Buchanan, Katie: Teens and Contraception

The main purpose of these two articles is to discuss the views of parents and their teenage children on the most effective and preferred contraceptive method. These views were reflected through survey conducted on parents of teenage girls. These parents main concern is for the prevention of unplanned teenage pregnancy although sexually transmitted disease prevention is a concern as well. Most parents of sexually active teens are hesitant to allow their children to use long-acting reversible contraceptives. Instead, over half prefer birth control pills and condoms, as shown in the survey conducted by the fist article. These methods of contraception are proven to be the least effective.  Only about 4% of teenage girls between the ages of fifteen and nineteen who currently use contraception use long-term contraception. These articles suggest that long-term, reversible forms of contraception, such as intrauterine devices and implants are the best choice for preventing unplanned teenage pregnancy. These long-term methods are often thought of by parents as an excuse their children can use to have sex routinely. Parents do not want to give their children a free pass to have sex but they also do not want them to face the consequences of unprotected sex. Intrauterine devices are not widely accepted in the United States because of the memory of the Dalkon shield, an intrauterine device with considerable safety hazards. Parents are also concerned with the long-term risks associated with long-term contraception. The first article counters this view by saying that the risk of unplanned pregnancy outweighs the risks associated with these long-term methods of contraception. The second article argues its case for long-term devices by stating that women who use short-term contraception have a higher unplanned pregnancy rate as opposed to women who use long-term contraception. Overall these articles argue for the use of long-term contraception by teenage girls.