Teenagers should not seek permission from their parents when acquiring contraceptives because they are at risk of facing parental violence or other consequences. Some parents would harm their children when they realize that they are sexually active and that they want to access contraception. If a 16-year old male expresses the desire to obtain methods of contraception such as condoms, what he must do is visit the nearest drug store and pick up a packet of condoms. This is because most of the male contraceptive methods do not require parental permission.  On the other hand, a 16-year old female find it difficult to acquire any form of contraceptives because some policies tend to restrict them from accessing them without parental consent and notification. Due to the fact that most of the young teenagers live with a stepparent or with relatives and it may, therefore, be difficult for them to seek consent if the law requires (Gyesaw, 2013). Contraceptives are considered to be an artificial technique of preventing pregnancy which is a result of unprotected sexual intercourse. The violence caused by some parents makes the female teenagers forego accessing contraceptive methods which are supposed to be used before 72 hours and may, therefore, become pregnant.

Additionally, seeking parental consent makes female teenagers prone to dangerous abortion procedures. The fact that most of the female teenagers will be denied to access any form of contraceptives by their parents results in dangerous termination of pregnancy. This can, therefore, lead to loss of lives or their reproductive organs may end up damaged. Most of the female teenagers live in dysfunctional families and therefore requiring parental consent makes them engage in activities which tend to put them in risk. Some parents may also force their teenage children to terminate the pregnancy once they are aware that they are pregnant due to the reason that they do not want to suffer from shame. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2019), some instances require female teenagers to get parental consent and notification before practicing abortion care and hence leading to riskier, later-term abortion procedures. Parental notification laws have affected the young teenager’s decision to talk with their caregivers about their choices prior to use contraceptives or to carry out abortion procedures.

Other than being prone to dangerous abortion procedures, teenagers should not seek parental consent because it tends to affect their health. The reason is that some parents will not accept the fact that their teenage children are sexually matured. Both male and female teenagers are considered to be sexually mature when they are between age 15 and 19 years. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights (2018), most of the people on a global scale have explained how difficult it is to reverse the feeling of sexual maturity, and therefore the fact that some parents or other caregivers do not want their teenage children to go through the next stage in their lives tends to be the leading cause of unfortunate consequences. Female teenagers are mostly affected because they are at risk of getting unwanted pregnancies when they are denied access to birth control pills. If these female teenagers are in a position of acquiring any form of contraception without parental consent, such cases could have been avoided.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2019). Confidentiality for Teens Considering Abortion: AAP Policy Expanded.

Center for Reproductive Rights. (2018). Parental Consent and Notice for Contraceptives Threatens Teen Health and Constitutional Rights.

Gyesaw, N. Y. K., & Ankomah, A. (2013). Experiences of pregnancy and motherhood among teenage mothers in a suburb of Accra, Ghana: a qualitative study. International journal of women’s health, 5, 773.