For too long, America’s urban environments have been plagued with unwed teen mothers who haven’t a clue about “life” or the challenges of parenthood, to include financial responsibilities.
The New York City Department of Education is making the morning-after pill available to high school girls at 13 public schools.
The DOE says girls as young as 14 will be able to obtain the Plan B emergency contraception without parental consent.
Parents have been notified about the pilot program and how daughters can opt out.
As to be expected, there are two sides to the issue of providing a pill to young teens after they’ve had unprotected sex within a 24-hour period.
Supporters like New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn likes the program because high school students are sexually active and getting pregnant.
Detractors say that making such contraception available sends a signal that it’s okay to have sex at such young ages and that other remedies should be put in place.
In New York, about 7,000 girls get pregnant by the time they reach age 17.
More than half opt to get an abortion.
Closer to home, we must ask ourselves if the New York Department of Education is on to something or telling young girls that sex without benefit of marriage, not to mention at such a young age, is a path leading to nowhere.
School districts already provide condoms for young males without any questions asked.
Again, it’s an attempt to decrease the pregnancy rate among teens while diminishing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
First and foremost, however, in the mind of educators is young students have a better chance of making it in the world without being saddled with an unwanted child at the expense of obtaining an education.
For too long, America’s urban environments have been plagued with unwed teen mothers who haven’t a clue about “life” or the challenges of parenthood, to include financial responsibilities.
Compounding matters are families of these young women who don’t feel any compulsion about a teen bringing a baby into a world by a child having a child.
New York may be on to something. It needs to be explored here.
