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 Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:59 pm
I read recently in Reader's Digest an article about 'the things doctor's don't tell you'. In it, it had a percentage section. It went along the lines of
"Did You Know- --% of doctor's don't follow assigned hand-washing procedures? --% of doctor's say they have overlooked another doctor's blunders so as not to cause trouble? --% of doctor's think your mama's a** is so fine?"
anyway, I was a little shocked by the claim that "--% of doctor's say they will give minors contraceptives without parental approval". Not because I think this is bad, but because it was insinuated that the readers should think this is bad and be shocked by it.
Is there something wrong with this picture? Am I crazy in assuming that giving teens contraceptives covertly is better than not giving them contraceptives at all? I don't know how it is with your town, but last year I realized something- the only place I've ever seen condoms, or would think to look for them when needed, was the closest gas station bathroom. Sure, now I know you can just ask for them at a counter, but why aren't there things like advertisements like "At your local Publix- glow in the dark condoms! Keeping the babies at bay and looking fit for a rave!" when there are advertisements like "His and Her personal lubricant" and "NEW! Cialis and Viagra, combined for the ultimate sex sex sex!" ?
Also recently, the gas station next to the local 'town grocer' (small-town place where people walk to with there kids) removed its condom machine from the bathroom because a lady complained after her 8-year-old kid bought one. Asking for condoms at the store is like telling the whole neighborhood that you have wild naked hippie parties on a weekly basis, not to mention that only the teenaged employees will sell contraceptives to you without asking for ID. I can buy a liter of wine and no one says a damn thing, but if you try to get condoms it's all "And how old are you?" I'm not even sure if that's legal.
So anyway, guys, if that was all tl;dr, here's my question:
How much power should your legal guardian(s) have over your acess to contraceptives?
Should they be informed? By you? What if someone (doctor, school counselor) knows that you have them; are they obliged to tell your parents?
How available should contraceptives be? What rights to privacy do you have when purchasing them?
Is the law meant to protect your interests? Or to protect you from sex?
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:55 am
I believe it should be decided at a certain age. And personally, I believe that all states should have the same age of consent instead of having a range from 14 to 18, and having it decide on which gender you are, but I digress..... I think a good age for the parents not being informed is 16. Anything below that, the person really shouldn't be having sex anyway. I know a lot of people that had sex through the ages of 13 to 15 and they are not happy about their decisions and didn't think about the consequences at all.
After the age of 16, parents shouldn't have to know, because the fact that the teenager is trying to get a hold of contraceptive means they're at least on the right thought process about sex.
I know for a fact that where I live, you can buy condoms just about anywhere and there are women clinics where you can get free birth control. I'm a bit fuzzy on whether or not you need your guardian's permission before a certain age or not.
The law is meant to protect stupid teenagers who aren't mature enough for sex, because Gods know, there's quite a few of them.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:28 pm
Well said, eph. I neglected the facts of age in there and the wide range of laws covering that, it didn't occur to me that a parent should obviously be told if there 10-year-old is trying to find condoms. XD
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:50 pm
Hana Matataku Well said, eph. I neglected the facts of age in there and the wide range of laws covering that, it didn't occur to me that a parent should obviously be told if there 10-year-old is trying to find condoms. XD Oh God.... 10 year olds should not want sex. O_o Haha, I get what you're saying though. I think 16 is a reasonable age because most states have an age of consent of 16. One of the Carolinas has it as 14... But personally I think that's too young to be having sex.
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 7:58 am
ephebiphobia Oh God.... 10 year olds should not want sex. O_o Haha, I get what you're saying though. I think 16 is a reasonable age because most states have an age of consent of 16. One of the Carolinas has it as 14... But personally I think that's too young to be having sex. My mom grew up in South Carolina, and she said that when she was like 14 her friends were shocked that she was still a virgin. So idk, maybe all the fried chicken brought the puberty age down enough that they just changed the law? Personally, I think 14 year olds are the horniest. God, that sounds really incriminating, but srsly. Everyone else is like "lol, I can be semi-responsible', but it's the ones just hitting the 'THAT'S what the p***s is for?!?!' stage that are the loudest about it. But yeah, they shouldn't be like...acting on it. ._. Maybe if there was some kind of sex permit you had to obtain based on your knowledge on the subject and safe practices. Haha. Like the mythical 'license for parenthood'. XD
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 9:36 am
Hana Matataku ephebiphobia Oh God.... 10 year olds should not want sex. O_o Haha, I get what you're saying though. I think 16 is a reasonable age because most states have an age of consent of 16. One of the Carolinas has it as 14... But personally I think that's too young to be having sex. My mom grew up in South Carolina, and she said that when she was like 14 her friends were shocked that she was still a virgin. So idk, maybe all the fried chicken brought the puberty age down enough that they just changed the law? Personally, I think 14 year olds are the horniest. God, that sounds really incriminating, but srsly. Everyone else is like "lol, I can be semi-responsible', but it's the ones just hitting the 'THAT'S what the p***s is for?!?!' stage that are the loudest about it. But yeah, they shouldn't be like...acting on it. ._. Maybe if there was some kind of sex permit you had to obtain based on your knowledge on the subject and safe practices. Haha. Like the mythical 'license for parenthood'. XD Then again, there are a lot of 14-year-olds driving around without their driving permits. Something makes me believe they would have sex without their sex permit ;P I think it's up to a lot of parents to talk to their children about sex and not in a derogatory way. A lot of kids I knew that grew up in households where sex wasn't taboo may start having it around 15 or 16, but they at least know exactly what they're doing and have already been walked through the consequences. I think teens need to stop jumping into things without thinking them through, and parents should be more open to discussion that way their children are more likely to talk to their parents.
Which brings me back to the original topic: I believe that parents shouldn't have to be informed if their "mature" teenager (16+) receives contraceptive. But the relationship between the child and guardian should be good enough that they find out anyway.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 7:06 pm
I think parents should sit down and talk to their kids about all this before it's to late.
Unless it is very very obvious that someone is too young, too stupid, or doesn't understand how much it could ******** up your life if you're not careful I think that parents should not have too know about their kids getting birth control.
In fact, I think birth control and free clinics should be more widely advertized as being confidential. I think it would help bring down the increasing rate of teen pregnancies.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:21 pm
How much power should your legal guardian(s) have over your acess to contraceptives? they should have the right to know, but not to enforce.
Should they be informed? By you? What if someone (doctor, school counselor) knows that you have them; are they obliged to tell your parents? yes. by anyone. they should tell the parents so the parents can help make options easier.
How available should contraceptives be? What rights to privacy do you have when purchasing them? i, personally, dont think anyone under 16 should be able to by condoms. if they are under 16, their legal guardian should be present. with birth control, a parent must be there.
Is the law meant to protect your interests? Or to protect you from sex? neither
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