Should Teenagers Have Access To Birth Control Essay

In the 1920s, birth control was a very significant issue that led to the controversial debate between Winter Russell and Margaret Sanger. Most people believed that Planned Parenthood caused the decline of population in human race. Many viewed it harmful to human being’s welfare. Sanger’s debate about birth control was to stand for the entitlement of women to access birth control. Today in our society, birth control plays a big role in our lives.

Controversy of Birth Control Being Sold Over-The-Counter Birth control is a contraceptive used to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Birth control comes in many forms; typically as a pill but there are other alternatives such as: a monthly shot, a ring, IUDs and many more. In America, there are people who question whether or not birth control should be sold over the counter. Although this is a controversy in the United States, it is common practice in other countries around the world.

The Development of the Birth Control Pill and Its Impact In 21st century North America, the birth control pill is widely accepted and marketed. Most doctors and people agree that it is essential to women’s health and to the current values and priorities of our changing society. However, in the 1960s when “The Pill” was new to the public1, their mindset was not as progressive. The first oral contraceptive sparked the ongoing debate on reproductive health and women’s rights2, and has greatly impacted our views on these issues today.

The ethics of minors having access to birth control has three concepts. 1. The best interest standard: The best interest standard is a widely used ethical, legal, and social basis for policy and decision-making involving children and other incompetent persons. 2. Principle of paternalism: Paternalism is the interference with the liberty or autonomy of another person, with the intent of promoting good or preventing harm to that person.

In The Pill at 50: Sex, Freedom and Paradox, Nancy Gibbs talks about the introduction of a new contraceptive in the 1960s. The purpose of this article is to explain who it affected and how it affected them; specifically, the continuation of this argument to present day. On one side of the argument, the supporters hope the Pill will strengthen marriage due to an decrease in marriages based off unplanned pregnancies. On the contrary, critics argue the Pill promotes sensuality and adultery while damaging families. Both these arguments are plausible, and Gibbs explores both sides and the history behind the Pill.

Effects of Birth Control Margaret Sanger is the woman who created and carried out tests on the birth control pill. A second woman, Katharine Dexter McCormick, funded the creation of the pill with what would be eighteen million dollars today (Planned Parenthood n.pag.). These two women created the birth control pill to stand up for women’s rights and help families around the world. The primary motive for developing a birth control pill was a high number of unplanned pregnancies.

Birth control hasn’t always been legal for women in the United States. In 1873 the Comstock Act passing prohibiting advertisements, information, and distribution of birth control. This act also allowed the postal service to confiscate any information or birth control sold through the mail. Margaret Sanger made it her life’s work to make information about birth control and birth control itself available to women in the United States. Margaret Sanger was a nurse on the Lower East Side of New York City and decided to get involved in the Birth Control Movement in 1912 after she watched a woman die as a result of a self-induced abortion.

Before the 1960s, not all women were allowed access to the popular birth control contraceptive known as “the pill.” Birth control pills were only given to married couples, due to the Supreme Court ruling in the year 1965. However, what about all the other unmarried women who needed means of contraceptives, right?

Abstinence is not an effective method of birth control. According to a study from Advocates for Youth, 95% of Americans have had premarital sex and teens who pledged to wait until marriage and 60% broke their promise after six years. In addition, the study also found that people who pledged virginity were more likely to engage in oral or anal sex than non-pledging virgin teens and less likely to use condoms once they become sexually active. Also, people who pledged were much less likely than non-pledgers to use contraception the first time they had sex and were less likely to know their STI status. Abstinence only education provides a false sense of security the first time people are having sex.

Educator, Margaret Sanger, in her argumentative essay, “The Morality of Birth Control” implies the moral and responsibility when birth control is involved. Sanger purpose is to convey, to take birth control there are rules you must also include into the discussion. She adopts a touchy tone to appeal to those who aren’t informative of such drugs. Also, Sanger addresses to those who wouldn’t speak up for themselves or for religious purposes. Margaret created this reading to draw the audience to her view point of birth control.