By Bethany Stringer, Courier Staff Writer
I was looking through one of my friend’s yearbooks, having been too cheap to buy my own, when two pages caught my attention. They were near the front, pages 26 and 27 to be exact, and they covered the rather controversial subject of teen pregnancy. This did not bother me, that is, until I read the three-paragraph blurb that accompanied the various pictures of teenage parents and their children.
The idea of dedicating two pages in the yearbook to this subject is not itself wrong. Rather, it is the way that teen pregnancy is described by the people responsible for these pages (no offence to Jeffery or Alex, I’m sure that you’re nice people). When articles like this are written and placed in a book where thousands of young minds will see it, some discretion should be used.
Immediately after seeing this article, I flipped through the rest of the year book for something about Logan’s Health Center which would provide information to those inquiring about safer sex. After all, if we as a society have become open enough to discuss teen pregnancy and support it, then shouldn’t we support safe teen sex as well? Sadly, I found nothing on this
subject. Is Logan trying to tell us that it is alright to have a child while still in high school and that we should promote this idea while keeping things such as condoms, birth control pills and even abortions secret? How many students are actually aware that free birth control is provided by the Logan Health Center?
Not that there is anything wrong with having a child while still in high school. However, as the yearbook stated, it is a struggle for the parents and (as they failed to mention) easily preventable. Yet, while reading this, I found that the choice of language used changed the situation into one that was unavoidable, such as a disease, family death or depression. Phrases
such as “Teenage pregnancy was an obstacle many high school students face in society” and “the nine-month period of pregnancy that women must endure took drastic tolls on their social lives as well as students” could easily be applicable to other dilemmas that teens face during their years of high school.
Yet, where are the pages on students whom have suffered the loss of a family member, or battled against cancer? I’m not saying that teenage parents do not deserve support, but if we are giving them the recognition that they deserve, why not give others that as well?
While it may come off that I am bashing those parents brave enough to remain in high school while supporting a family and actually choosing to keep the child, I simply wish that our school could be more open about all subjects concerning this issue. What these students deal with is indeed remarkable, but not everyone has to go through these ordeals. If these students were unable to prevent conception, then somewhere, adults are failing to provide teenagers
with the proper information. I am sure that it is difficult for adults to imagine that the youth of today is having sex, but the facts are unavoidable. Roughly 1 million teens become pregnant each year alone in the United States of America.
Many adults feel that easy access to contraction would simply encourage teenagers to have sex. But, that isn’t the way the mind of normal teenager works. We don’t say “hey, I have a condom, I need to do it!” A teenager’s mind is far more complex, and our decisions are based on when, where, with whom as well as our moral values. In fact, better access to birth control would cause many teenagers to pause and think about what it is they are doing. It is easy to simply
lose control and go all the way when that had never been your intent, but in that moment that it takes to put on a condom, reality sets in. After all, dealing with contraception forces those using it to think more about the consequences that could easily happen if
something goes wrong. It isn’t difficult to ignore these possible results when you aren’t confronted with ways to prevent them. Therefore, it is no surprise that many of the youth in America are finding themselves raising children or dealing with abortion before the age of 18. After all, it is easy to ignore these possibilities until it is too late and they become reality.
How can we stop this? The answer is quite simple. Wake up America, and realize that hiding the issue of teenage sex and pregnancy won’t make it go away. And not giving teenagers free and easy access to contraception certainly won’t end it. After all, if James Logan high School can give two pages in their yearbook to teen pregnancy this year, then perhaps next year, there will be a page for the Health Center and the free and confidential services that they provide. And perhaps, someday, parents, teachers, and politicians won’t cringe at the words condom, birth control pills or abortion. Rather, they will encourage the use of contraception and respect the fact that teenagers have a right to know what is out there and to ultimately to choose for themselves.