Are they being encouraged? - (PG spin off)

BAC'sMom wrote: I recently read a news report about the Massachusetts High School pregnancy boom.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,369103,00.html

Do you think having birth control and/ or supplying daycare in school encourage teenagers to have sex and or make babies?

stella6979 replied: This is a tough question, but I really do think that if kids want to have sex, they are going to have sex, regardless of what the school offers.

grapfruit replied:
I agree.


I personally think it's a lack of displine. I'm not saying parents HERE lack disipline. Obviously if you're on a parenting board, you have some interest parenting. But I would say in general there seems to be a break down in parenting. Less rules, less enforcing of rules, less supervision, I could go on and on.

BAC'sMom replied: I think they are to some extent encouraging teenagers. I can remember maybe 2 girls being PG when I was in school. Now a days it seems to be the norm which is frightening to me. I agree if they are going to do it they are going to do it. But I think handing out BC or offering to watch your child while you attend school is BS.

Boo&BugsMom replied: To an extent yes. I agree with the above, and say they will regardless. BUT...I think it more or less makes a child think it may be "ok" if those resources are available to them.

grapfruit replied:
No way. I don't think so. I think talking about safe sex IS important. B/c I tell you in my HS. There was less people that weren't having sex then those that were.

Regardless, I still think it's the PARENT'S responsibility to talk about BC. They shouldn't be farming the parenting role off to the schools.

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Ditto Agree 100%!

Boo&BugsMom replied:
See, that's the thing, IMO. They should be talking about how you shouldn't have sex, not how you should do it more safely. Some may say it's unrealistic, but to be honest, it's a bogus excuse and it's only unrealistic because parents now a days use the excuse "they are going to do it anyways" way too much. Again, JMO.

Teesa®© replied: It wasn't a matter of teaching your children about sex and birth control. Or the school teaching your children about sex and birth control.

The issue of this article had NOTHING to do with B.C..... these girls made a PACT to get pregnant on PURPOSE because they wanted "unconditional love".

I do believe that all responsibility falls on the parents. When my DD gets her period, she's going on some form of B.C. [depending on how old she is when she gets it].

holley79 replied: No clue. It almost reads like a competition within the school. I mean for a teenage girl to get pregnant by a 24 year old homeless guy, come on.

Boo&BugsMom replied:
I agree to an extent. But...even though a parent tries their hardest to teach their child to not have sex until marriage, then they go to school and see there is DAYCARE for THEM at school "just in case" they get pregnant....what kind of message is that sending them? Not a very good one. Even if it doesn't directly encourage them, it still sends the wrong message, IMO.

Oh, and the article, makes my skin crawl. I wonder where all the parents where when the "deeds" were going on.

grapfruit replied:
Ok, but this was a Catholic area, which is AGAINST BC (b/c Catholics do not agree w/it), so these kids WEREN'T getting info on "safe sex" they were being told NOT to have sex.

What I'm saying is YES, we ABSOLUTELY need to be teaching our kids NOT to have sex. To push them to be abstinate until marriage. HOWEVER, they need to understand that there are safer sex methods out there in case they do make the choice.

Once again, I think it comes down to a lack of parenting. Starting w/lack of disipline from early childhood. But of course this is JMO

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Oh I agree with you, on the parenting thing. I'd like to know where all these parents were when all that sex was going down.

I think though, that schools in general, put a lack of emphasis on not having sex than they should, on a whole. And they do not talk about all the risks enough. During sex ed in high school, safer sex was way more of a topic than not having sex. I can hardly recall someone mentioning the risks, what happens when you have a baby as a teenager, that sex should not even be an option at this age, when I was in high school. Everything that was taught was on protection and making sure you're "protected". Nothing was ever taught about "what might happen" and what kind of responsibility being a parent was like. Sad.

luvmykids replied: I think it's my job to talk to my kids about sex and birth control, not the schools. Of course a time may come when my kids need it, I have the talk with them about waiting, and they decide they're going to do it anyway...it's still not the schools place to undermine me.

kit_kats_mom replied: I don't know but I do know that they may be in for a rude awakening. I just received notice that a lot of government programs are on the chopping block, including one of the programs I work for. Direct from my boss:

The War Supplemental Funding legislation containing a moratorim on the proposed CMS elimination of reimbursement for school-based administrative and most transportation services passed out of the House of Representatives last night. It now goes on to the Senate, where quick action is expected. The President is expected to sign the bill when it reaches his desk, perhaps as early as next week.

If school transportation is being cut, I'm guessing that daycare isn't far behind.

BAC'sMom replied:
Totally agree with you Monica

It's OUR place as parents to discuss this with our children and NOT the schools job.

luvmykids replied:
Ouch, those cuts would hurt schools in a lot more ways than buses

Boo&BugsMom replied:
100% agree.

But since they are talking to them about it, they need to talk about more than just "protection".

Crystalina replied: I'm not sure about "encouraging them" but I do think they are making it way too easy on them and their decision to make babies. If you had that "need" that some think they have then why wouldn't they go ahead and do it. They'll have that thought in there head that "hey, I can do this. Look at all the support I have."

TANNER'S MOM replied: I don't know about that school. I didn't read the article b/c my computer is so slow. I know for my daughter they had a huge class on birth control, showing how use a condom on a banana etc. They said NO SEX was the best but to USE this if you did. But I felt like it's not the schools job to put any moral judgement on my child. It's my job to teach her what is right and wrong. To tell her how her life will be changed if she did so and so. I think I did a good job b/c she is going to college on a free ride and I am not a Grandma yet! One thing my daughter mentioned was that the class was embarrasing to her b/c it was a health class. In high school you may be in 10th grade taking health with a few senior boys, or 11th grade boys too. Britt said she felt they would get more out of the class if it was seperated. She felt the boys wouldn't be trying to show out, and the girls would've gotten more real information instead of the jokes the boys were telling, which makes alot of sense to me.

Cece00 replied: I think they should give out condoms & birth control like candy in schools. The more, the better. I think there should be a lot of frank sex ed too. Abstinence only teaching is so completely unrealistic.

I do not, however, think there should be daycare at schools.