One million American teenage girls get pregnant every year. The overwhelming majority of these pregnancies are unplanned. Teenagers who get pregnant have the option of abortion, adoption, or keeping the baby. All of these options have serious consequences. Some people would suggest that any debate about teenage access to birth control is irrelevant because teenagers become sexually active with or without access to birth control. This argument is spurious because it if fails to address the ethical, social, and medical issues associated with giving teenagers access to birth control.
Many people believe teenagers should be taught and encouraged to be abstinent. Others believe they should be taught about contraception and about safe sex, and then given access to birth control. I would argue that while both approaches reduce unplanned pregnancies, that sexual abstinence is clearly preferable to sexual activity for underage teens.
Teenage girls who are taking the pill are more likely to engage in unprotected sex, meaning sexual intercourse without a condom. Many teenagers do not entirely understand the risks associated with contracting a sexually transmitted disease, and that the pill does not prevent STDs.
Giving teenagers access to the "morning after" pill also sends them the wrong message. That message is that there are no consequences for unplanned and unprotected sex because even if one engages in this unsafe activity the morning after pill will correct that mistake. Therefore, access to this medication increases the chances that girls will engage in casual and unprotected sex, potentially resulting in contracting an STD.
There is an ongoing discussion in America about whether school based health services should dispense contraceptives to. Some proponents of these programs point out that school nurses only dispense condoms. However, the implication to students is clear; their school views underage teens having s...