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The usage of contraceptives for Teens (13-16)

The usage of contraceptives among teenagers in the United States has become a highly controversial issue in the recent past. This is because the opinions concerning the importance of using contraceptives among adolescents contrast each other. Some people argue that the usage of contraceptives can help teenagers avoid unwanted pregnancies and transmission of diseases. Other people believe that allowing adolescents to use contraceptives could encourage them to overindulge in immoral sexual behaviors. Today, teenagers should be given contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies and transmission of diseases, but the act should also be opposed under strong religious beliefs.

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Explanation of the Individual Position Pertaining the Issuance of Contraceptives to Teenagers

I support the idea of providing the teenagers with contraceptives, specifically those between the age of thirteen and sixteen. This is because it will aid in reducing the number of unwanted teenagers pregnancies, which are evidenced in the United States each year. According to a publication made by Nicholas Kristof (2015) in The New York Times, approximately one-third of the American girls become mothers during their teenage years (Kristof & Eckman, 2014). Kristof’s report also stated that approximately eighty-two percent of all births recorded in the United States are usually unplanned (Kristof & Eckman, 2014). Also, giving contraceptives to teenagers will aid in minimizing the rate of sexual-related diseases transmission among teenagers.

Reasons Why the Administration of Contraceptives to Teens is Controversial

In the past, the issue of teen sexuality has often involved parental notification rather than individual consent by the adolescents (Berger, Brenner, & Keith, 2012). Also, most parents would rather have had their pregnant teenagers perform an abortion, instead of recommending them to use contraceptives (Bergner et al., 2012). Nevertheless, today, with the increased level of sexuality among numerous adolescents in the United States, the need to use contraceptives has become paramount. Most teenagers, especially those between the ages of thirteen and sixteen, engage in unprotected sexual acts in their social environments. In most cases, such acts expose the teenagers to unwanted pregnancies as well as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) (Bergner et al., 2012).

However, a significant number of persons, especially parents, view legalization of contraceptive issuance to teenagers without a doctors prescription as a way of encouraging sexual immorality (Josephson, 2016).A lot of parents are afraid that their teenage children will increase their involvement in sexual acts, having no more fear of getting pregnant. Consequently, this may have critical repercussions for the adolescents such as contraction and spread of STDs and HIV among others. Although some contraceptives can prevent pregnancy, they cannot protect a teenage from contracting STDs and HIV (Plavsic, 2014). Ultimately, this is the primary reason why allowing teenagers to use contraceptives has become a majorly controversial issue in the United States.

Reasons Why Teenagers Should Be Permitted to Use Contraceptives

Today, teenagers should be offered contraceptives for several reasons. First, contraceptives such as condoms are effective in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies amongst persons who are sexually involved (Temple-Smith, Moore, & Rosenthal, 2015). Additionally, condoms can also aid in preventing transmission of STDs, including HIV. Moreover, the use of birth control pills can help teenagers in future family planning. In most cases, teenagers between the age of thirteen and sixteen are still in their schooling period. As such, they are financially dependent on their parents, thus not able to take care of their own children, which could be obtained from unwanted pregnancies.

Furthermore, the issuance of contraceptives to teenagers allows them to plan their career or professional lives after schooling. This is important because unwanted pregnancies can disrupt a teenagers life, being an obstacle to achieving future career goals. This is mainly due to the responsibilities that are associated with caring for young children, especially having limited financial capabilities. Additionally, giving teenagers access to contraceptives reduces the burden of healthcare costs to the government. These are especially the costs associated with taking care of thousands of preterm births by adolescents in the United States.

Circumstances under Which the Use of Contraceptives Should Be Opposed

Although the usage of contraceptives would be beneficial to teenagers, it should be opposed based on strong religious beliefs. The Christian Bible advocates for abstinence from sexual acts until marriage (McCleneghan, 2016). In this case, marriage is viewed to be a sacred institution that must be respected through such acts as avoiding sex before marriage. As such, from a Christianity perspective, permitting teenagers to have access to contraceptives can be viewed as a way of promoting sexual indulgence before marriage. Thus, the issuance of contraceptives to adolescents should be opposed. Moreover, in the Islamic law, the Holy Quran forbids persons to engage in sexual activities before marriage too.

Muslims also forbid young people from having a romantic relationship before marriage (Kabir, 2016). This is because, according to Islam, true love between a man and woman comes from marriage. Additionally, as a reinforcement to their beliefs, Muslim women are required to dress appropriately by wearing attires such as the Hijab that covers their whole body. This serves as a way of discouraging sexual indulgence among young people before marriage. Moreover, Muslims that indulge in sex before marriage are offered severe punishment such as stoning or incarceration. Ultimately, these are additional reasons why the issuance of contraceptives should be opposed to teenagers, specifically if they are not married.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the usage of contraceptives by teenagers can be effective in reducing their rate of STD and HIV transmissions. It is also effective in reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies among teenagers in the United States. Moreover, by giving contraceptives to adolescents, such teenagers can plan for their future career professions and also achieve family planning. Nevertheless, despite such advantages of giving contraceptives to teenagers, the act should be opposed based on strong religious beliefs. This is because both Christianity and Islamic teachings oppose any sexually-related acts among persons before marriage.

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