Pro-life Wisconsin is alarmed by the recent shift in the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines regarding teen pregnancy.
And they should be.
The Academy in its most recent report on teen pregnancy urges pediatricians to counsel all teens about contraceptives whether they are sexually active or not. In addition, it encourages pediatricians to make the abortificient 'morning-after pill' readily available to all teenage girls.
"This policy shift is counter-intuitive and disastrous," said Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin. "Teenagers need their doctors to encourage abstinence not promiscuity. The Academys recommendation is only going to lead to confusion and more sexually active teens."
The report, published in Julys Pediatrics, ironically sites studies showing increased rates of STDs associated with hormonal contraceptives. It also sites studies showing decreasing sexual activity rates associated with positive messages from parents and religious organizations.
The report also notes that, unfortunately, teenage girls are increasingly relying on lethal injectable hormonal contraceptives like Depo-Provera.
"This is absurd," said Dr. Michael Phillips, MD, Vice-President of Pro-life Wisconsin. "Its like trying to convince children not to smoke by telling them where to buy filtered cigarettes."
"Not only is the health of adolescent women put in jeopardy by birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives, but these chemicals can cause an early abortion should conception occur," said Hamill. "When a teenager learns the truth about how these drugs, recommended by her trusted family doctor, have worked to kill her own children, the psychological impact will be devastating."
The newly published policy recommendations also omit statements from the previous set of guidelines, published in 1998, that encouraged pediatricians to talk to teenagers about abstinence.
I am an evangelical Christian from a fairly conservative background whose Father is a Doctor and who comes from a ministry background. I am not some left wing nutcase trying to push an agenda, however I do get frustrated when misinformation is put out by people whom I have much more in common with than different on almost all issues. When it comes to abstinenc and sexuality education it is VERY important that the right be right when it comes to information regarding sexuality education including contraception. As much as I believe in preaching and teaching a VERY STRONG abstinence message... I think it is unfair of us to accuse the other side of the issue (politically) of trying to encourage promiscuity. I work in the field of sexuality education and I have yet to find a single person (even on the extreme liberal side... ie... planned parenthood folks) who are "encouraging promiscuity". In stead of saying things that tend to increase the wedge between the two groups (which is I believe is highly overblown) I think we should instead try to focus on what the two groups have in common (we are all trying very hard to prevent teenagers from getting pregnant... and the biggest majority of us (even those radical libererals we complain about) are also trying to help kids remain abstinent as long as possible. Why create deeper division unneccissarily. It is also critical to make sure ALL of our FACTS are correct!!! The truth... there is no evidence that the morning after pill aborts a conception or terminates a pregnancy. To the contrary, recent evidence seems to suggest that if taken within 24 hours of sex it prevents a pregnancy from occurring. Why should this be an unacceptable practice morally. I know we don't want our kids to have sex in the first place, but there is no evidence that informing kids about contraception along with a strong abstinence message will cause them to be more sexually active... to the contrary evidence (unbiased) seems to suggest that when contraceptive facts are presented in the context of positive abstinence messages and education about STD's etc..... that kids do prolong sexuality.
I will concede that there is certainly misinformation on the left as well. They like to claim that abstinent pledges are ineffective because a high percentage of these kids end up having sex before marriage anyway. What they don't say is that they do prolong their sexual activity significantly longer than kids who haven't pledged, which is good news!! Anyway... sorry about my soap box, just wanted to make a few points. I hope they are helpful to the overall debate.
Let's just be VERY CAREFUL on the "right" side of the debate to make sure ALL our FACTS are TRUTHFUL, because that is what we bleieve in... the truth!! THanks & God Bless!!
John - I don't doubt your sincerity but you are parroting typical PP propaganda and YOU have the FACTS wrong. The morning after pill is an abortificient. It prevents development of a fertilized egg and is used 1-3 days after conception. Conception can occur within an hour - which is when a human life begins. The morning after pill is used to ensure the life never matures.
Unfortunately, you've accepted a redefinition for the beginning of human life that is promoted by abortion supporters.
PP and others do encourage promiscuity (e.g., handing out condemns at high school proms, teaching a bankrupt morality of pluralism, etc.). It is not possible to discourage promiscuity yet at the same time teach kids promiscuity is acceptable (as long as contraception is used). You claim, "I have yet to find a single person". I've met plenty