Educating Youth On Teen Pregnancy And S

Educating Youth on Teen Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention In today’s society it seems that sex education is still a taboo subject amongst youth. The lack of education contributes to the high rate of teen pregnancy and STD rate ("Planned Parenthood Action Center", 2012). Teens in the United States have the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the world ("Planned Parenthood Action Center", 2012). With the amount of technology and resources readily available this should not be. In educating youth better about sex and teen pregnancy will help cut down the risks of unwanted pregnancies and contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Sex education amongst youth is important because the more educated they are the less likely they are to make uneducated decisions. In the United States of America seventy five thousand teenagers will become pregnant this year ("Planned Parenthood Action Center", 2012). According to the “U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”(2012), more than three million teenage girls will have a sexually transmitted disease or infection. There has to be more that can be done as a society to help this. These statistics do not even include the teenage boys who contract Sexually Transmitted Diseases and impregnate a female. However the peer pressure factor has also become an issue amongst the teenage boys. Abstinence is often looked at negatively thus making it uncool. Reassuring them with education and some good solid support may help to make abstaining look more acceptable amongst youth. Letting them know about another option named outer course can also make being abstinent easier. Outer course is defined as basically fooling around without penetration. Outer course has lots of benefits such as no pregnancy. If there is no intercourse there is no risk of pregnancy. It can help to curb having unprotected sex due to lack of birth control. It can also help to learn there own bodies and how to control them. Birth Control is another factor included in cutting down the teen pregnancy rate. In teaching youth about condoms and how to use them is very important and in doing so not only can it cut down on the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, but also the rate of unwanted pregnancies. Having these things available in schools and after school programs will make it easier for teens to have access to them. Also providing information on the other forms of birth control can help young women make better decisions concerning their bodies and preventing unwanted pregnancies. According to the “US Center for Disease Control” (2011) almost forty percent did not use a condom the last time they had sex. Also almost seventy seven percent did not use any birth control pills or Depo-Provera to prevent pregnancy the last time they had sex. Nevertheless there are several different forms of birth control options. Birth control pills provide a form of oral contraceptive. The pill is to be taken at the same time every day to prevent pregnancy. Depro-Provera is a birth control shot that lasts for three months at a time. Implanon and Nexplanon are forms of birth control that are implanted and also last for three years. There is a birth control patch called Ortho-Evra that is used on the outside of the skin. The sponge is also a method that can be used with spermicide. The Nuva-Ring is a ring that is inserted at home every month. There are also diaphragms, Intrauterine Devices, and female condoms to also help with prevention. With all of these options available the only option that prevents Sexually Transmitted Diseases is condom usage. Young women also need to know that using a condom is not just on the guy because there are female condoms available as well. If there is a situation where birth control fails there are several options involved as well. The first option is the morning after pill. Birth control you can use to prevent pregnancy up to five days after unprotected sex. There are two forms of this one is a pill that should be taken orally and is most effective when taken immediately after the failed birth control. The second option is an Intrauterine Device that is inserted to prevent the pregnancy. These methods are not used to terminate a pregnancy, once the pregnancy has already occurred this method will be completely ineffective. The other options to unwanted pregnancies are abortions and adoptions. Both options can be viewed as controversial especially when involving teenagers, but these options are available and necessary. The first is abortion the most controversial of the two. Abortion is the option that terminates pregnancy prematurely. This option is a difficult one for adults so consider how it is on a teenager, another reason why prevention and education is so important. The second less controversial option is adoption. Adoption provides the option of providing a child to a family that cannot have children of their own. This option is equally as difficult to make especially when it is made by someone who has not reached full maturity. Unquestionably the most important barrier to break is the one between child and parent. Informing parents better on how to have these difficult conversations with their children is the first line of defense. Opening the walls of communication between teenagers and their parents will help youth feel more comfortable and open when talking about sex. They will have less hesitation in asking questions and coming forth when a problem presents itself. Fortunately with the new health care reform bill seventy five million dollars has been designated specifically for teen pregnancy prevention ("Planned Parenthood Action Center", 2012). Hopefully this will make a dent in the high rate of teen pregnancy amongst the youth of the United States.