Should Schools Provide Contraceptives to Students? Parents Talk

Let's just say it. Teens are having sex. And some studies show teens are engaging at increasingly younger ages and not using protection.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released findings that showed of high school students surveyed in 2011, nearly 48 percent said they had had sexual intercourse. Further, almost 34 percent said they had sex during the previous three month period with nearly 40 percent of those admitted to not using a condom and nearly 80 percent to not using form of birth control.

New York City recently implemented a pilot program to provide more access to contraceptives in select city schools. According to a New York Times article, health officials said it has been met with little parent opposition, with only 1 to 2 percent of parents returning a form to opt out of the program.

The program uses doctors from the health department, who prescribe contraceptives, and school nurses. Emergency contraceptives, condoms, pregnancy testing and birth control pills are among the services provided to students.

The schools chosen for the program were selected "because they had a dearth of health services nearby and they served a student population known to have a higher risk of pregnancy," the New York Times article said.

Given the changing scope of sexual activity among teens, would you support a similar program in your local school district? Should schools spend more time on abstinence rather than safe-sex education? Do parents or schools have more of the responsibility? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.