Claremont Independent

Last Updated: 12/19/06 Section: Opinion

Comprehensive sex education is necessary in light of the decreasing age for children becoming sexually active. In addition, myths about birth control still dominate the perspectives of many sexually active teenagers and adults and surely lead to unplanned pregnancies. Young people need to know as much as they can about the risks associated with sex and that by staying unprotected, they are gambling with their health. The more they know about the transmittance of STDs, the more likely it is that they will prevent pregnancy by using contraception. In this sense, candid sex education is the best way to decrease both unplanned pregnancies and disease
One of the other issues that affect the number of abortions is the pervasive notion that once a woman becomes pregnant, abortion is her "only way out." When a woman feels that going through an abortion is her only choice, it is a sign that the needs of women in our society are not being met. There are many emotions that can be felt, and questions that can be asked, by a woman who has found out she is pregnant. How will she be able to afford having a baby? Will she be able to finish school? How will her family react? If there are more resources available to providing caring support for young mothers, it will make it easier for a woman's reaction to her unplanned pregnancy to be happy about the baby she will have, instead of fear and sadness.
Of course, it is not always the best option for a woman with an unplanned pregnancy to become a parent. Support systems should also be in place so women who choose to give their babies up for adoption can make the most informed decisions about how to proceed, and receive care for the subsequent physical and psychological effects. Millions of people seek to adopt every year, and it is a noble thing to provide for an unplanned child either by seeking good adoptive parents, or by adopting children.
The difficulty when trying to make the pro-life argument approachable to any reasonable pro-choice individual is that it often seems like the role of the pro-lifer to convince them that an unborn child is a valid human life. Instead, the goal of approaching the abortion problem is to convince women that there are many reasons to say "no," and that the issue is better approached with education pre-conception, and with care and support post-conception. In a world where women's options regarding their well-being are so limited, how can we say that feminism has been successful?

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