IUD best choice for underage girls: American Academy of Pediatrics

LifeSiteNews ^ | 9/30/14 | Kirsten Andersen

[wagglebee]

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated their policy guidelines (PDF) concerning contraceptives for children under 18, recommending that the first line of defense against pregnancy for adolescent girls should be implantable contraception such as an IUD or a sub-dermal hormonal implant.

The AAP says that because young girls cannot be trusted to remain abstinent, reliably take a daily birth control pill, or use condoms, the best way to ensure they do not become pregnant is to fit them with a “long-acting reversible contraceptive” – a device that, once installed, will either provide a continuous dose of hormones designed to prevent ovulation, or prevent a fertilized egg from implanting, causing an early abortion.  The group says that even very young girls who are not yet sexually active can be fitted with the devices, as a preventive measure.

The recommendations were co-authored by Gina Sucato, a member of Physicians for Choice.  Upon their public release on Monday, they were met with mixed reactions.

“I’m so happy about this,” said Ana Radovic, a doctor at the Center for Adolescent and Young Adult Health, a sex clinic for children and young adults ages 12 to 21. Her organization provides IUDs and other contraceptives to children as young as 12, without requiring parental notification or consent. It also offers similar “confidential care” through the nearby Magee-Women’s Hospital, which performs abortions.

Radovic told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette she was eager to see more doctors implanting young children with IUDs.  “This will give primary care physicians and pediatricians the much needed information that this is a safe procedure, even for young girls who have never had intercourse,” she said.

“The AAP’s recommendations will be a great help,” Heather Boonstra, director of public policy for the Guttmacher Institute – a pro-abortion think tank with links to Planned Parenthood – told the Post-Gazette. “This is about trying to change the minds of the provider community, more of who are recognizing that adolescents are appropriate users for the IUD.”

But child safety advocates and pro-life observers said the AAP recommendations send a dangerous message, and could even lead to lifelong health problems.

“As a father myself, I’m particularly horrified that this recommendation would come from this physicians’ group,” said Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League, in an interview with LifeSiteNews.  “Everybody knows that teen sex is a bad idea, and a recommendation like this sends a mixed message.  On the one hand, we’re trying to encourage teens to be abstinent, and on the other, we’re giving them the tools not to be.”

“We know that the biggest concern teens have about teen sex isn’t STDs, it isn’t the heartbreak that comes from it, it isn’t damaging their ability to bond later in life.  The big concern they’re going to have is getting pregnant.  Take that [concern] away, and teens are inevitably going to make less responsible choices.”

Scheidler said he was also concerned about the AAP’s heavy focus on “confidentiality,” which he said was really about “keeping parents in the dark” about their kids’ activities.

“The [AAP] recommendation not-so-obliquely suggests that even in states where [doctors] are not forbidden to talk to parents, [that they] not do so anyway,” he said. 

Scheidler worries that giving children under the age of consent unfettered access to contraceptives could make it easier for rapists to hide their sexual abuse of minors.

“It’s just one more example of the mixed message and the contradiction here,” Scheidler said.  “You know, the first contradiction is … we don’t want teens to be sexually active, that we should encourage them to be abstinent, but then we’ll discourage them from being abstinent by giving them birth control.  Similarly, we say to physicians, you’re required to report sexual abuse of minors, but you’re also required not to tell parents about their minor children’s sexual activity – which in many cases, might by definition be criminal.”

Aside from the moral implications of fitting kids with long-term contraceptive devices, Scheidler said he was also disturbed from a safety standpoint. 

There are two types of IUDs currently on the market in the U.S. – hormonal and copper.  The hormonal IUD, marketed under the brand names Mirena and Skyla, releases a constant dose of hormones to fool the body into thinking it is already pregnant, so it won’t release an egg.  Failing that, the device makes the uterus inhospitable to a growing life, causing an early abortion.  Mirena lasts for five years; Skyla, which is targeted at younger girls, lasts for three.  Skyla is new to the market, but its big sister Mirena has been the target of thousands of lawsuits by users who suffered catastrophic complications, and is now the subject of a class-action suit.

The damaging effects of the Mirena IUD are numerous, but the primary risk is puncture of the uterine wall, which can occur in up to 1 out of every 1000 installations, according to its manufacturer, Bayer.  Uterine perforation can lead to intestinal, bladder, bowel, or other organ damage; infections; scarring; infertility and even death from sepsis.  Additionally, the chemicals released by the device have been classified by the World Health Organization as class 1 carcinogens, or cancer-causing agents.

As for the copper IUD, it carries the same risks of uterine perforation as its hormonal counterparts, but without the increased risk of cancer and other side effects caused by the chemical component.  However, the trade-off is that it doesn’t work until a woman or girl is already pregnant – it effectively works as a tiny “abortion machine,” ensuring that no fertilized egg can attach to the uterine wall.

None of the implantable devices being promoted by the AAP offer any protection from sexually transmitted diseases.

“You know, I have three teen daughters myself,” Scheidler told LifeSiteNews.  “The thought of them being counseled by a physician to consider the IUD or one of the implantable contraceptives is pretty shocking.”

In previous years, the IUD lacked in popularity due to its expense – a single device costs between $800 to $1,000.  However, since ObamaCare became law, all insurance providers must now provide the IUD free of charge to their female patients upon request. 

Additionally, federally-funded reproductive clinics provide the devices free to girls under 18, even if they are covered by their parents’ insurance, in order to help them avoid disclosing their sexual activity to their parents.

[trisham]

Parents are realizing that 60 million children have been murdered in abortuaries in the past four decades. As a result, parents have begun to treat children like an endangered specie.

On the rare occasions that children are allowed outside to play, they do so under the close supervision of adults, they are slathered in sunscreen and covered head-to-toe in helmets and protective padding. When I was a kid everyone was a little jealous when another kid showed up with a cast on his arm or leg, now everyone would be kept away from the kid with the cast because everyone suspects his parents are abusive.

If children were anywhere near as fragile as modern parents think, humanity would have been extinct before we even learned how to make fire.

**************************

This is a huge problem. Excellent post.

[tanknetter]

The issue with that seems to be 1.) fear of kids being kidnapped, thanks to mass media exposure of such events. Look at the impact Adam Walsh’s murder alone had on parental behavior.

2.) Increased societal and legal pressure on parents to shelter their children. There was a thread just this last week about a mother who nearly had her family and life destroyed when a neighbor ratted her out to police and CPS for letting her kids play outside unsupervised.

3.) the growth of bureaucracies like CPS, with broad and invasive missions and tyrannical powers. They need something to do to justify their existance, and often times are held accountable (about the only thing they’re held accountable for) for acting in a “fair/even handed” way (iow with strict demographic quotas for who they target)

[trisham]

She didn’t really answer any questions.

[SaraJohnson]

The IUD device will become embedded in the uterus if worn for a long period of time and make the woman sterile. So, if they put it into a kid without a parent’s permission or knowledge, guess what happens. Or if the parents are dumb and don’t understand the danger of someone wearing an IUD for a long period of time.

[trisham]

I didn’t realize that Mrs. Margaret Slee was Margaret Sanger. What an arrogant woman.

[tanknetter]

To add 4.) Media and marketing onslaughts designed to play up risks from infectious diseases in order to sell anti-bacterial product.

[BCW]

Here - I will have to do a little more monitoring...if the school principals and situation doesn’t change - my wife, a school teacher - will retire and home school...we don’t want any change of “unsupervised” contact occurring in school where that would happen...we press honor and respect - my daughter, who was adopted, seems to gear towards the dark side of situations and not make the correct choice...but she’s 9 - I’ll see as each yr passes....every situation is different...one has to be flexible and adjust accordingly...

[wbill]

True enough, you will see. You may get pleasantly surprised.

WBill Jr is pretty strong-willed (no idea at ALL where he gets that from....). Used to drive my lovely wife nuts when he was little.

I didn't mind it as much, because I knew that he'd be a leader and not a follower - "No, I don't want to try pot. That's the end of the story.". And that would be that.

Sure enough, as he gets older, I'm seeing more and more of that "leader" role coming out. And, since I've given him the right tools to start with, I think that he'll be OK.

Still keeping that hand on the tiller, though. Being a leader doesn't always mean that you're headed in the right direction. :-)

[TheOldLady]

IUDs are an irritant to the uterus, which prevents the fertilized egg from attaching to it.

The irritation they cause can trigger fibroid tumors, which can be so entrenched that the only cure is a hysterectomy.

Are they killing our girls or simply sterilizing them by sneaky methods?

[wastedyears]

Are they killing our girls or simply sterilizing them by sneaky methods?

I'll go with C, both of the above.

[TheOldLady]

You’re exactly right.

[eyeamok]

“The AAP says that because young girls cannot be trusted to remain abstinent, reliably take a daily birth control pill, or use condoms”
If young women cannot be trusted to manage their own pitiful lives WHY in the world do we even let Women Vote??

[Mears]

“If young women cannot be trusted to manage their own pitiful lives WHY in the world do we even let Women Vote??”

—

If the ability to manage life when young is a condition for voting have you seen how young boys manage their lives?

Why do we “let” men vote?

.

[eyeamok]

We dont make excuses for them, and we sure in the hell dont coddle them for their mistakes.