Parental Notification For Birth Control Could Prompt Unsafe Sex

[Kadie]

Parental Notification For Birth Control Could Prompt Unsafe Sex
Survey Asks 1,500 Teens About How Parental Notification Would Affect Them

POSTED: 6:11 pm EST January 18, 2005

NEW YORK -- There's more fuel for the debate over teens, birth control and how much a parent should know.

Researchers from an abortion-rights think thank say their new study shows that parental notification of birth control use could do more harm than good.

snip...
The study showed that 60 percent of girls surveyed said a parent or guardian knew they were obtaining contraception. But at least 20 percent of the girls said they would engage in unsafe sex rather than have their parents find out they were trying to get contraceptives.

Forty-six percent of girls surveyed said that if parental notification were mandated, they would use an over-the-counter contraceptive method, such as condoms, and 18 percent would go to a private doctor. Seven percent of respondents said they would stop having sex.

more...
http://www.thekcrachannel.com/health/4105615/detail.html

[rabid_nerd]

1. LBN?

?

[TheFarseer]

2. Now that's a bad idea

I at least undestand parental notification for abortion eventhough I don't agree with it. I just don't even understand this.

[TaleWgnDg]

12. read post #11 . . . it may be helpful . . . n/t

[leesa]

3. Ya think?

[CottonBear]

4. I was just about to post that same thought. n/t

[lastknowngood]

5. I thought safe sex was when your parents didn't find out

n/t

[TaleWgnDg]

13. Since when is sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) . . .

.

Since when is sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) . . . particularly HIV/AIDs . . . a joking matter? Since when is the twisted and hypocritical culture of the "red states" being pushed upon the "blue states" something to joke about?

Particularly when it concerns teenaged girls re births and STDs? It's no joking matter!

Did you read the JAMA article? See post #11.

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bush is packing the federal courts . . .

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.

[lawladyprof]

6. And to make sure that the seven percent stop having sex

They'll be willing to let the other X% be at risk. And it probably wouldn't be seven percent who would refrain from sex although seven percent might intend to based on a hypothetical question.

[DBoon]

7. Maybe those 7% are gay

and aren't particularly concerned about contraception anyway?

[mutus_frutex]

8. Rights of the parents versus rights of the teens

That's what this issue is about. THe scale has always oscillated between one or the other, and during the last years it has been leaning towards the rights of the parents. Most conservatives favor absolute control over the life of their kids. Even a lot of liberals here think that way. It is always thought that since teens are not independent until they are 18, who's the best to look for them? Obviously the parents. But that is a really risky proposition. Teens should retain a measure of independence. I think this is one example.

[Hekate]

9. Teens will often do anything rather than tell their parents

As a mother who lived through high school adolescent hell with a daughter and a son, I know the frustration and helpless feeling of being shut out of their lives and generally scorned as irrelevant. I very much wanted to be consulted about life-changing decisions and I would have been only too willing to make sure my daughter (and son) got medical attention for their sex lives. But I was emphatically not consulted. I was grateful for the comprehensive sex-education course offered to the teen group at our church -- don't laugh, the Unitarians are really good that way.

However.... Best thing I can say about my experience is that it was 10 years ago. They grew up into a couple of really good adults.

When I was first in college, not only was abortion illegal but so was dispensing contraception to minors under 21 years of age. It didn't seem to stop my friends from becoming soldiers in the sexual revolution. When I was in high school, all that repression and we still had some girls drop out and give up babies for adoption, we still had a wave of autumn weddings right after our spring graduation.

The fanatics in the culture wars want to turn back the clock to a time that never truly existed -- and yeah, they do want to have total control over their kids' lives. Ain't gonna happen.

And down their road of ignorance is a lot of human misery.

Hekate

[Hardrada]

10. We knew little

about such things in my adolescent days. And were taught less. Our homecoming queens were always obviously PG when they had to hand their crowns to their successors at the end of the next October. Ah yes, the 1950's.

[TaleWgnDg]

11. Well, well, well . . . no surprise here . . .

.

Well, well, well . . . no surprise here . . .

1.) The the religious rightwing is still trying to proselytize their religious views into our laws.

2.) Those very religious views lead to more divorces, more out-of-wedlock births, and more teenaged births. For example, here's a chart . . . note the "red states" standing, then note the "blue states" standing:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.) This is the "culture" that the "red states" wants to push upon the "blue states" . . . so much for "parental notification" b4 distribution of condoms!

4.) Further, think about the additional HIV/AIDs-inflicted and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that this stupid "parental notification" law would add?!!

In addition, read the Journal of the American Medical Association's (JAMA's) article that's behind this newspaper article. Go to the source, don't rely upon the "news media" to regurgitate your news . . .

"Adolescents’ Reports of Parental Knowledge of Adolescents’ Use of Sexual Health Services and Their Reactions to Mandated Parental Notification for Prescription Contraception
Rachel K. Jones, PhD; Alison Purcell, BA; Susheela Singh, PhD; Lawrence B. Finer, PhD

"JAMA. 2005;293:340-348.

"Context: Legislation has been proposed that would mandate parental notification for adolescents younger than 18 years (minors) obtaining prescription contraception from federally funded family planning clinics.

"Objective: To determine the extent to which parents are currently aware that their teenage daughters are accessing reproductive health services and how minors would react in the face of mandated parental involvement laws for prescription birth control.

"Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 1526 female adolescents younger than 18 years seeking reproductive health services at a national sample of 79 family planning clinics were surveyed between May 2003 and February 2004.

"Main Outcome Measures: Proportions of minor females who reported that a parent or guardian was aware that they were at the family planning clinic and, under conditions of mandated parental involvement, proportions of minors who would access prescription contraceptives at family planning clinics or engage in unsafe sex.

"Results: Sixty percent of minors reported that a parent or guardian knew they were accessing sexual health services at the clinic. Fifty-nine percent of all adolescents would use the clinic for prescription contraception even if parental notification were mandated. This response was less common (29.5%) among adolescents whose parents were unaware of their clinic visits and more common (79%) among those whose parents were aware. Many adolescents gave more than 1 response to mandated parental involvement. Forty-six percent would use an over-the-counter method, and 18% would go to a private physician. Seven percent said that they would stop having sex as one response, but only 1% indicated this would be their only reaction. One in 5 adolescents would use no contraception or rely on withdrawal as one response to mandated notification.

"Conclusions: Most minor adolescent females seeking family planning services report that their parents are aware of their use of services. Most would continue to use clinic services if parental notification were mandated. However, mandated parental notification laws would likely increase risky or unsafe sexual behavior and, in turn, the incidence of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

"Author Affiliations: The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, NY."

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/293/3/340?view=abstractfp=340&vol=293&lookupType=volpage
(underlining and pink highlighted emphasis added by TaleWgnDg)



.

[Hekate]

14. Thanks -- I'm saving this to my files n/t

[TaleWgnDg]

19. you're welcome . . . n/t

[mutus_frutex]

15. Excellent point. And the correlation is indirect but obvious..

I think that the factor that links these two things is the level of education:

It is well know that well educated people tend to rely more on contraceptives and have less kids.

It is also well know that the less educated people are, the more they tend to be religious, with obvious consequences with respect to use of contraceptives.

Finally, it could be argued (and I don't think that anyone here disagrees.. :-) ) that to vote for * one would have to be pretty stupid..

[TaleWgnDg]

20. yup, pretty damn stupid, indeed! and thanks for the accolades. n/t

[American Tragedy]

25. I'm definitely saving that chart

I never thought that I would become a fervent advocate for states' rights, but...

[Sugarbleus]

16. 1st thing comes to mind is that birth control pills do NOT prevent

unsafe sex. Condoms do. Birth control, as we all know, is for the prevention of pregnancy ONLY.

I hate this government interference with individuals rights to choose.

Why don't they start an ad campaign that encourages parents to not come down on their kids if they need advice in this area. Some parents are horrid and ignorant when it comes to dealing with a sexually active teen. Many teens go secret because they CANNOT talk to their ignorant, narrow minded parents.

I saw a guy petitioning in front of a store the other day. He was lobbying for the parental right to know before a teenage girl gets an abortion. I got in his face and nearly chased him down the street.LOL
I was having a very very bad week; my rage got the best of me. I told him HELL NO I wouldn't take away the rights of a young woman who DOES NOT want a pregnancy and I asked him if he was CRAZY(actually I was crazy at that point). I told him to get the hell out of our liberal county. LOL

I wanted to take his clipboard and pretend I dropped it in front of an oncoming car.

I was a teenage mother. It nearly ruined my life. I was NOT prepared to care for a child at 16. I had no access to birth control--only condoms. I decided to adopt out but my family wanted me to keep the child--I was young and they had all the power in those days. It was the wrong decision for my life. I don't want that to happen to another young woman.

Just think. Some short years ago, we had girls HAVING babies so they could get away from their parents in some cases and they immediately went onto Welfare. The RW calls women witches and whores and feminazis and refuses to help them with welfare anymore..the girls have changed to say they'd rather not be parents so young. They want to pursue a happier lifestyle before committing to parenthood. Except the RW now insists that they DON'T delay pregnancy by way of these new tactics. They can't have it both ways.

ENOUGH ALREADY!!

[HockeyMom]

17. $1.5 BILLION Promote Marriage Act

Ever hear of that? BUSH solution. Just get MARRIED. Welcome back to the wonderful world of SHOTGUN WEDDINGS.

A few years ago I was in the doctor's office when a teenage girl came in. She told the nurse that she was there to get a prescription for birth control pills. The nurse told her that she was under 18 and would have to get her parents' permission. The girl picked up the phone, dialed, and said, "Hi, Mom. I am at the doctor's. They said they need you to give me permission to get the Pill." She then handed the phone to the nurse and then was told to have a seat that the doctor would be with her shortly.

Personally, I certainly would not advocate teenage sex, but I certainly do cheer the open COMMUNICATION between that mother and her daughter.

In answer to the previous post, yes, all these so called Christian family organizations ARE advocating increased numbers of babies being born. One headline on, I believe, the Concerned Women for America website was, "What can be done to increase the number of 7+ children families in today society." They blamed women going to college in increasing numbers,delaying marriage under careers were established, and then having fewer and fewer kids.

[Sugarbleus]

21. Yep---->"SHOTGUN WEDDINGS". I remember all too well...

It's a total screwed up double standard isn't it.

CWA is a Beverely LaHaye site; husband author of Left Behind series. I wrote to her a while back arguing about the discrimination between married women's rights and single parents. They want married women to stay home(no college for them I suppose).. and raise kids til grown Yet, they name called( crack mothers, lazy, drains, low lifes, useless, witches) and badgered single mothers for wanting to stay home with their young children..."Holy Jasus, we can't have single mothers using any sort of Welfare to raise their kids at home.. Get them girls married fercrissakes..."

In case I forgot to mention it; my pregnancy came about as a result of intercourse with an upstanding member of our church--who refused to use condoms BTW. His family were middle class, I was not. They whisked their boy away to the Army and he refused to marry me..not that I wished to at that point--may I say JERK!

Oh, and don't forget we can't have any of that godless sex ed in school either...at least not the adequate kind.

Let's face it: We women are just a bunch of witches anyway. Badly in need of a burning at the stake

What a mess eh? Peace~~

[HuckleB]

18. Exactly. How else do you think the second "Virgin Birth" will occur?

You can't have a second coming of Our Lord, Christ and Savior with all this birth control out there preventing it!

Sheesh. Wake up, people!

:) :hi:

----------

And, yeah, it's a strange headline.

[DemBones DemBones]

22. Here's why parental consent for contraceptives such as The Pill

and Depo-Provera will likely be upheld by the courts: parents have a right to know if their children are taking prescription medication.

Anyway, those methods do nothing to prevents STDs or HIV infection. For that, you need the old-fashioned condom, used every single time you have sex. Guys MUST use condoms, girls MUST insist they do.

STDs and HIV are good reasons for girls today to offer the guys "resistant" to condoms.

If a girl also uses a spermicidal foam every time she has sex, her chance of getting pregnant is very small. It's fairly safe just to use a condom properly, but the foam is a backup method.

STDS, HIV AND PREGNANCY CAN BE PREVENTED BY COMMON OTC METHODS!

Condoms and spermicidal foam are available over the counter and are even out in plain sight in the drugstore or drug section of other stores. When I was in high school, 1961-65, you had to ask the pharmacists for anything like that, a practice that caused a lot of teens to have unsafe sex. But a lot of teens also got the condoms and used them. Some girls got pregnant, but a lot of girls were sexually active without getting pregnant. It was the same story when I was in college.

Why are teenagers so ignorant about contraception today? Magazines run articles on birth control all the time -- just look at the covers of mags geared to young women and girls and you'll see this is true. This was NOT the case in the Sixties, yet we knew that condoms could work. We managed to get info we needed.

I'm all for good sex education in the schools, but why aren't teenagers looking out for themselves? I am sure teens still find ways to get around the liquor laws, as we did, why are they bamboozled into having risky sex? I think it's because there's so much less stigma attached to pregnancy and because girls think "I can always get an abortion." When pregnancy meant being kicked out of school and, often, being sent away to a maternity home to give birth and give up the baby for adoption -- or a possibly disastrous teenage shotgun wedding -- teenagers were far more motivated to avoid pregnancy.

The worst part of it is that teenagers who aren't very concerned about preventing pregnancy probably don't think much about STDs and HIV, either. It's normal for teens not to think they'll ever get sick and die, but they're taking some awful risks.

[Mz Pip]

23. I would have been preggers at 17

for sure if my boyfriend had to notify his mom that he got condoms.

There's no way I EVER would have told my parents I needed birth control, EVER. There would have been saran wrap comdoms, Coca-cola douches, all the old wives tale BS the supposedly prevented pregnancy.

Let's not turn back the clock. Please don't go there.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[DemBones DemBones]

24. They are talking about notification for prescription methods, not OTC.

You must have missed this:

"Forty-six percent of girls surveyed said that if parental notification were mandated, they would use an over-the-counter contraceptive method, such as condoms, and 18 percent would go to a private doctor. Seven percent of respondents said they would stop having sex."

If only they'd all use condoms, STDs, HIV, and pregnancy rates could be reduced.