I agree with you ... my graduating class had 4 girls that were preggo and half of them came and talked to me before they spoke to their mothers about it since they knew my mother was open and sex/sage sex responabilites were talked about in my house hold. I think lack of knoweldge for teens is what is getting them preg also lack of family and parents attention some just want to have kids so that they can be loved it is sad but true

__________________

No matter how much we educate, no matter what we do differently, we are still going to have these problems. I got preggo at 17 junior year along with 6 others in my same grade, I came from a home that talked about sex openly and my parents expected abstinence, but they were fine with me getting on bc, My school provided pills/condoms what have you in priviate with parents knowledge but there were still lots of pregnancies and still are in that town and surrounding area, currently the teen getting pregnant there are 13-14 years old when I was there is was 16-18 year olds. Times change and there isn't much that we can do. Just try our best to educate our own kids and be there to support them if it happens to them.

__________________


Links to other websites/boards are prohibited in MommySavers signature lines

I'd be livid knowing the health problems I've had with bc. No amount of legislation should help doc perform medical care on someone else's child without parental consent, I believe this about bcp, abortion especially but for emotional reasons too. If I've missed soemthing, I'd like the chance to work it out with my child before some doc takes away my grandchild or puts my child at high risk for strokes and other complications. Not to mention, along with these procedures and meds couseling should happen this young person isn't left a used up emotional wreck, as a parent I want the opportunity to watch out for my child's mental welfare along with health. So they can't get preggo, they could die of AIDS, most teens don't see the risk of that from someone they have feelings for, let alone a pre teen.

I'll stop now....flame me, if you want....

__________________
* Let it not be said that no one cared, that no one objected once it's realized that our liberties and wealth are in jeopardy.

~Ron Paul

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
- James Madison

I think that I as a mother would be heart broken, and feel like I failed my children if they couldn't come and talk to me. But I do agree that the schools have to have some type of privacy options so that the kids will still come to them, because there are kids out there who don't have a good parental structure set up for them. But when you're talking about an 11-15 year old, they are still minors. If it were an 17, 18, 19 y/o it's a bit diferent. jmo.
Erin

__________________

I totally agree. I wish sex with anyone less that 16 was a capital offense for adults. A 16 year old can fake 18 but it's pretty obvious when preteens dress up to look older. If I were male I'd check IDs anyway.....

__________________
* Let it not be said that no one cared, that no one objected once it's realized that our liberties and wealth are in jeopardy.

~Ron Paul

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
- James Madison

Conseling is available for women and teens who undergo abortion procedures, there is a strong support from clinics such as planned parenthood. I think its worse for the government funded "clinics" to be giving wrong information such as "abortions cause women to be at a higher risk for breast cancer. "

I respect your feelings and opinions on the matter. I think it's more important for us (as parents) to be available for our children and have them know how to approach us if they need BC or contraceptives, or if they have contracted HIV or are pregnant. My only point is, making it a requirement (as the article mentions) for DR's to report sexual history of a minor to social services is an invasion of privacy and knowing this many less minors who have already become pregnant or even raped will not seek help.

It's been proven that when we LIMIT what we make available for teens interms of contraceptives, education, general knowledge, and abortions - that they take matters into their own hands using Hear say, back alley clinics and what their 11-14 yo friends say. I think it's much more unnerving to leave my child's life to chance than to have a safe, confidential place for them to turn if, for some awful reason, my daughter felt she couldn't come to me.

I hear this arguement alot but none of those doctors will have to pay or probably even regret what they've done if a teen has a stroke from bcps or dies of complications from abortions. Then you have a dead or disabled teen whose parents doesn't even know their kid didn't go to school that day. It's a parent's right and responsibility to know what is going on and they should have a choice in the medical decisions of their child. Children often have irrational fears of overreaction from parents but most often in cases like this the parental reaction is not as severe as kid's think. If it is believed that harm would come to the teen then these people "helping" the teen should find a safe, secure way to tell the parents and get them all into couseling, not go ahead make an unreversable decision without them. It's their Child and Grandchild, it's not just a procedure to them.

Would you want someone to decide for you the best treatment for your child and never give so much as a phone call? What is someone were to perform an unnecessary surgery on your child, risk their lives and never notify you for permission or input?

__________________
* Let it not be said that no one cared, that no one objected once it's realized that our liberties and wealth are in jeopardy.

~Ron Paul

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
- James Madison

Hey I don't want to start the Abortion convo on here, because I know nothing good will come of it. As I mentioned, I respect your opinion, I just don't agree with it. You hear the arguement a lot because it's true. It's been proven, banning these measures does no good.

I would want to know what is going on with my child, I would be saddened if my Daughter felt she couldn't come to me. But I would be relieved that she went about it in a safe, supportive manner - not in the back alley with a coat hanger...or in a matter of birth control, not in the back of a car without so much as a condom.

It's not that these Rn's and Drs do the procedure without further information. You don't just go into a clinic and say "Ok, i'm ready to have BC" - or "I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore". They sit down with you, they counsel you, before and after each procedure. I honestly don't want to sit here and try and change your opinion because I know better. And I respect you as another mother doing what is best for your child.

I just find it disturbing when parents agree that these type of policies are good for our youth - I can't argue that having sex is good for them either but at least they are educated in the proper ways to go about it. And I wouldn't want the government, and social services intercepting information pertaining to my child's sexual history. There is a reason it's confidential.

Guys, I think you all are truly thinking too deeply. I, too was a pregnant teen. I graduated when I was 3 months preggo and nobody knew it but me. I didn't get a pregnancy test until I was 14 weeks pregnant and I have supportive parents. I was ashamed of what I had done. I now have a very gifted and beautiful son. Anyway, back to topic. I have seen some of these teen moms (not in Kansas of course) and I have seen some of thier parents and I have seen how they parent thier children. You guys are not the type of parent most teen moms have. At Head Start, we serve low income families. We actually have moms graduating High school while ds is graduating into Kindergarten. The parents of these teen moms DON"'T CARE! They don't care that thier teen has a baby. There was a lady (?) last year who was pregnant for the second time and her child was at Head Start and she was still in high school! We need outreach for these kids. The best way to do it IMO is in a standoffish way. They should not be told sex is okay before marriage for many reasons (mostly health) but they should have a trusted adult to talk to. The best way to help this epedemic is to help a teen who has parents that don't care.

__________________
Alicia (Tree-hugger wannabe)
mom to Shawn, Jake, and Toad
"Chick" out the Scrapbooking Forum for great handcrafted Occasion Ideas!!

No mind you, it doesn't make you any more right than anyone else, it's just an opinion too. What you seem to say is keep medical information from parents so that no social services or government agency can look at something they will probably never be interested in anyway.

Parent's rights shouldn't be negated for the sake of privacy, people advocating this is what is disturbing to me. These children are not capable of making these decisions on thier own. Lack of good judgement and maturity at this age are paramount.

I am all for sex education and pregnancy prevention as long as it's not medical intervention(medications) and procedures being done without parental consent.


I agree with this approach alot more, it's is my belief that you can help these kid's without hurting them, without secrecy and without risking their health.

__________________
* Let it not be said that no one cared, that no one objected once it's realized that our liberties and wealth are in jeopardy.

~Ron Paul

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
- James Madison