Birth control at THS??? Thoughts?
posted by Mr. Carlisle at 7:21 PM
Sunday, January 29, 2012
About Me
- Name: Mr. Carlisle
- Location: Portland, Oregon, United States
I'm a native South Carolinian and I attained my undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of South Carolina. I taught fourth grade for two years in the Mississippi Delta and two years at an alternative high school in Western North Carolina. I have been at Tigard High School since the fall of 2003, where I teach U.S. History and Psychology.
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22 Comments:
As long as our school keeps things consistent... like don't tell me I can get birth control without my parents permission and yet I have to get their signature for lunch release...
8:18 PM
I feel like adults can't stop kids from having sex. If a kid really wants to have sex they will. I think that giving kids access to contraceptives at school would make kids safer though.
8:19 PM
Also, if you can't talk to your parents about sex, you are NOT ready to have sex
8:22 PM
I agree with Thomas that you can't really stop someone from having sex, but only influence them, so offering contraceptives wouldn't be pointless. But, maybe to be able get a condom or something, the health center could harass the student with pamphlets and educational videos, so kids would just leave out of frustration, but with some sense in their heads.
8:46 PM
Heck no! It will make teens more sexually active because the school is encouraging it. Especially if they are giving them out for free. One thing that deters kids, like me, away from having the sex is the cost of them....
Now if the school were giving them out....nuff said.
8:49 PM
@Margaret: It's not the school saying you can get it w/o parent permission, it's the state. And they have parent permission for lunch releases because they don't want to get sued and stuff.
9:08 PM
Margaret that statement can be wrong in sooo many cases. I say if it can save someone from having an unwanted child and being forced into that situation, do it.
9:29 PM
I think contraceptives should be available to kids in high school simply because some people are going to choose to have sex in high school, and although some people may frown upon that, they can't stop it. I think because you can't stop someone from having sex, the school should at least take steps to help those who choose to. Honestly, I feel like if contraceptives were offered at school, it wouldn't drive many kids to have sex because more often than not the reasons they chose to not have sex in the first place are probably bigger than protection.
10:22 PM
This comment has been removed by the author.
10:36 PM
But do you understand that there is a problem in that logic Emily and Blake that a kid can get controception at school and not have to tell their parents yet we have to get our parents to sign lunch releases??- Whatever your view on sex/ contraception, that is a bit messed up.
12:34 AM
Besides the obvious(kids will have sex, lets be safe)nurses will have record of it should anything go wrong (not talking faulty pill)and kid needs a little evidence or something.
3:07 AM
Um, honestly, if a person wants to "do it," there is no turning back. There's no trying to persuade a kid that it is just "wrong." I do not agree with birth control one bit because one, it should not be necessary for kids who are in high school, and two, it can damage the body. It doesn't help to provide a way for kids to be able to think that if they "do it," it won't matter because birth control will prevent pregnancy (most of the time). Sending that message across isn't going to reduce the number of kids having sex. It's going to increase it. It's just absurd.
7:34 AM
I feel like promoting the use of contraceptives would beneficial because no matter what you can't stop somebody when they set their minds to it. So if we don't offer these, people will resort to riskier things. I don't feel like it's encouraging to have sex, it's just making it safer for those that do.
9:43 AM
I feel that having contraceptives available for those who need it is a good idea. At least those people who do choose to have sex in high school can do it safely. But I also feel that there are lots of other placese for people to get free contraceptives, like Planned Parenthood. I feel like if people aren't getting help like Planned Parenthood, why would they want to get help from the school?
3:31 PM
If people are too embarrassed to vote about it in person, then why are they voting at all...
3:48 PM
I disagree with all the people that say this would increase sexual activity. I feel like it would most likely stay the same in fact. I think that if kids really wanted to have sex then they'd do it no matter what. I don't think this would encourage the people not doing to do it because these people are not doing it out of morals. Lets say half of a class wants to have sex and the other half doesn't. The people on the abstinent side probably aren't going to do it because they've got the contraceptives for free. And now the other half can do their business safely.
4:24 PM
I don't think the school health center providing birth control to students would cause any significant increase in the number of high school students that are sexually active. If someone really want birth control I'm sure they will get it and this issue shouldn't be about whether or not parents are upset about not being informed but knowing that their student has access to this. It is an extra precaution for high schoolers that are going to have sex regardless to what parents are telling them.
6:06 PM
And also I believe if the board wants the opinions of the students they should come to our class 3rd period and hear us debate on it.
6:34 PM
I don't see how lunch release forms and birth control relate. birth control is for safety and a personal choice one not mad by your parents and the other is a legal precaution since technically during school hours we're the schools responsibility. as for the planned parenthood argument it would simply be the convenience of it being at the school. And Wade I agree with your argument on the lack of an increase this would cause on sexual activity.
8:25 PM
I think the argument that the rate of sexually active students would go up is a bad one because if you think about it, the people who are saying that probably have strong moral values to abstain from sex. And by saying that others would go have sex just because the contraceptives are there isn't a good point because if they themselves wouldn't go have sex just because the contraceptives are available then why would anyone else who wasn't already going to have sex? Choosing to have or abstain from sex is a personal choice, and access to contraceptives, or lack thereof, isn't likely to change a person's decision.
9:06 PM
Wow, really? This is where our tax dollars go to? To paying for other people's privilege to have sex without fear of any consequences? It's one thing to use contraception and pay for it by yourself, but it's another thing to use public money to pay for other people's stuff. Morally, I think it's flawed on two points: 1) the government would be forcing certain people to go against their conscience and pay for birth control; For those people who are opposed to birth control use or adolescent sex, they are being forced by the government to go against their conscience 2) it is ridiculous that education funds will be used to provide students an opportunity to have sex without the consequences. I doubt that that will make Tigard High's quality of education better. It's a useless investment. Also, the school is contradicting itself: if it provides speakers to talk about abstinence in our health classes, yet it provides a way to eliminate the consequences of having sex, then the district is just being hypocritical. Simply hypocritical. How about the Tigard-Tualatin School District actually put its funds to improving the quality of education and preparing its students for success in the globally competitive market? Instead of technology funds going to buy iPad 2s and Macbook Airs, and education funds going to free contraception, I'd like to see the money go towards more IB classes, student resources (i.e. JSTOR), and lower class sizes. That is what will make our schools better, not free contraception.
8:22 PM
Kevin, not that I disagree with your idea of taxes going to a better cause at the school, but the article states: "self-funded health center opened in 2008", which means that it is not the school-tax money that goes to the health center. The SBHC is connected with the school, but they have their own payment system. Some vaccines are free, but students who cannot afford to/have the ability to go to another doctor's office go here, since it is convenient. Therefore, if the health center is the one offering/selling birth control, it does in no way affect the school itself.
On another note, the school may have abstinence speakers, but I also remember quite clearly in Health 2 that we learned about alternatives to abstinence. It's all about informing the students. I certainly did not know there was more than one type of birth control pill or condoms at the time, and my father certainly wouldn't have known. My point being, if the school campus wants to teach students responsibility and decision-making skills, it is better to have more than one option (abstinence) available. Ultimately, it may help decrease unwanted pregnancies or diseases. The statistics of 11th graders are astounding, and really, it's better to be safe than sorry.
6:08 PM
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