Contraceptive Implants Have No Place In Schools, Say 63% Of Mommyish Readers

Earlier this week we wrote about a controversial initiative in British schools: female students as young as 13 years old receiving contraceptive implants without their parents’ consent. Needless to say, people were outraged. One mother in particular flipped out when she discovered the cause of her 13-year-old’s severe mood swings and depression (that would be Nexplanon, as the implants are called). “Why wasn’t I informed?” she wondered – as did countless other parents who were anxious to see if their daughters, too, were secretly having implants inserted under their skin as a form of birth control.

Personally, I was surprised that no one ever contacted the girls’ doctors to get their full medical history. That, to me, is the biggest issue at hand. Teens are going to be sexually active whether their parents like it or not – but to have them undergo a medical procedure without at least a doctor’s consent is just plain stupid.

Turns out I’m not alone in my thinking. We asked Mommyish readers to share their thoughts on the matter. Nearly two-thirds of you said no, teens should not be given contraceptive implants at school without their parents’ consent. But 31% said it would be acceptable only if they received a doctor’s consent, as well. And a mere 5% said yes, students have an absolute right to this form of birth control.

Our readers also brought up some interesting points:

• Contraceptive implants offer a false sense of security. Several of you pointed out that pregnancy isn’t the only possible unwanted outcome of sexual activity. There are STDs to consider, for instance, which only condoms can prevent.

• Sex education should begin at home. As one anonymous commenter pointed out, sex ed starts with parents. “Abstinence only conversations or anatomical discussions are not enough!” she wrote. “Kids need to be taught about sex and feel comfortable enough discussing this stuff with their parents. Parents need to be comfortable and educated enough about sex to help their kids become educated, mature and informed on the subject. I don’t want my son’s first sex conversation with me to be that he got a girl pregnant underage!”

• Let’s not forget about those raging teenage hormones! One reader who’s for the implants had this to say: “All teenagers should be equipped with semi-permanent birth control until they are able to use their brains over their hormones.”

Thanks to all those who weighed in. It’ll be interesting to see what becomes of this initiative. At the very least, I’m hoping it might encourage parents who otherwise wouldn’t to initiate a much-needed sex talk with their children.

(Photo: sciencedaily.com)