Teenage Pregnancy

TOPIC: ORAL CONTRACEPTION
RESEARCH QUESTION: SHOULD HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BE
ALLOWED TO HAVE ORAL
CONTRACEPTION WITHOUT PARENTAL
CONSENT?
THESIS STATEMENT: RESEARCH SUGGEST THAT HIGH SCHOOL
GIRLS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO HAVE ORAL CONTACPETION
WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT BECAUSE THIS WILL HELP REDUCE
THE OCCURANCE AND RISK ASSOCIATED WITH TEEN PREGNANCY AND
ABORTION AND REDUCE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN ON TAX PAYERS.
MAIN POINTS:
·Easier access to to oral contraception will reduce the occurrence of unwanted and unplanned pregnancies and abortions and the risks associated with abortion and high risk pregnancies.
·Many teenage girl who become pregnant have a higher tendency not to finish high school and this reduces their chances at attaing stable financial status and better careers.
·The high rate of teenage pregnancies puts a high financial burden on the tax payers and government in providing medical care for the young mothers.
·Although there has been a reduction in the amount of teenage pregnacy in the
United States,the present rate of teenage pregnancies and birth still stands high per reserch. Recearch shows that Although the rate of teenage pregnancy in the
United States is at its lowest level in nearly 40 years, it remains the highest among the most developed countries in the world. Approximately 67.8 per 1,000 women aged 15–19 — nearly 750,000 American teenagers — become pregnant each year. (Planned Parenthood.(2012).Reducing
Teenage Pregnancy. Retrieved from www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/reducing_teenage_pregnancy.pdf ).
(Please see visual aid section for graph,visual aid script and visul aid description on pages 5-8)
Allowing female teenagers in high school who are sexually active to have assess to oral contraceptive /birth control will help to further reduce the number of
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GZ8 occurrences of teenage pregnancy which in turn will reduce the risk of abortion and high risk pregnancies.The obvious truth from prior stated researchs, shows that our teenagers are still having unprotected sex while some may be abstaining or practicing safe sex the remainder who do not do so have to be protected from what they can be protected from for their own good and good of our socities.
·Another problem associated with teenage pregnancies is the financial burden on tax payes and the government to provide medical care for pregnant teenagers.
Research shows that ' The June 2011 study by the National Campaign to Prevent
Teen Pregnancy estimated that in 2008, adolescent childbearing cost U.S. taxpayers about $11 billion per year '.(Congressional Research Service.
(2012).Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: Statistics and Programs. Retrieved from www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS20301.pdf). This is a lot of money that could be saved and put to use towards other pressing issues in our present day economy.
·The expenses does not stop with medical care during and after pregnancy but continues with medical care of the children and and the social/financial of most teenage mothers continues to be a problem that could happen over their life time if changes are not made by them. 'Teen mothers are less likely to graduate from high school and more likely than their peers who delay childbearing to live in poverty and to rely on welfare. ( Planned Parenthood.(2012).Reducing Teenage Pregnancy.
Retrieved from www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/reducing_teenage_pregnancy.pdf ). This problem could very well be a long term problem if the educational and financial status of the teenage mother does not change.
·The government will see a greater reduction in high school teenage pregnancies if sexually active teens are able to have assess to oral contraception without parental consent. ·By continuing to promote abstinence and sex educatiion is very important to enable teenagers make better informed choices
Providing and funding programs that will enable pregnant teenage mothers to go back to school and achieve higher educational status will help to reduce the financial burden on tax payers and government when these teens do not end up in welfare programs for themselves and their children.
·Research suggests that high school girls should be allowed to have oral contraception withought parental consent because this will help reduce the occurance and risk associated with teenage pregnancy and abortionand reduce the financial burden on tax payers. Asses to oral contraceptives without parental consent will will reduce the incedents of teenage pregnancies and provide another option to high school girls when they do not abstain or practice safe sex.
.Preventing teenage pregnacies among high school girls will increase their chances at attaining higher educational levels and better careers. This will inturn reduce the amount of women and children who end up in welfare and reduce the fainacial burden on tax payers and our ailing economy of today.
·CLOSING STATEMENT:
·The advantages of oral contraception to high school girls/teenagers can not be over emphasized. It is of immence value to our young girls,their future,our communities and nation as a whole. Our teenage girls will have better prospects in life and also have an opportunity to make better informed decisions about sex at an early age. Allowing them to take some measure of responsibility for them selves when they are having sex will boost their self esteem and creat a sence of responsiblity for their lives and our tax payers will save alot of maoney that could be used to boost the economy.
AUDIENCE QUESTIONS:
Question 1.
With the risks associated with birth control pills, why should parents not worry about their children becoming sick or even dying from side effects?
Answer.
Research has proved that there is little or no risk associated/proven with teenage girls taking oral contraception.The center for young womens health clearly states that 'There are no increase in the risk of heart attack or stroke in healthy young women who take birth control pills and do not smoke ' ( The center for young womens health.(2012).Birth conrol pills and teens:A guide to parents. Retrived from http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/oral.html). Question 2.
Young teenagers are known to be disorganised and even forgetfull, why should parents trust them to use oral contraception accordingly?
Answer.
Allowing teenagers to have free asses to oral contraception gives them a sence of responsibility and also the American Academy of Pediatrics has issud a statetement saying ' adolescents are more likely to use emergency contraception if it’s prescribed in advance '.(American Academy of Pediatrics. (2012).AAP Recommends Emergency
Contraception Be Available to Teens. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/6/1174). Question 3.
Are there any states or school districts currently implementing this practice?
Answer.
The state of New york is currently implementing this program.The New York City
Department of Education is furnishing morning-after pills and other birth control drugs to students at 13 city high schools and without parental permission.(Life news.
(2012).Girls at 13 NYC Schools Get Morning After Pills, No Parental Permission.
Retrived from http://www.lifenews.com/2012/09/24/girls-at-13-nyc-schools-getmorning- after-pills-no-parental-permission/) References.
1.Center for Disease Control. (2012). Pre-pregnancy Contraceptive Use Among
Teens with Unintended Pregnancies Resulting in Live Births — Pregnancy Risk
Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2004–2008. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6102a1.htm? s_cid=mm6102a1_w.
2.Congressional Research Service.(2012).Teenage Pregnancy Prevention:
Statistics and Programs. Retrieved from www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS20301.pdf 3.Huffington post .2010.Even At Lowest, U.S. Teen Birth Rate Far Higher Than W.
Europe. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/30/teen-pregnancy-us-
_n_802854.html
4.Life news.(2012).Girls at 13 NYC Schools Get Morning After Pills, No Parental
Permission. Retrived from http://www.lifenews.com/2012/09/24/girls-at-13-nyc-schoolsget- morning-after-pills-no-parental-permission/. 5.The center for young womens health.(2012).Birth conrol pills and teens:A guide to parents. Retrived from http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/oral.html.
6.Time Magazine. (2012).New York City Offers Plan B to High School Students.
Retrived from http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/25/new-york-city-schools-offer-planb- to-high-school-students/ .
7. Planned Parenthood.(2012).Reducing Teenage Pregnancy. Retrieved from www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/reducing_teenage_pregnancy.pdf .

References: 1.Center for Disease Control. (2012). Pre-pregnancy Contraceptive Use Among Teens with Unintended Pregnancies Resulting in Live Births — Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2004–2008. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6102a1.htm? 2.Congressional Research Service.(2012).Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: Statistics and Programs 4.Life news.(2012).Girls at 13 NYC Schools Get Morning After Pills, No Parental Permission 5.The center for young womens health.(2012).Birth conrol pills and teens:A guide to parents 6.Time Magazine. (2012).New York City Offers Plan B to High School Students. 7. Planned Parenthood.(2012).Reducing Teenage Pregnancy. Retrieved from www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/reducing_teenage_pregnancy.pdf .