This is in response to Kelly Kane’s column titled Birth control good idea for middle schoolers (SN 11/14), which attempts to argue in favor of providing 13-year-olds access to birth control in their schools.
First off, she says it’s “absolutely mortifying to buy condoms, no matter what age.” Truthfully, it shouldn’t really be that bad by the time you’re in college (though maybe that’s why they invented the U-Scan registers), but handing children condoms because they are too embarrassed to buy them is unacceptable.
“Times have changed,” Ms. Kane laments, and “with the way our society is heading,” things — such as only four of 10 pregnant teens graduating high school — can only get worse. What does she prescribe to fix this problem? Nothing, she merely suggests yielding to the trend of sexually active preteens.
What’s more surprising is her ridiculous assumption that parents who are worried about choices their kids might make are those who do not have a good relationship with them. What parents don’t worry about what their kid might do? She’s almost right, though — parents of sixth, seventh and eighth graders shouldn’t have to worry if their child is having sex, anyway.
Interestingly, she proves herself wrong with her last sentence: “Although if people do have sex during middle school, I’m sure that having that support would help the decision-making process.” Sex education, including safe-sex information, is a good thing at that age, but children receiving “free contraceptives whenever needed” is an idea taken too far.
Andrew Mutavdzija
international relations and journalism senior
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