On Contraceptives and Classrooms: Should Public Schools Provide Birth Control To Teens?
The issue of whether public schools should provide contraception to teens, especially younger teens, is a contraversial one, with strong views on either side. I think there’s some common ground however, and I think most people would accept the following: 1 – Ideally, young teens would not be sexually active, but inevitably, some will be – at that young age we cannot expect them all to show a mature restraint. 2 – Birth control is preferable to abortion 3 – Birth control is preferable to increases in young teens having children before they are ready, willing and able to raise them properly (increases in unplanned teen pregnancies has been shown to lead to widespread social problems, including increased crime). Based on the above, I’ll lay my cards on the table – I think schools SHOULD provide birth control to teens, but with the following important considerations (because to some extent the act of making birth control available seems to legitimize or even promote promiscuity, and that p
