Birth Control for Teen-Agers

Responsible citizens spay or neuter their cats and dogs to ensure that unwanted kittens or puppies are not procreated. Should we, as responsible adults, ensure that our sexually active teen-age daughters and little sisters have contraceptives implanted in their bodies to prevent unwanted pregnancies?

Throughout history, girls and women were left to deal with unplanned pregnancies. After all, it is only they who can “get into trouble.” Why not take a broader approach and have “reversible” vasectomies performed on teen-age boys? There are studies showing that contraception for males may have fewer physical side effects as opposed to traditional female birth control methods.

Teen pregnancies should not be treated as a women’s issue, but one symptom of a serious societal problem. Having long-term contraception administered to teen-age girls will not cure low self-esteem and it will not diminish the epidemic of sex-related diseases.

It is a fact that the large number of babies born to teen mothers is a burden to society. However, the suggestion of inoculating young girls from pregnancies is demeaning. There are no easy solutions to teen pregnancies, but we cannot simply give up on our young people. Only through persistent efforts to love, trust and educate children and teens can we conquer deteriorating values and social deviance.

CATHY T. TANAKA

Los Angeles