Unplanned Pregnancies Reach a 35 Yr Low Thanks to IUD.

[roddma]

Study reveals unplanned pregnancy reaches a 35 yr low thanks to IUD and Obama Care Hey Fundies see what educaiton does

http://www.medicaldaily.com/pregnancies-contraceptives-family-planning-benefits-376347

[Howl]

Fundies will be upset 'cause you can have fun and not be punished for your sins.  This punishment, for example,  might be feeling like you are burning in a lake of fire in the present day or being pregnant with no resources to raise a child and no access to abortion.  For fundies, both are preferred. 

Colorado implemented an aggressive and incredibly successful IUD program for teens.  So successful that Republican lawmakers morals police don't want to fund it.  

Peers into crystal ball:

1. Funding for IUDs is cut. 

2. Pearl clutching over the rising pregnancy rate.  

3. OMG, more pregnancies.  

4. Thought bubble forms:  increasing pregnancy rate is  from NOT  ENOUGH  ABSTINENCE EDUCATION!

5. Why can people not see this?

From npr.org

Colorado's Long-Lasting Birth Control Program For Teens May Not Last Long

Quote

 

 http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/09/03/437268213/colorados-long-lasting-birth-control-program-for-teens-may-not-last-long

When seed money from the Buffett foundation ran out this summer, [Colorado Governor] Hickenlooper asked for state funding to continue the program. But Republican state lawmakers like Rep. Kathleen Conti said no. Conti complains that the long-acting birth control is too expensive and sends the wrong message to teenagers who should instead be taught to refrain from sex.

I don't think the doctors encouraged the kids: 'Now that you've got this, feel free to have sex with everybody.' But I think it, by default, takes away one more intimidating problem.

No words for this idiocy. 

[Gellhorn]

"No words for this idiocy."

Theocracy.

[samira_catlover]

OK, minority opinion here.  I honestly CAN see some reasons to encourage sexual abstinence among teenagers (but not as the Only Weal and Twoo0 Way, and frantically hands out condoms, birth control pills, and print schedules of friendly contraceptive clinics):

• If you become sexually active, it's wayyyy tempting to spend lots of time in bed Doing Fun Things, and this may interfere with spending time actually learning about your partner(s) in neutral settings, which is a nice start to deepening relationships. I've known a number of people (some in Very Complicated Relationships) who deliberately held off for months to years on having sexual activity, because a solid relationship meant a lot more than just getting your erotic rocks off.
• Birth control DOES have some potential problems.  Males need to use condoms each and every time, BEFORE things get hot and heavy. Females using a PRN diaphragm/cream/foam, or a daily pill (or a q 3 month shot), need to be consistent and reliable and responsible. A mess-up with BC can result in unplanned pregnancy, which is doubly rough if teenaged.  
• You (teens) are YOUNG, and learning about life.  (Heck, figure good odds you'll live another 40-60 years in the Western world.)  Do you *really* need to immediately add the explosiveness of explicitly sexual relationships to your everyday challenges of coping with school, parents, siblings, work, peer rivalries, and Trying to Figure Out Who You Are?  The world will end, maybe, if you hold off on other-personal sexual expression for some months?
• There ARE things called STDs/STIs.  Have you known your hot lech so long that you utterly trust her/him/them/zir with your health?

*sends blessings upon the scientists who worked their behinds off for long-acting passive BC methods for people of ANY age*

Don't like abortion-on-demand?  Fine: I don't---truly wish every pregnancy was planned, desired, and promised good medical outcomes.  But the best way to reduce abortion is to prevent unwanted pregnancy in the first place. 

*OK, where's the "preaching to the choir" emoji?* 

[Gellhorn]

Discussing and encouraging sexual abstinence should be part of the package, but not the ONLY message delivered. 

Nevertheless, seeing the numbers and the significant drop in unplanned pregnancies is supposed to be the sort of evidence-based data upon which policies are funded.  It works.  Continue to make it available so it can continue to work.  Supplemented with sex ed at school and at home.  It won't prevent every unintended pregnancy but clearly it has prevented many.

 

[Gellhorn]

"Colorado's experiment was funded with a $23 million grant from the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named for the late wife of billionaire Warren Buffett. And the results are striking: By 2013, teen births in Colorado had dropped 40 percent — compared with a 30 percent decline nationwide. The steep drop continued last year. Abortions among teenagers in Colorado were also down."

"Conti also worries about an increase in sexually transmitted diseases, though there's been no evidence of that in Colorado. Other critics complain that the program doesn't require enough parental involvement."

Critics complain about the lack of requiring parental involvement BUT the number of pregnancies and abortions amongst teenagers in Colorado were down.  No increase in STDs, either.  So what is the drawback?

[OodOnTheLoo]

Long-acting birth control is too expensive, Conti?  

Does anyone know what an IUD costs?  they'd have to run around $60k to be too expensive compared to money saved down the line.

Poor Conti, without teen pregnancies how will she know which sluts need shaming.  

[nastyhobbitses]

Discussing and encouraging abstinence is fine. Plenty of people choose it, and it's pretty much 100% effective at preventing STDs and babies. It's when it's all that's taught, and it's wrapped up with horrible slut-shaming rhetoric like that "women who have sex before marriage are like opened gifts/chewed up pieces of gum/half eaten apples" bullshit (which Elizabeth Smart very rightly and bravely spoke out against -- she had to listen to that awful shit when she came back to school after being RAPED REPEATEDLY) that it's a problem.

Me? I love my IUD. Love it. No periods, bit of a crappy adjustment period right after I got it (weight gain, wonky periods, bad cramps, acne, pain during sex), but after like 2 months of on-and-off symptoms that were crappy but manageable, it's been awesome (I think my body had to adjust to the hormones, and once everything balanced out, it was fine). I still have another 4 years, and unless I meet someone and get married and get into a financial place where babies are feasible and wanted in that time frame, I'm getting another one put in when this one comes out.

[Hera]

There are definitely good reasons to talk to teens about abstinence - not everyone is ready for the potential emotional and psychological effects of sex just because everyone else is doing it.  Do what is right for you, on your own timetable, and not because someone else wants you to do it should be said and said often.  But, I really don't think that abstinence has any place in a conversation about preventing pregnancy or STDs. I mean, yes, if you don't have sex, you won't get knocked up or catch gonorrhea, but once you're in the realm of talking pregnancy and STD prevention, I firmly believe sex should be presumed and the conversation that follows should proceed accordingly. 

[samira_catlover]

32 minutes ago, Gellhorn said:

(snip) Critics complain about the lack of requiring parental involvement BUT the number of pregnancies and abortions amongst teenagers in Colorado were down.  No increase in STDs, either.  So what is the drawback? (snip)

(Hope I did the snips right.)

But without UNPLANNED BAYBEEES to provide punishment, what on earth do you have?

32 minutes ago, Gellhorn said:

Stand down, hon: messed up quote function again, and trying to quote nastiehobbitses (and there goes the nick!)

IUDs rock, if you have wimmens who can tolerate them.  Olde Schoole here, where they got reserved for females who had already borne at least one child.

UNIVERSAL FREE AND APPROPRIATE BIRTH CONTROL FOR ALL CIS-FEMALES OVER AGE 12! 

*sorry if this goes to a BTB comment*

[samurai_sarah]

Posted by accident

[roddma]

I agre with Samari Catlover
There' too much crazy focus on boy/girl relationships in the first place, and I do feel teens have sex because they gather it's the cool thing yet they aren't old enough to vote. You can have healthy sex relations out of marriage but it doesn't have to be your only ID, and you should be responsible enough to handle emotional and physical outcomes.
And from what Ive seen they don't bother to use birth control. I've always been on the mindset you need some feeling for the person you sleep with It just pays to know how to prevent STDs and unintended pregnancy.

It's the slut vs virgin concept. Either way you can't win. You're a chewed up piece of gum if you 're not a virign. You're a prude if you are a virgin. Even secular society still bases much of a person's value on what's between their legs. Who cares who does what?

[Rubaiyat]

11 hours ago, OodOnTheLoo said:

Long-acting birth control is too expensive, Conti?  

Does anyone know what an IUD costs?  they'd have to run around $60k to be too expensive compared to money saved down the line.

Poor Conti, without teen pregnancies how will she know which sluts need shaming.  

Why, oh, WHY can I only upvote this once?!?

[Chowder Head]

I teach in an area that believe it or not there is no sex education at all. The misconceptions of sexs= babys and stuff along those lines that are asked during my biology classes would blow your minds.(Girl on top =girl baby) Recently, I had a discussion with my class online the lines of if your mature enough to have sex than you are mature enough to have the discussion with you partner  about getting a std test.  I firmly believe that there should be sex education starting in elementary (whats is my body doing), and increase in information from there.  Now don't get me wrong, I also believe in that this is your body, if you decide to do sex that here is the safe way..there should be a focus on please wait...but if you decide here is infor again approach.

[OodOnTheLoo]

13 hours ago, Chowder Head said:

I teach in an area that believe it or not there is no sex education at all. The misconceptions of sexs= babys and stuff along those lines that are asked during my biology classes would blow your minds.(Girl on top =girl baby) Recently, I had a discussion with my class online the lines of if your mature enough to have sex than you are mature enough to have the discussion with you partner  about getting a std test.  I firmly believe that there should be sex education starting in elementary (whats is my body doing), and increase in information from there.  Now don't get me wrong, I also believe in that this is your body, if you decide to do sex that here is the safe way..there should be a focus on please wait...but if you decide here is infor again approach.

Do they have access to computers?  Scarletteen.com is the most straightforward site out there.  You might want to graffiti it in the girls bathrooms....

[O Latin]

I am all for universal birth control, comprehensive sex ed, etc, but I think it needs to come with some acknowledgement that not everybody wants to have sex all the time. I know too many people who think that just throwing enough birth control at everybody will fix all sex-related problems. I remember being a teenager and asking my mom what I should do if I was with a guy who wanted to have sex, but I didn't. Her response was basically, "You should make sure you have condoms/birth control anyway because you'll probably change your mind in the heat of the moment." Now, I suppose that's good advice, but it was like she couldn't understand that a person might actually not want to have sex. And in the end, that's exactly what happened. I ended up having sex that I didn't want to have because I didn't know how to say so and now I'm terrified of ever entering into another relationship because I know sex will be an expected part of it. 

Every time I see/hear someone say something along the lines of "Access to birth control/abortion is so important for women because it allows them to determine their own futures," I want to add, "Yes, and teaching them that they aren't required to have sex if they don't want to would help, too."  

[2xx1xy1JD]

On 2016-03-11 at 11:09 AM, samira_catlover said:

OK, minority opinion here.  I honestly CAN see some reasons to encourage sexual abstinence among teenagers (but not as the Only Weal and Twoo0 Way, and frantically hands out condoms, birth control pills, and print schedules of friendly contraceptive clinics):

• If you become sexually active, it's wayyyy tempting to spend lots of time in bed Doing Fun Things, and this may interfere with spending time actually learning about your partner(s) in neutral settings, which is a nice start to deepening relationships. I've known a number of people (some in Very Complicated Relationships) who deliberately held off for months to years on having sexual activity, because a solid relationship meant a lot more than just getting your erotic rocks off.
• Birth control DOES have some potential problems.  Males need to use condoms each and every time, BEFORE things get hot and heavy. Females using a PRN diaphragm/cream/foam, or a daily pill (or a q 3 month shot), need to be consistent and reliable and responsible. A mess-up with BC can result in unplanned pregnancy, which is doubly rough if teenaged.  
• You (teens) are YOUNG, and learning about life.  (Heck, figure good odds you'll live another 40-60 years in the Western world.)  Do you *really* need to immediately add the explosiveness of explicitly sexual relationships to your everyday challenges of coping with school, parents, siblings, work, peer rivalries, and Trying to Figure Out Who You Are?  The world will end, maybe, if you hold off on other-personal sexual expression for some months?
• There ARE things called STDs/STIs.  Have you known your hot lech so long that you utterly trust her/him/them/zir with your health?

*sends blessings upon the scientists who worked their behinds off for long-acting passive BC methods for people of ANY age*

Don't like abortion-on-demand?  Fine: I don't---truly wish every pregnancy was planned, desired, and promised good medical outcomes.  But the best way to reduce abortion is to prevent unwanted pregnancy in the first place. 

*OK, where's the "preaching to the choir" emoji?* 

I don't think that it's really a "minority opinion" to encourage teens to delay sex until they are truly ready for it, and ready to deal with the responsibilities that go along with it.

The concern is that a "just say no" message will be pushed, to the exclusion of everything else, because really bad consequences are needed to scare teens into listening to the morality sermon, and the reasons for pushing abstinence just aren't scary enough.

[Rubaiyat]

17 minutes ago, O Latin said:

I am all for universal birth control, comprehensive sex ed, etc, but I think it needs to come with some acknowledgement that not everybody wants to have sex all the time. I know too many people who think that just throwing enough birth control at everybody will fix all sex-related problems. I remember being a teenager and asking my mom what I should do if I was with a guy who wanted to have sex, but I didn't. Her response was basically, "You should make sure you have condoms/birth control anyway because you'll probably change your mind in the heat of the moment." Now, I suppose that's good advice, but it was like she couldn't understand that a person might actually not want to have sex. And in the end, that's exactly what happened. I ended up having sex that I didn't want to have because I didn't know how to say so and now I'm terrified of ever entering into another relationship because I know sex will be an expected part of it. 

Every time I see/hear someone say something along the lines of "Access to birth control/abortion is so important for women because it allows them to determine their own futures," I want to add, "Yes, and teaching them that they aren't required to have sex if they don't want to would help, too."  

Love this perspective, and I'm a die-hard proponent of All The Sex Education.  And yes, teaching teens/anyone how and when to say "yes" or "no" to sexual activity seems to  get lost in the shuffle of nearly EVERY discussion of whether or not we should teach sex ed in the first place.   Teaching anyone/everyone that there is NEVER a circumstance in which they have to consent to undesired sexual contact/activity/anything is really, really, really important!!  I would humbly ask that you continue to share your experience (if that is comfortable for you) with anyone and everyone who will listen, each time the topic of sexual education comes up.  Your experience is a powerful reminder of what gets neglected, and why it's so important.  I don't think very many people (even sex educators, and proponents of sex ed) realize this aspect of the consequences of even positive sexual education.   I will commit to voicing this issue in the same way (minus your story, which belongs entirely to you.)  This is such a crucial part of the conversation we all need to have regarding sex and sexuality.  

I'm so sorry this was your experience. It was NOT okay that happened to you, and you didn't do anything wrong or deserving of what happened.   I deeply wish that sexuality was a positive, fulfilling, and pleasurable for everyone, regardless of how they choose to express it (or whether they feel it needs to be expressed at all) and it sickens me that so few people have exclusively positive experiences.  

We have a non-profit in our state that produces an excellent handout on consent that addresses complex issues such as power-imbalances (does the person giving consent have the ability to give truly informed consent) as well as "no means NO, genius."  

Sorry about the novel, and the Faulkner-esque sentences.  I'm trying to be precise with my language, but I think it can come off as pretentious.  I don't mean to sound that way!