Since I would not recommend vasectomy for teen males, this leaves the condom. It is tried and true and it does well enough in terms of protecting against sexually transmitted disease. And let’s face it, when used correctly it is effective immediately as it is needed with no side effects. Science is trying to trump these stats.

For several reasons it is a challenge to get girls to start and continue birth control and this is when they choose to seek the medical care to obtain it. For all the talk of equal rights in terms of pregnancy prevention, teen boys have not yet caught up to their female counterparts in terms of going to the doctor to get tested for STDs or other forms of medical care (i.e. testicular or prostate cancer). I sit in wonderment of the likelihood of them remembering to take birth control that may require daily, weekly or monthly maintenance.

The US has one of the highest unwanted pregnancy rates in the entire world. Almost a million of the unwanted pregnancies that occur in the US yearly belong to young women who are between the ages of fifteen and nineteen years. This is the time that the teen brain transitions from concrete thinker to abstract thinker or unaware of future consequences from current behavior and well aware of future consequences form current behavior. The debate of whether this too should be equal is a fair one, but is this the playing field that we should be trying to make equal or are our efforts better placed elsewhere?

Related posts:

1. Thinkin’ About Birth Control?
2. Who Makes The Decision About Birth Control?
3. Think You’re in Control?