One of my patients’ mothers, who was in high school when she gave birth, was the latest of her multiple sisters to become pregnant prior to graduation. She knows all about contraception. She does not know for sure who the baby’s father was.
Another teenage patient, who also knew all about contraception, quietly sobbed on my shoulder, simply saying she hoped this baby was someone who would love her.
Early instructions from a physician about how to engage in uncommitted sex did not “empower” these young women. Providing more instructions even earlier isn’t likely going to help either….
How would my teen years have looked if the adults around me had not taught me that I was intrinsically valuable, and instead explained how I could have “safe” sex with a teen boy who didn’t know me from Adam and whose hormones had replaced his thinking brain? What adults need to reinforce (whether writing for a teen magazine or as a physician giving advice) is that our bodies and hearts are connected. The entire package should be treasured and safe-guarded, not just given to the first bidder.
~ Robin Pierucci, The Federalist, September 28, 2017
