Should Minors Have Access to Contraceptives Without Parental Consent?

Similarly, another study was also conducted using a telephone survey, this time their participants consisted of legal guardians with daughters under the age of 17. The study focused on the legal guardian’s acceptance of certain contraceptive methods that are given to their children without their consent. As a result, oral contraceptive pills were deemed as the most approved form of contraceptive among parents as 59% had agreed. On the other hand, intrauterine devices such as an IUD and implants which are inserted into the female genitalia, were deemed not as highly acceptable by legal guardians as only 18% had agreed to this type of contraceptive.

Guardians were also asked about the use of male condoms during intercourse and 51% of the parents agreed that if their daughters were being sexually active, they would want their daughter and significant other to use protection (Hartman, 2013, p.252). This comes to show that although parents may seem uncomfortable not knowing whether or not their children are taking contraceptives, they are more concerned about the type of contraceptive method they are taking and would prefer a pill other than a longer lasting form of birth control. Parents would also prefer the male using a condom rather than their daughters using contraceptives.

Based on the previous studies, some parents may have been a little more lenient towards their underage children taking contraceptives because of their concern regarding their child’s safety. However, some parents are not as lenient and due to strict cultural backgrounds may be completely against any sexual activity before marriage and even question the need for contraceptives. A study done in 2001 focused on Chinese parents with young unmarried teens and their perspective on their children taking contraceptives. It was said in the study that participants with high religious and cultural values believe by “provid[ing] them with contraceptives it means you are providing them free sex” (Cui et al., 2001, p. 142).

Some parents in this study expressed their concerns with children having access to contraceptives without their consent as this may lead them to choose contraceptives without any assistance or background knowledge on what it does to their bodies and its use (Cui et al., 2001, p.142). Parents in this study believed that giving youth free contraceptives would promote them to be sexually active and as a result a handful of parents in this study believed only kids above the age of 18 should be able to access such services (Cui et al., 2001, p.143). This comes to show based on an individual’s views, background, and cultural context parents may have different views on sex and access to contraceptives as many parents may believe sex before marriage is not acceptable. On the other hand, parents who are not against sex may not be as tough when it comes to their child being able to access contraceptives.

Minor’s Views

If parents knew their teens were taking contraceptives, teenagers may decrease the use of services and contraceptives provided by youth clinics. This is because minors may feel scared to ask their parents for consent for contraceptives as some parents may not accept that their child is sexually active before marriage. A 2018 study had female participants between the ages of 18-19 surveyed via telephone. The girls were asked for their opinion on having access to contraceptives at a pharmacy without having to receive consent from their parents.

As a result, parental involvement was seen as a” potential barrier for access in the traditional care model and included not being able to obtain contraceptives at all” (Wilkinson, para.24). This is due to some teens having strict parents and not feeling comfortable asking their parents for consent as there was a chance for them to turn down access to contraceptives. One female in the survey expressed her feelings regarding this issue, saying, if she had access to birth control she may not have become a young teen mom, but due to the fear of her parents potentially knowing she was sexually active, she could not go to them for birth control (Wilkinson, 2018, para.23).

In addition, another study compared birth and abortion rates among teens when consent was required for contraceptives and compared it to abortion and birth rates when teens were not required consent. The data disclosed that the requirement of parental consent increased the number of pregnancies among minors as most minors continued to be sexually active but did not seek to obtain contraceptives due to fear of their parent’s reaction (Zavodny, 2004, p. 1350). In fact it was recorded that “ 47% of minors said they would stop using all family planning clinic services if their parents were notified that they were seeking birth control pills or any other contraceptive devices and another 12% would delay any [treatment]” (Zavodny, 2004, p. 1351). This comes to show that minors are mortified and feel awkward with having to ask their parents about their sexual health or the permission to obtain contraceptives.

Based on the studies mentioned, if minors were required to get consent from their parents for contraceptives, they would continue to be sexually active just without using contraceptives, which could result in more teen pregnancies. Another 2011 study interviewed teenage girls after having abortions and their experience with the use of contraceptives. The 12 teenage girls with a median age of 17 discussed their feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and their lack of knowledge on contraceptives. Most of the girls got their information about contraceptives from their friends, the internet, or youth clinics as parents were not nearly as involved in their decision making.

The participants also discussed fear they had of any pain or unknown side effects that may come from taking contraceptives (Falk et al., p. 275-277). This study illustrates how many teens would benefit from getting parental support when making the decision of which contraceptive method is best for them. Due to the lack of parental support and their negative views on contraceptives, as discussed in the studies above, it seems nearly impossible to receive support from a legal guardian.

Discussion

Some weaknesses indicated in the following studies focused on female participants as they were more likely to get pregnant and seek oral contraceptives such as birth control and plan B. Therefore, parents and female teens were mainly concerned with getting pregnant and using contraceptives such as the pill as a prevention method. However, not many studies focused on male use of condoms and most parents with sons were not as concerned when it came to the use of contraceptives. Other weaknesses in these studies were small sample sizes as they were not able to represent an entire population.

In addition, none of the parents were tested on their knowledge of contraceptive methods but the studies solemnly based their surveys on their opinions rather than their awareness of the different contraceptive methods (Hartman, 2013, p. 254). Another weakness indicated in the study done by Wilkinson was that participants under the age of 18 were not interviewed to be a part of the study due to the need for parental consent. Almost all of the participants in the study agreed with the pharmacist prescribing contraceptives without parental consent, therefore, the sample size may not have been as representative of the entire population.

Another weakness found in this study was that almost all the participants had experience with either using or accessing contraceptives, therefore, they were not representative of teens who may not have had access to contraceptives before (2018, para 34). A weakness indicated in Falk’s 2011 study was that the interviewee did not ask the participants questions about their religious views and how their religious backgrounds and how their families may have felt about the use of contraceptives. Also, the participants were not picked by random as they needed to meet certain criteria to participate in the study (p.277).

Some strengths correlated with the studies were that all of them took into account the parents views. While not all of them had large sample sizes one particular study by Einsenberg et al. did have a large sample size of parents who had teens. This particular study also used a population sampling frame instead of a convenient sample, meaning the study had parents with different ethnicities and races participate in this study (2005, p. 125). This allowed for the study to have different opinions on their underage teens using contraceptives regarding different cultural beliefs.

Further Research

Based on the research conducted in this essay, further research should be done to identify any further barriers for minors to access contraceptives, more parents should also be educated on contraceptives and understand the views of minors as well as the impact parents have on their children to refuse sexual health services. Many parents do not communicate sexual health matters with their teenagers and mostly depend on government services to teach them about sexual health.

However, if more research is done to look into programming for children and parents to be able to comfortably talk about sex education and their sexual health with their children then there may be less of a need to have confidentiality when it comes to the access of contraceptives. If a program is funded where both children and parents can be educated on sexual health, then it may bring more light into the future of teens accessing contraceptives without having any fear of their parents’ reactions. Not only would this decrease the fear of teens as but by having their parents support and approval would also help them with decision making when it comes to choosing a contraceptive method that is right for them.

Most of the studies above only focused on young females and how parents would feel if their daughters were to access contraceptives. However, more research should be done towards male contraceptives as there is more pressure put on females to be in charge of consuming birth control or having an IUD. However, males should also be responsible for taking precautions such as wearing a condom before participating in any sexual activity to prevent the spread of STI’s and STD’s. In some cases, programming and educational resources may not change some of the parents’ views on contraceptives due to strict religious backgrounds or strong cultural beliefs. Since this may end up being the case for many minors there should research done on facilities that are available to the youth where there is a trusted adult they can speak to with confidentiality, so that they have support when it comes to choosing the right contraceptive for them.

Sexual activity and contraceptives can be scary for many children who do not have support from an adult, therefore if every child has a trusted adult with them, they may be guided into making better and educated decisions. Overall, the studies in this essay reveal how minors fear telling their parents about any sexual activities they may be involved in and studies have revealed they are even more terrified to ask them permission for contraceptives. By requiring consent from their legal guardians to access contraceptives, teens under the age of 19 would rather not receive sexual health care than ask their parents for consent. This comes to show that parents are unsupportive of their teens accessing contraceptives.

Based on multiple parental surveys done, parents show mixed emotions when it comes to them accessing contraceptives. Their outlook on contraceptives is dependent on their backgrounds and beliefs as some adults have a stricter mindset than others. Whereas, those who were more lenient preferred their children to have oral contraceptives instead of having intrauterine devices such as an IUD or implant.

Due to the results of the studies, further research should be implemented on having education programs for both parents and children to understand the various methods of contraceptives available and how to take care of their sexual health. Also, parents should be more supportive and involved in their child’s lives as many children fear to speak to their parents about contraceptives. Due to some teens having more stricter parents who are not as willing to accept contraceptives, confidentiality between parents and their children should remain but children should have access to a supportive adult to help them decide the best method of contraceptive for them.