Thesis: Public schools should distribute contraceptives to teenagers because it reduces unwanted pregnancies, it's a substitution for lack of parental guidance, and its convenience.
Contraceptives" being distributed at public schools reduces unwanted teenage pregnancies. Teenage pregnancy in the United States, compared to other countries, is at a high rate. The Alan Guttmacher Institute claims, "The rate of pregnancy among American women aged 15 to 19 was almost ten percent in 1981. England, [where] the rate is less than 5 percent." (Weisman 303). Society needs solutions to lower the rate of teenage pregnancies such as Johns Hopkins Medical School. In 1982 to 1983, the Baltimore Hopkins-run birth-control clinic, located near two high schools, reduced the rate of teenage pregnancy by 30 percent (Weisman 303). Clinics nation wide have helped, for example, "In St. Paul 33 percent of girls made use of the clinic's contraceptive services, and birth rates dropped by 50 percent." (Weisman 304). Opponents of contraception ignore these positive results from clinics and try to promote abstinence. Abstinence only works on kids that are brainwashed by their parents or their religion. Futhermore, a study shown that "In 1986, 57 percent of 17-year-olds [said] they have had sex." (Weisman 303). From my own personal experience I believe teenagers are going to do what they want to do (sexually that is). If teenagers" sexual activities cannot be controlled why not assist them by giving out birth control at school.
Lack of parental guidance also suggests that schools should discuss such controversial topics to teenagers and/or distribute birth control to them. The main argument is that parents should be the one's discussing these topics, not counselors in clinics/schools. However, "numerous surveys reveal that over 80 percent of parents think [school] is a proper place for their children to learn about sex.
