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From: giles@ucf-cs.UUCP (Bruce Giles)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: semi-mandatory birth control
Message-ID: <1223@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 3-Apr-84 18:26:43 EST
Article-I.D.: ucf-cs.1223
Posted: Tue Apr  3 18:26:43 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Apr-84 03:23:30 EST
References: <140@cosivax.UUCP>
Organization: University of Central Florida
Lines: 51


>>      Given a safe, effective, and long duration (1 year?) birth
>>  control drug, why not make its use semi-mandatory for children
>>  attending public high school? I say 'semi-mandatory' because I
>>  think it is reasonable for a person to be excused for religious
>>  beliefs, or other valid reasons. The idea, of course, is to make
>>  the use of effective birth control the norm (rather than the
>>  exception, as it seems to be now).

There are several strong reasons to support such action, however there
are far more stronger reasons to reject it.

First, by taking the choice of using contraceptives away from the students,
you are not requiring them to face up to the consequences of their actions.
Admittedly, the present situation is not much better.  But, if we are to
have responsible adults we should start by requiring them to be responsible
as adolescents.  If they want to have sex, fine.  But they must either take
precautions or face the far greater responsiblities of parenthood.

Secondly, students in high schools are *not* children.  A good proportion
of them will be adults before they graduate.  What do you do with them?
If you require *everyone* in a public school system to take the drug, you
would be forcing legal adults to do something against their will.  It may
take a few years, but this could lead to such dilemmas as "take the drug
or we'll cut off your welfare/food stamps."  If you exempt adults, *when*
do you exempt them?  If they are given the drug the day before their 18th
birthday, how is that different than requiring them to take it *on*
their 18th birthday?  An artifical border would have been crossed, but
the effects are the same.

In a similar vein there are *married* high school students.  In some 
states adolescents can be married as early as 15 (I believe they are
all Southern states, but I am not sure).  While these students may not be
full legal adults, they are certainly not children either.  And they should
certainly be given the option of parenthood, if they desire it.  Once again,
what do you do concerning them?

Finally, this violates the principle that a person's body is chalet. (I
think that's the term...)  In other words, a person should have the final
decision in what is done to them.  True, our society still legally leaves that 
responsibility with the parents, but by high school most students have 
will have the *de facto* final say.  A parallel could be drawn between 
this and either mandatory innoculations or a military draft, but close
examination would reveal that this does not serve a comparable purpose.
 

ave discordia				going bump in the night ...
bruce giles

decvax!ucf-cs!giles			university of central florida
giles.ucf-cs@Rand-Relay			orlando, florida 32816