contraception pill given in schools

silkyuk9

This has turned out to be a good debate so thumbs up to the bullshtitter at our lass's work.

I think its a good idea and a bad idea, yes 14 year olds are going to have sex thats not uncommon. What I dont really like is the 'secrecy' or 'confidentiality' from the school. To me its giving the go ahead for young girls to have sex and get a free pill without telling anyone. Is this the message we should be giving to our kids. I am nieve enough to not know that teens are boking as we speak but who are they bokinging, kids their own age or grown up men?

What worries me that this day and age with facebook, twitter and dating sites that you do not need any id to join is that any 14 year old vunderable girl can be lead into something that they possibly didnt want. Then keeping it a sectret going to school popping a pill and off they go again the next night. Sure the school has a responsibility but they should share that with parents. I'm not sure in which way maybe a phone call informing that their daughter has visited the health clinic at school and they are informing to let you know that things are ok. You cannot give paracetamol at school for headaches without parent consent.

At the end of the day its possiblily a good thing as we do not want underage kids having babies.

KxMx

I see what you mean, but frankly a 14 year old I would expect not to have a parental chaperone for any medical appointments they didn't want to. The parent might want to know the ins and outs but at 14 they should be deciding for themselves, and trusted by their parents to be mature enough to know their own mind.

Maybe if they are not getting this freedom/privacy at home to visit a GP/Nurse on their own without 50 questions then they turn to school where they can do it without the parent finding out.

Since the parents wish that they not have sex is not going to happen, and their wish to be told about it is not going to happen, surely they should be pleased their 14 yo had the sense and maturity to seek out professional advice instead of putting themselves at risk of pregnancy and STI's? (I know we're talking about mainly the Pill here but condoms are always promoted in sexual health)

There comes a time when all parents have to back off and it needs to start sometime.

What a parent can do is educate about the dangers of meeting people from the internet etc and then have some trust/faith in their 14 yo instead of clinging onto the apron strings.

verysillyguy06

I still dont think the system is the best....yes, it combats teenage pregnancy but it also puts in barriers in a parent-child relationship and made sexual exploration much easier as well as giving in to peer pressure

Person_one

But its not a secret.

Their parents may or may not know, I talked to my mum before I went on the pill at 15 but I still went to the GP on my own.

Even if the parents don't know that may be for a very good reason. Not all parents are loving supportive ones who want the best for their children. Some parents are actively abusive, have very strange ideas, or just plain don't care what their children do. There are enough bad and odd parents out there that some provision needs to be in place for their children to access information and services.

Remember also, that a trained and well-informed professional knows, the nurse or doctor who prescribed the pill/gave the information. They know all about the effects of the pill and how to monitor teenagers who are on it, they also know all about safeguarding/child protection and how to spot the signs that something harmful might be going on, they know how to refer children to other agencies or other providers if need be. A responsible adult is looking out for that child, not just 'handing out pills like sweeties' as one poster put it.

KxMx

verysillyguy06 wrote: »

I still dont think the system is the best....yes, it combats teenage pregnancy but it also puts in barriers in a parent-child relationship and made sexual exploration much easier as well as giving in to peer pressure

But you have to ask why the 14 yo did it in secret and felt unable to go to her parents.

Maybe, just maybe, the parents are at fault here? Instead of painting the service as some kind of evil which promotes "barriers in a parent-child relationship".

verysillyguy06

KxMx wrote: »

But you have to ask why the 14 yo did it in secret and felt unable to go to her parents.

Maybe, just maybe, the parents are at fault here? Instead of painting the service as some kind of evil which promotes "barriers in a parent-child relationship".

Really? Peer pressure not a reality then? Never met a teenager who wants to do things that the parents dont agree with? And it is always the parents fault?

Ohhhhh, a rude awakening will be coming your way

Person_one

KxMx wrote: »

But you have to ask why the 14 yo did it in secret and felt unable to go to her parents.

Maybe, just maybe, the parents are at fault here? Instead of painting the service as some kind of evil which promotes "barriers in a parent-child relationship".

I wouldn't make too much effort to convince VSG on this, its come up before a lot and he has very fixed views on the subject.

KxMx

verysillyguy06 wrote: »

Really? Peer pressure not a reality then? Never met a teenager who wants to do things that the parents dont agree with? And it is always the parents fault?

Ohhhhh, a rude awakening will be coming your way

You said it promoted barriers in the parent-child relationship, I was just suggesting that wasn't the case and the parents should look at the relationship they had with their dd and wonder why she didn't come to them instead.

Thanks for assuming I will have kids too :rotfl:

verysillyguy06

KxMx wrote: »

You said it promoted barriers in the parent-child relationship, I was just suggesting that wasn't the case and the parents should look at the relationship they had with their dd and wonder why she didn't come to them instead.

Thanks for assuming I will have kids too :rotfl:

Strange view.....it may come up in very different ways. You have got no relatives or friends with kids either?

KxMx

verysillyguy06 wrote: »

Strange view.....it may come up in very different ways. You have got no relatives or friends with kids either?

Not teenagers no. And I am young enough to remember how my own overbearing mother treated me at that age and (i hope) to better see the younger persons side rather than the parent.

When you've had a very controlling parent i'm afraid the default view is usually in favor of the young person and not the parent. And not being a parent myself I am all for the rights of the young person because I have no experience of parenthood but I have been a young person!