their minds. That is way too dangerous.

ok, i realise that i'm likely to get hate mail from people for this, and i understand that your opinion will be different from mine... please don't bombard me!

As a single parent (very accidental pregnancy, discovered i was pregnant far to late to do anything but to have the beautiful boy) I truly feel that mandatory sterilisation once the reproductive organs are fully functioning should be in place.

I'm not suggesting that there should be any benchmarks or exams etc set to have the sterilisation reversed, simply that the decision to have a child needs to be a considered one that has the consent of both adults. I know too many guys who have been tricked into fatherhood, and too many girls who have an unwelcome child. If the girl chooses to be a single mum, then she can find a guy who will desterilise to impregnate her.

I think that it is fantastic that a school is going ahead with this program. I was 14 when i went on the pill, without my parent's consent.... 10 years later though, it wasn't as effective as it should have been! While I would probably suggest to any teenager to abstain, I know that this is unlikely. So educate and protect them as soon as possible, and yes, this means condoms and graphic education on stds!

i think people who voted positively are low on morals. and its also not safe for children to use pills at such very young age. its encouraging premarital sex at such a young age and these kids are so vulnerable. they cannot deal with it maturely and they arent protected against STDs and AIDS. as parents, people should uphold morality and strengthen values in the family. its not normal for very young girls to engage in such situations wherein they are so vulnerable and they lose innocence at such young age. we should encourage them to keep away from sex until they are mature enough to handle responsibilities and consequences. and giving out of pills is not helping this.

As a parent I don't want my child (under 18) to ever be able to get birth control without my knowledge. I know that teenagers have sex and hope that one day when I have teenagers they will be able to come to me for advice and guidance. They however are my children and I should be the one to take action, not the school.

What happened to parenting our children? Why have people became so lazy? Its seem we want the schools and the governent to fix everything for us! What happened to accountability anyway? I have 13 daughter. And is a good student and very athletic. I bring this up because she is constantly keeping busy with all her energy that she has. She doesn't really seem to be into boys yet. But she not old enough in my opinion to be involved in a relationship at this age! Parents..start parenting your children please!

I totally agree with you. I think middle school is definately too young to be having sex, but if their going to do it, they should learn how to do it safely.

I come from a Catholic family, and we've always been taught "No sex until marrriage. No way. And then, only have sex when you want a baby. So no contraception." Which I think is ridiculous. Kids who can't get contraception without parents like mine finding out are likely to just take the risk and have sex anyway.

Maybe middle school is a bit young, but all high schools should have schemes like that one.

I don't see it as a bad thing, no matter how many values & morals are taught at home, children can give up to peer pressure and stuff like that. I'd rather have my daughter protected if she finds herself in that situation than pg at 14. On the other hand, I will always teach her and tell her (she's only a baby now) that no matter how much she is pressured, never ever have sex without a condom, if the boy doesn't respect that at all, then he doesn't have any respect for himself either. It's sad and tough, but that's the way things are now.