Abortion pill/emergency contraceptive

It is protecting you from possibly destroying two or more lives.

 

Granted we would all love to live in this perfect world where our children only had sex to create our grandchildren and then only in the institution of marriage to the spouse we would like to pick for them. Well that ain't going to happen for most of us. Now the government is going to pour our tax dollars into convincing adults the abstinence is the answer. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-10-30-abstinence-message_x.htm

Well as a taxpayer I would prefer that easy access was provided so that my fellow citizens are brought into the world to parents in a planned way.

 

Since when?




Craig

 

Waiting is not reality? Because who said so??? Society?? Putting your head in the sand is sitting around saying "Woe is me! All teenagers have sex. Why is mine going to be any different? Since they are going to do it anyway, let's just make it easy for them. I can't do anything about it." Bull!

 

For Homo sapiens when do males hit their sexual peak (biologically not necessarily technique)? I thought it was in their early teens. Remember that early on with our species those in their 30's were considered ancient.

 

I don't think that any responsible parent can afford to preach only abstinance. I wish I could remember where I saw that there was actually a higher rate of teen pregnancy among those who had pledged abstinance through some of those programs than among those who hadn't. Makes me think that when they found themselves in a situation they were NOT adequately prepared for, then guess what happened??? Hormones took precedence over all that abstinance training.

I certainly plan to teach my son that there will be consequences to his actions and that I certainly hope he waits till he is a mature adult in a commited relationship. But I'd much rather prevent an unexpected pregnancy than just hope and pray all my "just don't do it" somehow works. To me that would be like sending someone out in a rainstorm and hoping they don't get wet without a raincoat :wink:.

But this is just my opinion, your certainly entitled to teach your child whatever you want.

 

http://www.avert.org/abstinence.htm

One of the ways that the debate between supporters of abstinence and comprehensive approaches to sex education has been framed is in terms of which is the most effective.

Although, at first glance, the evidence can seem confusing, with claims coming from both groups about the proven effectiveness of programmes embodying their values, when only the most reliable studies are taken into account the position is clear 20. There is good evidence, from studies of programmes implemented in the US, UK and other European countries and countries in Africa and Asia 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, that comprehensive sex education can reduce behaviours that put young people at risk of HIV, STIs and unintended pregnancy. Studies have repeatedly shown too that this kind of sex education does not lead to the earlier onset of sexual activity among young people and, in some cases, will even lead to it happening later.

In contrast there is no such robust evidence for the effectiveness of abstinence education. Almost all the studies which have claimed to show any positive outcomes are not well-enough designed to sustain these claims 29, 30 so it is not possible to infer where they work or not from the research reports. Some people have concluded that abstinence-based programmes need to be better evaluated and there is a major study underway in the US looking at impact of 11 different kinds of abstinence programme 31.

The research that is available currently shows at best mixed outcomes for abstinence-based approaches to sex education, benefiting some young people in the short term but placing them at greater risks later. For example, two studies suggest that for some young people making pledges to abstain from sexual intercourse until marriage does lead to delay in the timing of their first sexual intercourse. But these young people tend to hold strong religious beliefs and enjoy being an exclusive group among peers who do not take abstinence pledges. As the researchers note this means that pledging abstinence is not appropriate for young people who do not hold strong religious views and, moreover, if lots of young people are involved in making pledges (as using abstinence education as a method of sex education requires) the sense of being special will be dissipated 32. In addition, while making an abstinence pledge may work for some groups of young people as a way of delaying when they have sexual intercourse, the majority still have sex before they are married and when they do they report using condoms less often than 'non-pledgers' and are more likely to substitute anal or oral sex for vaginal sexual intercourse 33, 34.

 

I'm not going to weigh in an opinion on the use of this drug by teens, I don't have children, so my thoughts on that are of no consequence. Speaking as an adult, I am glad that other ADULTS have easy access to this. Since it is more effective the sooner it's taken, I know it would ease my mind knowing if I were using condoms as my primary means of birth control and had one break, I had immeadiate acess to emergency contraception. It is not just irresponsible women who use this drug, anyone can have a near miss, even middle-aged married women, and having ready access to this drug can safely prevent unwanted pregnancy. Also, I have a friend who had to use it once (yes, an actual friend, I drove her to Planned Parenthood to get E.C.) and it is my understanding that the side effects were not particularly pleasant (nausea and the like) but I realize that is variable an not all users experience the same side effects to the same degree. But, I don't think that between the cost and side effects it would be the primary form of birth control for very many women, when so many other cheaper more convienent options are availible. As a back-up, as the name "Plan-B" indicates, I think it's a good thing.