Free Essay: Should Teenagers Be Given Birth Control?

Every parent is more concerned about their children when they become teenagers. Apparently, this is the age characterized by puberty, a growth stage when young people become sexually active and thus more tempted to try out on a number of things. On such concern of the parents is that their children might engage in sexual activities leading to early and unwanted pregnancies, early parenthood as well as the many dangers associated with unprotected sex. Parents therefore spend endless times talking, educating and advising their children about responsible sexual behaviors. However, not all teenagers will heed to parental advice on sexual activities. As a result, there has been endless debate whether teenagers should be given birth controls or not? Giving birth controls to teenagers has both positive and negative effects on such teenagers.

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While parents are charged with responsibility to advise their siblings against irresponsible sexual behaviors, I strongly advocate that teenagers should be given birth controls for one reason that parents cannot be physically present every other place to monitor their involvements of their children, their behavior or their peers. Teenagers are naughty and excited of everything around them. They also tend to be easily influenced by mob psychology, the tendencies to try out what others say they did. As a result therefore, chances are that when alone, or due to peer pressure, such young people might easily engage in sexual intercourse. This cannot be solely taken as going against parental advice but a precaution just in case teenagers may be tempted to try out new adventures. In order to save them from unwanted pregnancies and even sexually transmitted diseases, such teenagers should be given birth controls.

The greatest negative effect of giving birth controls to teenagers is that it may easily be misconceived as a permission to run around and engage in irresponsible sex. One thing about teenage is that its a stage in life where one is hyperactive and often to try out on virtually everything. As a result, teenagers are therefore mentally immature and capable of making the silliest mistakes. Giving such young people birth controls is therefore risky and might do more harm than good. For instance, once such a teenager know that she is on birth control, chances are that she might easily engage in unprotected sex since she knows that she wont conceive and thereby contacting a number of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. The greatest fear amongst teenage girls when engaging in sexual intercourse is the fear of conceiving and contacting sexually transmitted infections. Once one is assured of protection against the two, he or she may end up in irresponsible sexual behaviors at the expense of his or her good health.

It is therefore the responsibility of parents, guardians and even teachers to educate and advise teenagers on responsible sexual behaviors. Birth controls should be discouraged at all means and instead, abstinence should be encouraged amongst the teenagers. In fact, abstinence is the only surest way of staying free of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections and diseases. However, in the event that the parent is convinced that his or her sibling wont abstain however much advised, then birth controls should be offered as the last resolution to save such teenagers. Remember, I still repeat and insist that birth controls should be last resort.

Sources

Feinstein, Stephen. Sexuality and Teens: What You Should Know About Sex, Abstinence, Birth Control, Pregnancy, and Stds. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 2010. Print.

McCoy, Kathy, Charles Wibbelsman, Bob Stover, Kelly Grady, Jennifer Rourke, and Kathy McCoy. The Teenage Body Book. New York: Perigee, 1999. Print.

Nardo, Don. Should Teens Have Access to Birth Control?San Diego, CA: ReferencePoint Press, 2014. Print.