WOULD YOU ?????

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Would you sterilize your teenage daughter?

Posted Feb 20th 2008 4:02PM by Joanne Lutynec
Filed under: High school, Teenager, Peer pressure, In the News, Environmental
As if birth control (or lack thereof) wasn't already a controversial enough topic for most, one UK official has now proposed forced, temporary sterilization for teenage girls.

As the mother of a teenage daughter, I have to admit my first reaction was to be completely horrified by this, but after tossing the idea around in my mind for a few days I'm now at the point where I'm not completely against the general idea as a concept. Unfortunately it isn't that simple though.

It remains highly debatable if encouraging teens to use birth control is the same as giving them permission to have sex. Is having condoms available in school bathrooms protecting them from unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, or is it simply giving them the green light to be sexually active? To be honest, I'm not sure. I think it really depends on the individual teenager and what their existing views are about having sex in the first place.

What really troubles me about this concept though is not the sterilization itself, it is the idea of it being forced upon teenagers. I can't imagine living in a society where such a thing could be mandatory for those between the ages of 12-17. Presented as a choice, I think the idea could have merit for those who choose to take advantage of it, but forced? It crosses the line on too many other issues - freedom of choice being the main one.

So the question is - If you could make the decision to temporarily sterilize your teenage daughter, would you? Is this a valid concept, or does it take away from our personal rights?