Posted on 08/14/2002 5:29:47 PM PDT by ninenot
More than half of Wisconsin teen girls would stop using sexual health care services or delay treatment for sexually transmitted diseases if their parents were told they were attempting to get prescription contraceptives, a new study says.
The findings, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest that mandatory parental notification could increase the number of pregnancies and the spread of STDs in a state already plagued by high pregnancy rates among its teens.
"We have confidential services and we need to keep it that way," said Diane Reddy, an associate professor and director of health psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who is lead author of the study. "Requiring parental notification would have a very negative impact here."
Reddy said that many of the girls "are fearful of being physically or emotionally abused by their parents, not being allowed to see their boyfriends, losing privileges and of disappointing their parents," and that although they would stop seeking services, most would continue to have sex.
"We strongly support parental involvement," she said. "But the point is, requiring parental notification won't force girls to talk to their parents."
According to the study, 47% of the teens surveyed statewide said that they would stop using all Planned Parenthood services if their parents were notified. In addition, 7% would delay treatment or testing for HIV or other STDs and 4% would discontinue pregnancy testing. However, although they would stop using sexual health care services, 99% of the girls indicated they would continue to have sex.
Data for the study was collected from 950 sexually active teens who agreed to take the written survey while waiting to be seen at one of 33 Planned Parenthood sites.
A separate sample, obtained from three clinics in Milwaukee, had similar findings.
Planned Parenthood aims "to ensure confidential access to care" for its patients, said Lisa Boyce, vice president of public affairs at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
But the organization is required to notify authorities in cases of abuse or if a child is mentally ill or young, Boyce said.
"Government should not be a barrier to teens who are trying to act responsibly and seek important medical care," she said.
Mandatory parental notification for teens seeking prescribed birth control pills or other devices is a controversial topic that has been discussed but not enacted in Wisconsin. Legislation also has been introduced in nine other states and Congress.
State Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) co-sponsored the 1999 parental notification bill, which never made it out of committee. He said parents have a right to know if their children are sexually active.
"It says the types of kids who fool around don't tell their parents about it. That's not surprising," he said. "I side with the parents. By requiring parental notification, these clinics have less influence."
But Clare Schuetz, a 17-year-old senior at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee, disagrees.
"Because they're attempting to be sexually active in a safe way, it's a good thing," she said. "Parents should be talking about what they hope and expect from their children, and that way they'll know the choices they (children) make would be similar to their own because they've articulated what they want from them."
Although Wisconsin teen pregnancy rates are below the national average, Milwaukee's rate needs improvement, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Milwaukee has the second-highest rate of teen pregnancy of major cities in the country after Baltimore - and it's been at or near the top of the list for many years. In 1999, 20.3% of babies born in Milwaukee were born to teenagers, according to a report by the Casey Foundation.
In some suburbs, although the count is much lower than in the city, the number of teen births has doubled or nearly tripled in the last decade, according to the state Department of Health and Family Services.
In addition, gonorrhea cases have spiked in Milwaukee, and chlamydia rates in Wisconsin also are among the country's highest.
"Discussion of sexual activity with parents is a very sensitive topic, and talking about contraception is the acknowledgment of future activity," said state Rep. Sheldon Wasserman (D-Milwaukee), who also is an obstetrician. "But parents should have regular discussions with their children about their sexual activity and their sexual function."
That way, "it won't be such a shock when they're 16 and it comes up," he said.
State Rep. Carol Owens (R-Oshkosh), another sponsor of the Assembly bill, said children do talk with their parents about sex.
"My problem with Planned Parenthood is they're encouraging young girls to go behind their parents' backs," Owens said.
Wasserman said that if teens are afraid to seek treatment or delay treatment, they could cause permanent damage to their reproductive systems, as well as raise health care costs associated with treatment.
"I would strongly be opposed to mandatory parental notification just because it just doesn't work," he said. "But not only does it not work, it becomes about life and death, especially with HIV out there."
Sickos. Unfortunately, there are a lot of them, and they're organized. If you're a parent, you have to protect your children from them.
My sixteen year old daughter can't leave her high school campus for lunch without our specific permission. However, she can get an abortion from "Planned Parenthood" without me knowing a thing about it.
Your statement does really beg the question:
If you have brought your daughter up to be afraid to talk to you about anything , then isn't the issue one where a child fears a parental reaction? Why are you so sure whe wouldn't tell you?
I would place a lot more faith on how you have brought up your child, and trust that if anything ever did happen, she could trust you would help her.
If you've done that -- then -- it really isn't an issue, is it?
Giving condoms and birth control pills to 12 year olds and then aborting the babies produced when the 12 year old forgets her homework, all without notifying a parent, isn't an issue?
Of course it would. Tends to hurt profits, huh?
Sure she does.
Here's a novel theory. I'll submit that Planned Parenthood sees parents as nothing more as a demographic pain in the @$$ group who hurts the bottom line, a group they would like to do without.
Have you brought up a child who is afraid to talk to his/her parents?
*That's* the issue.
Talk to your kids. Let them know how you feel. But also let them know: they can come to you with *any* problem.
Do that, and no, it shouldn't be an issue.
And by the way, do that -- and they probably will never have these kind of problems.
Wasserman is another liberal elitist who knows what's best for your kids. Hey, you don't need to know what is going on in their lives; Planned Parenthood has all the videos and brochures needed for raising your kids in the proper manner. Just make enough money to feed them, and pay for an abortion when needed. They'll take care of the rest. Don't meddle.
"My problem with Planned Parenthood is they're encouraging young girls to go behind their parents' backs," Owens said.
Of course they do just that. Then again, I wouldn't expect a crack dealer to get parental consent either.
....but here's the real problem........Planned Parenthood has no use for these types of parents.
OK. Whatever you say.
What a disingenuous tact you are taking....if a teenager doesn't feel comfortable talking about something to Mom and Dad, then Planned Parenthood should become defacto arbiter.
You guys are truly the sleaziest types populating the planet. Really.
Good, I'm glad you feel that way. I've much to say to you.
Girls Oppose Parental Notification
"The study, appearing in Wednesday's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, was funded by grants from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for Urban Initiatives and Research, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues and Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin Inc."
That's what you are.
Yep, you'll invent every sob story you can think of to promote your agenda which basically will state that most parents are unfit to talk to their own children, that the State has a higher duty, that Planned Parenthood is a noble organization protecting kids from the predations of their parents.
Here's a tip for you, Eleanor Smear. Interfere in my family, commie creep, and pay the price.
Should it be accepted? No. Would I ever call a child born out of wedlock a bastard? No way.
People make mistakes. Especially kids. I'm not going to label somebody a whore because of a mistake, because they had a weak moment.
What I refuse to do is grant people like punkit a license to exploit children who have made a mistake.
A "child" is under the age of 18. It is statutory rape for anyone, another child or an adult, to have sex with a child. But PP seems to think it's obligation to notify authorities extends only to children who are "mentally ill or young". No, PP is obligated to report to authorities in every case where any child is having sex. PP is afraid that if parents become aware that their children are being raped, as defined by statute, that the perps will be prosecuted, and there goes PP's reason for being.
It is absolutely sickening that our tax money goes to fund the perpetuation of criminal activity.
Pius XI is the same hole where the Gay/Lesbian Day of Silence was honored. Yep, Weakland had the same devastating effect on the morals of the Catholic community that Clinton had on the entire USA.
May I?
What I'm trying to say j271 is that these things have been around for ever. We've never been about sending people to Hell; it's always been the converse.
Punkit smugly formulates a response that suggests that if one's child gets preganant in the first place, then perhaps Planned Parenthood is more fit to make these decisions.
You know what punkit, drop the 'it' from your screenname, and that's what you are. A punk.
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