Abstinence fails
Jess tells us that US teenagers who take an “abstinence pledge” to stay virgins until marriage are just as likely as non-pledgers to catch an STD, but less likely to see a doctor about it. Meanwhile, Grant points out that teenagers in a NSW town whose chemist doesn’t sell condoms “for personal ethical reasons” are three times as likely to fall pregnant as their peers elsewhere in the state.
The Hunter Valley’s actually in NSW :) But I’m wondering how common this might be around other parts of the country. Some people have tried making the point that teenagers could have simply bought condoms from the local supermarket. In small country towns, this isn’t really a solution – one expects a pharmacist to have a bit of understanding about privacy. I can imagine a teenager buying condoms from a supermarket, going to the check-out and discovering one of their classmates working behind the counter.
Ah, silly me. I’ve fixed it.
Re: the supermarket option. I agree, it’s more difficult for kids to buy that kind of thing at the supermarket, where they’re more likely to bump into people they know. Besides, if the restricted access to contraception is not causing the higher pregnancy rates, what is? Is there something in the water?
Well it may be partly the culture in the towns meaning teenagers are unwilling to use or ignorant of contraception (purely anecdotal, from my own experiences in large towns like Whyalla and Mt. Gambier, and even outer-suburban areas like Elizabeth). But you have to at least make it available. Sex education efforts focused on contraception are futile if the local chemist refuses to even sell it. Pharmacies are regulated. Surely there should be a requirement that they stock basic medications like the contraceptive pill?
The bush supermarket I used to work in had to put the condoms in with the ciggies because they used to be the shoplifted item in the whole shop.
But who would have known that kids will still have sex even if they can’t get condoms?
In place of a trackback:
It’s a nice day for a white wedding
[Edited for formatting. ---RC.]
Condoms are the enemy of mankind.