Give Teens Condoms In High School | Teen Ink

Give Teens Condoms In High School

March 13, 2010
By amber_w_17 SILVER, Powell, Tennessee
amber_w_17 SILVER, Powell, Tennessee
7 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.
~Willliam Faulkner~


Every day thousands of teenagers are putting themselves at risk for pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and severe turmoil emotionally. Instead of thinking about all the consequences, more and more teens are becoming sexually active without completely understanding the precautions that need to be taken when doing so. Providing teens with the option of using a condom without question would greatly decrease these risks. The teens that are sexually active will most likely have sex with or without a condom, so providing them with total confidentiality would make these teens comfortable enough to make the responsible choice to use one. Some people may argue that condom distribution is a misguided solution due to the fact that it influences sexual promiscuity; however, that is a misconception because teenagers are quite capable of making good decisions, they just need to be better informed. The option of condoms being distributed in high schools needs to be implemented as soon as possible.

By providing condoms in high school it would give protection against pregnancy and STDs to otherwise at risk teens. Society needs to face the reality that teens are engaging in unprotected sex because of the lack of availability of protection. Instead, they want to blame media and other things for imprinting on teenagers that sex is cool. According to the New York Times, a study carried out by the American Academy of Pediatrics in April 2006, twelve-to fourteen-year-old teens exposed to sexual content through music, movies, television, and magazines are twice as likely to become sexually active within two years. Though this may hold some truth, teenagers are maturing faster in this century than any other. If they are educated well enough on all possible options, teens are very capable of making good decisions even though such things are supposedly influencing them. People who are against the idea of allowing teenagers to have full access to condoms because it is morally unacceptable need to realize that some teens could care less about if sex is morally just or not. The best thing to do to successfully reduce these indicated risks is to stop trying to drill abstinence is the only way into teenager’s heads. One thing teenagers cannot stand is someone telling them what they should do; therefore, just educate them on every means of protection. Yes, abstinence is the only fool proof way of complete protection, but the teenagers who decide not to wait need to know the safest way possible to prevent such issues. That is why along with providing condoms in high schools, instead of abstinence-only sex education; comprehensive sex education needs to be taught. The difference between these two is that in comprehensive sex education, not only is abstinence taught, but it also covers contraceptive and disease-prevention methods including condom use.

Furthermore, teens that are currently sexually active will most likely have sex with or without a condom, but if free access to condoms were inflicted they most likely would choose to use one. In the article Family Planning Perspectives (1998), A program that allowed availability to condoms was successfully enforced in a Los Angeles County High School and actually showed that it does decrease unprotected sex. This program concluded that it did not produce an increase in sexual activity but appeared to have led to improved condom use among males. The percentage of condom use among males who had already had used a condom every time went from 37% to 50%. The percentage of males reporting that they had used a condom the first time went from 46% to 56%. This particular study proves that condom availability in high schools does decrease unprotected sex, which in return, drastically decreases pregnancies and STDs. If such a program was implanted in every high school in the United States imagine how many lives it would save, not only from unplanned pregnancy, but deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

While teens may struggle with sexuality, they would struggle more if their decision to have sex without a condom because of embarrassment to buy them or unavailability resulted in a pregnancy or some sort of STD. Nowadays the only form of sexual education is abstinence only-based is, so how are teens supposed to use what they learn if they are not properly taught the other choices they have? Sex is a major decision among people of any age and may result in emotional distress no matter what protection measures are taken. If someone is not emotionally ready, they do not need to make such a decision. This still does not take away the fact that condoms need to be available for the ones that do engage in sexual activity. It may cause emotional problems, but people need to place that aside because at least they could use a condom to prevent other preventable troubles.

In conclusion, teenagers should not be having sex at all. Not every teenager is going to have sex; however, this is a growing problem that is resulting in teenage mothers and deadly, even incurable diseases. Schools need to stop trying to hide this issue and make the decision to at least provide some means of protection. Stop thinking about if it is morally right or whether it sends wrong messages, because it is already a proven fact that condoms drastically decrease pregnancies and STDs if they are properly used. If a school had the option to either provide them and save lives, or not provide them and possibly cause teenage pregnancy or spread of deadly disease why would they not want to make the obviously healthier decision? Please allow our nation’s adolescents abstinence alternatives.


The author's comments:
This is not to condone teenagers having sex and saying it is right. However, I do feel strongly about this issue and believe it needs to be implemented.

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This article has 24 comments.


on Mar. 25 2014 at 3:55 pm
i agree with this staement thanks for all  

Tamilicious said...
on Mar. 11 2014 at 3:22 pm
got a debate to write on the exact tpic  thanks keep up the good work

on Dec. 20 2013 at 9:27 am
teens dont need to have sex when they are in high school and sometimes teens cant take care of the baby 

kemar said...
on May. 7 2013 at 4:02 pm
i agree with the statement that teenager should be given the chance to make decision 

phah11 said...
on Apr. 14 2013 at 4:11 pm
Please keep your comments positive and constructive. We'll remove anything inappropriate. Thanks! Thnk u

BEAUTY :) said...
on Feb. 24 2013 at 11:16 pm
THIS IS AWESOME! THANK YOU! ITS SO GONNA HELP ME IN CLASS TOMORROW!!! THANK YOU!

Jean.L said...
on Jan. 23 2013 at 11:39 pm
I disagree with your point of view, especially when it comes to the emotional state of the teens. The emotional trauma WILL NOT be prevented with a condom, it will be prevented by not having sex at all. Same with pregnancy and STDs. The emotional distress comes from trusting and loving another person, giving yourself to them in the ultimate form of love, then getting your heart broken because the relationship simply couldnt work or what have you. Giving out free condoms at school will not educate teens on the consequences of unprotected sex. Not to mention the message it gives the school to arriving families. "Have fun! but be safe." is that what we want our high schools to put out? I don't think so. I believe giving out free condoms at high schools is giving uneducated teens the OK to go out and have sex. (Condoms only work 97% of the time mind you.) What schools should be giving out for free are SEX EDUCATION CLASSES! Sure teens exposed to sex at a young age will most likey become sexually active two years later, but if they're educated on the subject they'll know what they're getting themselves into, and then they can decide for themselves. If they're adult enough to go out and have sex, then they should be adult enough to handle the consequenses and purchase their own protection.

melissababy said...
on Jan. 10 2013 at 2:02 pm
you dont really make sence lol

alondra123 said...
on Dec. 11 2012 at 11:15 am
i agree with your statement and i also think that students should be able to get free condoms at school. i really liked your article it has been alot of help to me in my enlish essay thank you (:

on Dec. 4 2012 at 6:24 am
What about dictionaries?

chrissy12 said...
on Nov. 12 2012 at 5:56 pm
i agree with you because giving out condoms in schools will only encourage the teens into promiscuity and this will be a negative impact on the younger students an also have a negative impact on the society

Gabs16 said...
on Oct. 23 2012 at 10:56 am
Sally Sunshine2235, I am writing a persuasive paper on this topic and you are absolutely right!

brainsurge said...
on Sep. 25 2012 at 5:25 am
They didnt get pregnant cuz there was no contraception, they got pregnant because they had SEX.  If they areso eager to  to do it then the consequences are on their head. If they are in high school they know the risks they just chose pleasure over safety.

on Jun. 11 2012 at 2:50 pm
i definetly beleive that condoms should be distributed throughout all the high schools.

on May. 7 2012 at 12:46 pm
yes but seeing how many of our teens are iresponsible we should still be able to get condoms at school you see i have many teen friends how are afraide of going to a store or askin a parent but me my self go by if you dont know your parts then you really dont need to share them you should always now yourself anyd yes i know your wondering i am a teen my self and i know how teens act

kWeeN G_24 said...
on Mar. 18 2011 at 5:43 pm
well u have a point but, wouldn't giving out condoms in high school may encourage kids that its ok to have sex in high school? Besides, condoms do not prevent all new cases of sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes and human papilloma virus(the virus implicated in genital wars and cerrical cancer) but having them available in an educational environment raises awareness about risk avoidance...FanXz!!=)

on Nov. 3 2010 at 9:22 am
 I also agree with the teen that posted this site ,even though the condoms are issued in schools ; will it be used by students ?

on Aug. 5 2010 at 7:18 pm
DifferentTeen PLATINUM, Seaford, Delaware
32 articles 2 photos 329 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There’s no such thing as true love, just spurts of insanity—falling over and over again, thinking that won’t happen to me"

Okay I do agree that condoms should be used but, do you really think that the boy is going to use it? If they really wanted to practice safe sex than they could just go to a store and buy one. Condoms should be given out, but I just wish it would make a difference as well.

on May. 18 2010 at 2:39 pm
I am totally for your argument. As a female student that recently graduated from high school, I understand the urge for condoms to be put in school. I mean, my high school had such a high rate for pregnancy that we had to put up a day care center for all the students that couldnt afford to send their children to a daycare while they went to school. now, you can put a daycare in school, but not condoms to prevent more students having children? parents are naiive to think that their 17 yr. old is not having sex. Some, I understand, really dont have sex until marriage or until college. but most of them are. And health classes are not providing enough options other than abstenance. in this generation, abstenance is not enough.

on Mar. 25 2010 at 7:27 am
amber_w_17 SILVER, Powell, Tennessee
7 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.
~Willliam Faulkner~

Thank you guys for supporting my opinion. It's going to take a lot of people like you all to make this possible. :)