At least once a week I see a girl no more than 16 years old who is visibly pregnant. She will have a child in kindergarten before her 21st birthday, and possibly be a grandmother before her 35th. The chances of this girl graduating college are close to zero, and the chances of her finishing high school aren’t high, either. She likely will not marry the father of the child, and the father likely will not or can not support the baby when it is born, or at any point through its 18th birthday.
My solution is one that will piss off the Religious Right and the “Just Say No” camp, but their solution does not and never will work. Kids are horny, and one thing leads to another, and saying no is easier said than done. Guys will forever convince the girl, that “it can’t happen the first time,” or the girl will convince the guy by saying, “don’t worry, my period just ended, it’s impossible for me to get pregnant,” or the infamous,” it’s ok, I know my body.”
Give kids condoms. Yes, there you have it; I said give kids free condoms, all the damn condoms they want. Hand them out in gym class, put fishbowls full in the restrooms, and send them home with their report cards.
I can hear the cries now, “OMG, you are endorsing pre-marital sex?” and, “how can you condone teen sex?”
Well, guess what, kids are having sex today, they had sex last week, and they will have sex next month, and there is not a damn thing you can do to stop this. And guess what, Leticia will get knocked up, and Johnny, the sperm supplier, who is in the 11th grade and holds a 2.5 GPA doesn’t have a job. That leaves me and you and our over-extended tax dollars as the god-parents responsible for buying Pampers and baby formula, and paying for immunization shots.
You can be holier-than-thou and say this is wrong, and keep believing that abstinence is the best policy, or you can be a realist and understand that hormones rage when the bucket seats are reclined.
Look at it this way – this child will be your dependent for the next 18 years, and possibly much longer if he or she happens to fall into our criminal justice system. You could have prevented this from happening, with the donation of a single condom to Johnny and Leticia.
Teen Pregnancy – Give Teenagers Free Condoms
Thursday, March 25th, 2010At least once a week I see a girl no more than 16 years old who is visibly pregnant. She will have a child in kindergarten before her 21st birthday, and possibly be a grandmother before her 35th. The chances of this girl graduating college are close to zero, and the chances of her finishing high school aren’t high, either. She likely will not marry the father of the child, and the father likely will not or can not support the baby when it is born, or at any point through its 18th birthday.
My solution is one that will piss off the Religious Right and the “Just Say No” camp, but their solution does not and never will work. Kids are horny, and one thing leads to another, and saying no is easier said than done. Guys will forever convince the girl, that “it can’t happen the first time,” or the girl will convince the guy by saying, “don’t worry, my period just ended, it’s impossible for me to get pregnant,” or the infamous,” it’s ok, I know my body.”
Give kids condoms. Yes, there you have it; I said give kids free condoms, all the damn condoms they want. Hand them out in gym class, put fishbowls full in the restrooms, and send them home with their report cards.
I can hear the cries now, “OMG, you are endorsing pre-marital sex?” and, “how can you condone teen sex?”
Well, guess what, kids are having sex today, they had sex last week, and they will have sex next month, and there is not a damn thing you can do to stop this. And guess what, Leticia will get knocked up, and Johnny, the sperm supplier, who is in the 11th grade and holds a 2.5 GPA doesn’t have a job. That leaves me and you and our over-extended tax dollars as the god-parents responsible for buying Pampers and baby formula, and paying for immunization shots.
You can be holier-than-thou and say this is wrong, and keep believing that abstinence is the best policy, or you can be a realist and understand that hormones rage when the bucket seats are reclined.
Look at it this way – this child will be your dependent for the next 18 years, and possibly much longer if he or she happens to fall into our criminal justice system. You could have prevented this from happening, with the donation of a single condom to Johnny and Leticia.
Tags: free condoms, high school pregnancy, just say no, pre-marital sex, religious right, teen pregnancy, teen sex
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