The thought of many schools in New York City giving morning-after pills (emergency contraceptive) to girls as young as 14 years old is disturbing, but it is definitely not a surprise.
There is, no doubt, that the society we live in today has come to terms with the idea that sex sells.
The way the entertainment industry portrays sexual relations allows for it to not be taken seriously.
Entertainment has also made it more acceptable in society to partake in casual one-night stands.
However, people often forget that sex was created by God originally to be an act shared between a married man and woman and for the purpose of procreation.
By giving girls these morning-after pills, the schools are not encouraging abstinence but rather giving them the means to shield themselves from the responsibility and consequences that come from engaging in sexual activity: pregnancy.
Hebrews 13:4 (NIV) says, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”
According to WebMD, the morning-after pill is made with a progestin hormone known as levonorgestrel, which prevents the release of an egg from a woman’s ovaries, which, in turn results in the prevention of pregnancy.
Also, according to Planned Parenthood, depending on the brand, the morning-after pill can be taken up to 72- 120 hours after engaging in sexual activities. However, the longer a woman waits to take it, the less effective the pill becomes.
New York City schools should not be giving the morning-after pill to young girls, especially when it is not acceptable to be giving those same girls aspirin. By providing students this form of contraception, these schools are essentially telling young girls it is OK for them to practice unprotected sexual relations because the morning-after pill can help prevent pregnancy.
However, just like all forms of contraceptives, the morning-after pill is not 100 percent guaranteed to prevent pregnancy. The morning-after pill also does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases.
The disregard given to the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases and the lack of promoting abstinence is worrisome. Preventing pregnancy in young teens is only half of the problem that must be addressed. By promoting abstinence among students, the schools would also prevent sexually transmitted diseases from spreading.
In Genesis 1:28, God commands us to “be fruitful and multiply the earth.” However, he is not talking about unwed school girls being fruitful and multiplying the earth, but rather a married man and woman.
This stance to help prevent unplanned pregnancy is irresponsible by New York City school officials because taking the morning-after pill can be seen as incentive for unwed couples to engage in sexual relations since it decreases the chances of pregnancy.
According to the policies at most drugstores in America, the emergency contraceptive known as the morning-after pill is only available for purchase without a prescription to women and men age 17 or older.
If the legal age to buy this emergency contraceptive is much older than 14 years of age, then why do New York City school leaders think it is acceptable to give the morning-after pill to 14-year- old girls?
