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Should Condoms Be Available at High Schools
Condoms play a crucial role in safeguarding teens from the effects of unprotected sex. In the United States of America, 24000 young girls get pregnant, 55 young people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) besides, 10000 teenagers are infected with sexually transmitted infections (STDs) daily (Hauser 710). Such data is proof that teens, who the majority are high school students, are sexually active. Therefore, the importance of condoms, especially on school-going teens, cannot be overstated. Many of the sexual-health education programs in the United States advocate for teens to abstain from indulging in sex until marriage. However, those programs have not been effective in protecting the youth from the dangers of unprotected sex since data has shown many teens to be sexually active (Hauser 712). I am in support of the provision of condoms to high schools since such a program would lead to reduced pregnancies, protect the teens from STDs, promote safe sex even after marriage, and reduce the shame of purchasing condoms in public places among the youth.
The application of the abstinence-only approach to safeguard the youth against the dangers of premarital and unprotected sex has proven ineffective. Despite the United States government financing abstinence-only programs, cases of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections have continued to be on the rise. Cases of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases are not only a threat in the United States but also across the globe.
In the United States, it is the youth who are more affected by STIs and other effects of unprotected sex. For instance, in 2011, 75% of the pregnancies among teens of ages 15-24 were unwanted (Brakman et al. 754). That signals the effects of unprotected sex since such pregnancies would have been prevented if the teens had practiced safe sex. Therefore, due to the high cases of HIV infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancies among the youth, I support the idea that condoms should be available at high schools.
Condoms are already available in the public facilities where teens can still acquire them, and therefore, introducing condoms in high school will not influence the youths adversely. Failure to provide condoms in high schools does not translate to the teens failing to acquire them (Kirby 150). Sexually active teens can purchase condoms in shops, clinics, or other public facilities. Providing protective devices to high school students will save those who are sexually active from the burden and shame of acquiring them from other places.
It is an undisputed fact that youths, which include high school students, are already engaging in premarital sex. Therefore, the most appropriate way is to promote safe sex practices such as the use of condoms to safeguard them from the consequences of unprotected sex. According to Brakman et al. (755), practicing safe sex, especially by the use of condoms reduces the risk of contracting HIV by 80%. In comparison, the risk of gonorrhea and chlamydia transmission reduces by 90% and 60 %, respectively, with the use of condoms. Therefore, making condoms accessible to high school students for free will not be introducing them to something they have not been using since they are already sexually active. It will only supplement those they purchase from shops and clinics. It will also save them the cost of buying.
Previous studies support the importance of introducing condoms in high schools. Nations that embrace the provision of condoms and safe sex practices to high schools have lower cases of unwanted teenage pregnancies, a relatively higher mean age of the first-sex indulgence among youths, and even fewer cases of sexually transmitted ailments compared to the United States (Brakman et al. 755-56). For instance, countries such as Sweden and Switzerland have policies that promote the provision of condoms to high schools, and the impact has been positive. Those nations and all Western European nations have lower rates of teenage pregnancies, and fewer cases of STDs compared to the United States (Brakman et al. 756). Besides, the United States has the most cases among the industrialized nations regarding unwanted teenage pregnancies, births as well as abortions. It also has among the highest rates of STDs transmission among the developed world. For example, adolescent pregnancies and childbirth in the United States are 11 times those of the Netherlands. The gonorrhea rate-transmission in the United States is 74 times that of France, while abortion rates in the country are eight times compared to those of Germany (Hauser 712). Such data is enough proof that the provision of condoms to high school students is a useful measure towards protecting teens against the dangers of unprotected sex.
A higher percentage of parents and teens support initiatives that promote safe sex, such as the use of condoms. A study done by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancies revealed that the majority of parents in the United States support programs that encourage the teens to abstain or practice safe sex (Hauser 712). That shows parents are willing to have their children learn about safe sex practices. Besides, a nationwide study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that 90 percent of the parents support the idea of schools teaching children about birth control programs. Besides, 85 percent of the guardians wanted schools to teach children about the use of condoms (Hauser 712). Such high percentages are an indication that parents and guardians appreciate the role that the use of condoms play, especially among teenagers in preventing unwanted pregnancies and STDs. It also invalidates the perception that the public does not support safe sex education programs in schools. Since parents support the introduction of lessons on safe sex and use of condoms, it is high time the government provided condoms to high schools since the teens will already be aware of their use and importance.
Much of the opposition on the provision of condoms to high schools arises from ethical concerns. However, it is unethical to deny crucial life-saving information and items such as condoms to teens who need them to stay safe. Every citizen, including the high school teens, has a right to accurate and medically proven information on sexual health and the means to safeguard themselves against life-threatening infections (Hauser 712). With the rise of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and AIDS, it is wrong to deny the teens access to free condoms and information on sexual health on the pretext of ethics since such youths are already sexually active. Failure to provide condoms in high schools does not improve the situation about teens engaging in premarital sex but instead worsens the situation since the majority of them are sexually active. However, condoms should be provided to schools in conjunction with abstinence lessons so that the whole policy does not seem to promote promiscuity among the high school teens. The condoms will be a safeguard to those who cannot maintain abstinence.
The sex program that utilizes virginity pledges to promote abstinence among teens has failed to achieve its intended purpose. Despite the commitments, teens continue to indulge in premarital sex, and that poses a danger to their health. Failure of such a program necessitates the need to teach safe sex lessons to high schools. Research by Hannah shows that teens would observe a virginity pledge for up to 18 months. Once the teens broke the promise, they would rarely practice safe sex by the use of condoms or contraceptives, and that put them to a higher risk of contracting STDs and unwanted pregnancies (Hauser 711). Such a revelation calls for more comprehensive sex education than just abstinence programs. A thorough plan would include both lessons on chastity as well as safe sex practices, such as the use of condoms. Such a move should be accompanied by the introduction of condoms in high schools.
Nevertheless, there have been concerns that the introduction of condoms in high schools would promote promiscuity and premarital sex among teens. However, such fears are baseless since the high numbers of teen pregnancies and prevalence of STDs among teens is an indication that they are already active sexually, and hence introducing condoms in schools will be safer move (Brakman et al. 755). The benefits of providing condoms in schools outweigh the risks.
In conclusion, the government should put a policy in place that promotes the provision of condoms to high schools besides lessons on other safe sex practices. The need to provide condoms to high schools arises from the many cases of unwanted pregnancies and abortions among teenage girls in the United States, besides the high prevalence of HIV and STDs among the youths. It is an open secret that the majority of teens are sexually active, and hence providing condoms in high schools will act as a remedy to the challenge. Additionally, parents are already embracing the idea of children being taught on safe sex practices. All current initiatives such a virginity and abstinence pledges have failed and hence the need to have comprehensive sex education.
Works Cited
Brakman, Anita. et al. “Condom Availability in Schools: A Practical Approach to the Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infection/HIV and Unintended Pregnancy.” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 60, pp 754-757. https://www.adolescenthealth.org/SAHM_Main/media/Advocacy/Positions/Condom-availability-in-school.pdf
Hauser, Debra. “Teens Deserve More than Abstinence-only Education.” Ethics Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 7, no. 10, 2005, pp. 710-715. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/sites/journalofethics.ama-assn.org/files/2018-07/oped2-0510.pdf
Kirby, Douglas. “Making Condoms Available in School.” West J Med, vol. 172, no.3, pp. 149-151. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1070786/pdf/wjm17200149.pdf