An honest talk about SEX

[nissangirl74]

...birth control, personal responsibility, and minors having sex.

Yesterday's topic on the local radio station was whether Birth Control Pills should be sold over the counter instead of requiring a prescription. Supporters say that easier access would lead to fewer unwanted teen pregnancies. Opponents say that it just opens the door to promiscuity and more people will start having sex if they don't have to go to the doctor for this extra layer of protection. It seems as though there are many people who want to express their own opinion but they aren't interested in what people on the other side of the table have to say.

From a woman's standpoint, I can honestly say that I believe that BCPs should require a prescription. There are certain women who can not take them. If you have high blood pressure, have ever had a heart attack or a stroke, or have a family history of any of these, there is an increased chance of you suffering from a stroke. If you smoke, that chance increases exponentially. If you are over 35 and you smoke, doctors will not prescribe the pill because of the increased risk of stroke and blood clots. If a girl doesn't hear that from her doctor and she has a family history, she could be unknowingly risking her life in order to prevent another one.

As far as contraceptive availability being the answer to a decrease in teen pregnancy, I think anyone with a brain in their head could say that is false. Condoms have been available for YEARS. They prevent both pregnancy and many STDs and yet lots of young people admit to not using them. If teens aren't going to be responsible enough to wrap it up to prevent an STD, why would anyone think that they're going to be willing to take a pill at the exact same time everyday and never miss a day? If HIV doesn't scare them, why would a pregnancy?

Also, I think it is time for adults to get over this idea that they can convince teenagers to not have sex. Again, if teen pregnancy and the threat of HIV and herpes doesn't persuade them into abstinence, their Momma telling them "you're-gonna-go-to-hell if you have sex" isn't gonna do squat. Plus, sex is everywhere. It's on TV, it's in magazines, it's on the internet (ie: laptops, tablets, phones, etc). It is as accessible as bottled water. To think you are gonna shelter your child from it in ANY shape or form is just asinine. To refuse to discuss sex with your kids makes the situation even worse.


So, I'm curious about a few things. (1) Do you think a woman should have to see a doc before she gets the pill? (2) What is your biggest concern when it comes to sex: preventing an STD or preventing a pregnancy? (3) What do you think should be the primary focus in sex ed? Teaching abstinence or responsibility? (4) Did you ever discuss with your parents? Did they influence the decisions you made abut sex?



Discuss.




This link echoes some of the viewpoints. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2012 ... l/1732205/

[audtatious]

So, I'm curious about a few things.

(1) Do you think a woman should have to see a doc before she gets the pill?

I'm on the fence. For most medications I'm to the point of letting people do what they want. Problem with that is the social and economic impact of that. As a society we keep locking things down more and more to protect those idiots who will abuse things (using cough medicine to make meth thus now we have to get it through the pharmacist instead of over the counter). From a birth control perspective there are potential issues for some that a doctor visit would inform them of, as you have stated. BUT, there are also over the counter and even non-drugs in the environment that can also cause adverse reactions and damage if people use the product. Think peanut allergies. From an economic perspective I think we cater too much to people who abuse themselves and products to the point that we as a society are suffering by the high cost of health and hospitalization. Without holding people responsible for their own decisions there is no real solution, thus a catch-22.

(2) What is your biggest concern when it comes to sex: preventing an STD or preventing a pregnancy?

Probably pregnancy. Most STD's are curable with one being an annoyance (da herp) and the other possibly killing you eventually (AIDS). Granted, those who don't use a "hope I don't get preggers" method of birth control won't really care about STD's either.

(3) What do you think should be the primary focus in sex ed? Teaching abstinence or responsibility?

Sex ed started coming out in my school system when I was in high school. It was primarily about functionality and causation. I thought that was fine as they didn't try and shove us in some direction other than making sure we understand what causes pregnancy and what can be done to prevent it. Today seems different and I've heard of school systems around here having girls put condoms on bananas, etc. Too many people trying to use basic education as a tool to push forth their particular points of view instead of letting the individual and family figure it out on their own. Abstinence is always good at that age but responsibility is usually out the door. Teach both and hope they make the right decision.

(4) Did you ever discuss with your parents? Did they influence the decisions you made abut sex?

No. I was a "sausage wrapper" until a particular girlfriend convinced me she was on the pill.....and lied. Even with trying to be responsible that responsibility is only as good as the word of your partner in some cases.

[ImStricken06]

DISCUSS SEX

awesome thread!

(1) Do you think a woman should have to see a doc before she gets the pill?:

personally, NO.
in your very own post you wrote that people dont care about HIV, nor any other STD's and still "do the dirty" without a condom - so what makes you think some ghetto brat, or mommy's little (devil) angel in the 'burbs still wont smoke while on the pill, even after her Dr told her the serious health risks? Visiting a Dr to hear the health risks wont stop anyone from doing anything. Self-destructive people have always existed, and always will - no matter what Dr or parent, or teacher, or anyone for that matter tells them. Expecting a teen to listen to a stranger in a white lab coat who just got done groping & prodding her "hoo-ha" is silly. They are gonna walk out and try to forget everything that just was said and done her.
PERSONALLY: i feel it would be a better benefit to everyone if teens were able to log into a government official website that was run by the fed/state(i dont care who, as long as its a .gov site) where a surgeon general would have a hand in issuing the federal prescriptions. Girls would have to enter their information, read and click through messages & warnings, and view vivid & graphic images of STD's and or pregnancy. At the end of the 15-20 min online session the girls would have the option of printing out their prescription and going to any pharmacy and getting their pills. This piece of paper would be the only thing they need to get future refills.

(2) What is your biggest concern when it comes to sex: preventing an STD or preventing a pregnancy?

pregnancy. no matter how you look at it, whats worse: unwanted kids, or adults suffering from carelessness? whats worse in my opinion? = unwanted kids. if adults screw around and bang dirty/easy people, especially without protection = they deserve what they get. i dont want to make any promises, but i can almost guarantee that i will not be banging some ghetto hood-rat, some jersey shore style skank, or some easy/nasty girl. if i see any of those qualities in a woman, i run the other way. idk what it is, but none of those qualities ever turned me on. so far, std free & doing just fine. the guys who will bang skanks/hoodrats/sluts/sluts/etc = enjoy the burn!

(3) What do you think should be the primary focus in sex ed? Teaching abstinence or responsibility?

PLAIN & SIMPLE, NONE OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID. i think Sex-Ed should be teaching what good qualities to look for in a partner.
i think all kids by the time they are old enough to have sex or be in a sex-ed class, know how to put on a condom, how to have sex, what a clitoris is, and what happens if a male ejaculates in a female. I think not enough kids now a days have the understanding of how to treat a woman/girl, and how a woman should treat herself and her man. More and more families now a days are broken apart due to the mentality that a woman doesn't need a husband to raise kids. Kids are growing up NOT witnessing how a husband should treat his wife & how a wife should treat her husband. These kids then hit the streets at 15,16,17 and have no understanding of a family unit/relationship, nor the do's & donts of a relationship, and emulate only what they know and hear about: (example)chris brown & rhianna. they treat woman like s***, women accept crap, etc. Whatever time Sex-Ed teachers have with thier students, they should be instilling good values into kids, because its obvious that as of lately people cant spell "values" let alone define them, or practice them. They should show the good values, that the kids maybe dont see at home. It doesnt take much to empower a kid to see a brighter side than what they see at home. It only takes one 30min class to show a female student that dad treating mom like crap isnt normal, its abuse, and shouldn't be tolerated. hell we all were empowered and all were pissed as hell at our parents who smoke - who doesnt remember telling our parents to stop smoking? i know i used to come home and teach my parents the dangers of smoking! lol whats to say the same wont happen, when 'little sally' finds out that opening the door for a woman, is proper etiquette?

(4) Did you ever discuss with your parents? Did they influence the decisions you made abut sex?

to be honest, my dad backed away from me once i turned an age where i was talking back & old enough to rebuttal. i would say around 14/15/16 my father was not emotionally there & didnt like me to much lol. my mother was a european mom, and didnt feel comfortable talking to me about sex, so i pretty much learned sex stuff on my own. So far, im 28: no kids, no std's, no problems.

how my parents did influence me regarding sex and making the right decisions, is they didnt allow me to watch certain things when i was young. it was a rule in my home that if any very intimate kissing or any other kind of sexual behavior was on tv or a movie, i was to instantly turn away. they also spent plenty time criticizing sluts on tv/movies lol hell my mother still will criticize sleazy women on tv lol. i remember me and my sister watching 90210 and my parents walking by and seeing brenda & luke making out, and my parents making comments of disgust lmfao
i think they didnt have to sit me down and talk about the birds & the bee's. they knew that kids know it anyway. what they did want to do, and successfully did do: teach me the types of women to date, and the types to stay away from. my parents showed their love for one another constantly. they were and still are very warm towards one another. my father still opens doors for my mother. they hold hands, etc. they still hold to their strict European morals and values- and i think that they raised me and my sister fine, and no one in my family has had any issues of deviant behavior of any kind.

i also think that we will see crazier & riskier kids in the future due to a certain group of people that are breaking down the family unit, thus changing the mentality that kids grow up with:

• 1) you dont have to be married to have kids. (at least have a father willing to be in the picture! if a child comes from a home where a father was absent from day one, the male child will grow up thinking its ok to "hit & run". while a little girl will grow up thinking its ok to have unprotected sex and have kids by a man that has not shown he is prepared for children)
  
  2)a woman doesnt need a man in her life. (im all for girl-power, but lets be honest here. having a father in the picture is very important. if a child comes from a home where a father or every father was absent from day one, the male children will grow up thinking its ok to "hit & run". while little girls will grow up thinking its ok to have unprotected sex and have kids by a man/men that have not shown he is prepared for children)
  
  3) you dont have to work/prepare/save to have kids. (i understand unexpected situations, they happen. im talking about those that just dont care, fully knowing welfare will cover all the bills. kids grow up thinking: we had nothing, and i grew up fine, so my kids dont need much either and they too will grow up fine.)
  
  4) having kids is a right, not a privilege you have to work hard for. (talking about the ones that just wanna pop a kid not caring what their current situation is. if a mother who lives in a slum, continues to have kids the kids grow up not understanding that before you have kids, you attempt to prepare the best you can.)
  
  5) drugs or experimenting with them is fine. (kids watching you smoke pot, will smoke it themselves, and roll with the wrong crowd.
  if kids grow up watching mom bringing home pot-heads who "crash on the couch", the kids will think its fine to do drugs, and hang with the wrong crowd)

i think all of the above mentioned things are equally important in the future decision making skills a child will have. hence why i say sex-ed should focus on better decision skills, better relationship skills, etc. teaching a kid to put a condom on or where to stick what - wont stop the epidemic of little teenage dirtbags we currently have lol

[Bubba1]

...So, I'm curious about a few things. (1) Do you think a woman should have to see a doc before she gets the pill?

Yes, absolutely. Unlike other forms of contraception, the pill is consumed, and therefore could have medical side effects. And the pill is not the only form of birth control out there available for teens.

... (2) What is your biggest concern when it comes to sex: preventing an STD or preventing a pregnancy? /

Since I'm monogamous, my concern would be preventing a pregnancy. But for most younger folks, I'd say both.

(3) What do you think should be the primary focus in sex ed? Teaching abstinence or responsibility? /

Responsibility.

(4) Did you ever discuss with your parents? Did they influence the decisions you made abut sex?

/

I don't remember having THE discussion with my parents, but I was raised to excercise responsibility and common sense. I suppose they did influence me in that respect as I've gotten no STD's and my child was planned.

[numbnuts240]

1. i'm against taking meds myself for most of everything, but the times i DO take anything, i consult my doctor first.
2. i like kids, i hate disease.
3. definitely responsibility.
4. never talked to my parents about sex. 27 years, no disease, no kids. i think the right decisions were made.

[bigbadberry3]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162- ... hnicities/

Looks like advocating responsibilty and more access to BC is effective.

If there was a pill for a guy I would be on it

[DJ_B_Easy]

(1) Do you think a woman should have to see a doc before she gets the pill?

150%. Most modern BC pills are still in their infancy and are beginning to show studies of long term side effects. There can be serious side effects from ANY drug. I myself was landed in the hospital for 3 days in October for taking Prednisone, a very common steroid. Some BC pills are showing studies of permanent sterilization. Law suits abound, see Yaz.

(2) What is your biggest concern when it comes to sex: preventing an STD or preventing a pregnancy?

Me personally, preventing pregnancy. Because I know that my fiance and I have been tested and are clean. For teenagers, I think its a same situation scenario. Both are going to be life changing.

(3) What do you think should be the primary focus in sex ed? Teaching abstinence or responsibility?

Responsibility. Like you said, sex is everywhere. You wont stop it, you can only educate about it.

(4) Did you ever discuss with your parents? Did they influence the decisions you made abut sex?

Nope, and even if they did, nope.

Discuss.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydrtF45-y-g[/youtube]

EDIT: why arent Youtube embeds working?

[ImStricken06]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydrtF45-y-g[/youtube]

EDIT: why arent Youtube embeds working?

i fixed it for you. it had an "S" after http

[NolimitZ32]

I'll try to be brief, and some of you may hate me after this but I am one for natural selection.
(1) Do you think a woman should have to see a doc before she gets the pill?
No, If you are too stupid to not even think about the effects of something you put into your body and explore the situation some than good ridance.
(2) What is your biggest concern when it comes to sex: preventing an STD or preventing a pregnancy?
My biggest is actually getting some. . . I have not worn used a rubber more times than I'd like to admit though I have always thought that I am a bit more discerning about whom I sleep with. That being said, when I was in Highschool and college, pregnancy was always the main concern since a vast majority of the sex I was having was with a long time partner (I didnt sleep around much in HS, I really should've). Now being older the concern is definetly more focused on STDs as I am not and have not been in a long term relationship for some time and don't forsee being in one for a while because of my work and life and overall desire to not be tied down, therefore the in all likelyhood, any sex I will be having will be promiscuous and with a random partner. Need I say more?
(3) What do you think should be the primary focus in sex ed? Teaching abstinence or responsibility?
Project Selfrespect and the like have over the last decade fallen on deaf ears, kids are learning about sex and how AWESOME it actually is at an earlier age. My personal outlook on sex amongst teens is the same as drug use amongst teens, and guns too, teach them don't shield and shelter, if they know all about it, the good and the bad they will make the right decision. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the parents NOT the schools to teach the birds and the bees and other important life lessons.
(4) Did you ever discuss with your parents? Did they influence the decisions you made abut sex?
By the time my parents got around to discussing it with me I had seen enough of Pam Lee's early films to know a thing or two. Having a f*** up of a brother who was 10 years older helped me to see what not to do and taught me way more than I wanted to know about the bad side of sex very early. my parents didnt want me watching kissing scenes in movies but would talk erm yell at my brother in front of me and use fvery graphically descriptive language. First actual talk I had with my parents about sex was when I was 15 almost 16, shopping for a car. It went like this: (family sunday out at the Kemah Boardwalk, sitting down for lunch at Landry's)
Dad: so what are you going to do if your friends ask you for a ride?
Me: I'll take them home I guess.
Dad: What if it's long distance?
Me:I don't know depends on how far I guess.
Dad: Are you going to pay for the gas?
Me: No
Dad: Well I'm not either so you better think before you go mdriving long distances or doing stupid stuff.
(My dad is a bit of a philosopher)
Me: Oh umm yeah dad sure.
Dad: Look I don't care if you drive far or drive a lot or do whatever, just be responsible. I taught you how to drive but I'm not going to buy you gas, you wanna drive, buy your own gas, you wanna f***, buy your own damn condoms.

I love my dad.

[frapjap]

So, I'm curious about a few things. (1) Do you think a woman should have to see a doc before she gets the pill?

Yes, mainly because of the risks and side effects. On the flip side, there is more than one way to prevent birth, and thus may be more effective for the patient to know that one may be better suited to them than another.

(2) What is your biggest concern when it comes to sex: preventing an STD or preventing a pregnancy?

Pregnancy. I don't mind children, I will baby sit, but I do not want my own; seriously just not built for it.
My life ambitions to travel everywhere and anywhere and be a DINK seem much more appealing.

(3) What do you think should be the primary focus in sex ed? Teaching abstinence or responsibility?

Responsibility. However, someone made an excellent point of actually teaching value and how/when the time is right to have sex. The media blasting and potrayal of children (seriously, children) kissing and becoming intimate is at an alarming level. Without a parent or beacon of reason to point them in the right direction, you get crap like the kids trying to emmulate Rhianna and Chris Brown. True, I may have seem Pam and Tommy- but DUDE! AT LESAT THEY WERE MARRIED!!!

(4) Did you ever discuss with your parents? Did they influence the decisions you made abut sex?

Only my mother. And I suppose so. Whoring around wasn't an option and never would be. Lasting love and passion were always paramount.





What are your answers to the questions, Becky?

[MinisterofDOOM]

Birth control pills are hormones, and they can do bad things when not taken correctly. Prescription might get in the way of more women using the pills, but it's still a necessity for safety.

Growing up where I have, I've been exposed to strong anti-birth-control sentiment. I find it narrow-minded and foolish. Why would you not take every precaution available? Part of the disdain I have for this mindset is that it assumes that EVERYONE who uses birth-control is having extramarital sex. The idea of couples using pills or condoms doesn't dawn on most mormons (MORE BABIES NAO). So they assume that anyone using either must be having sex outside of marriage. Which gives birth control a negative stigma. And THAT makes it embarrassing for people to talk about. Try buying a box of condoms in Utah. You'll get the stink eye the whole way out of the store--if not from the clerk than from everyone around you. It's foolish, arrogant, and doesn't help anything.

Where I live now, in Rexburg, ID (which is a BYU college town and basically a chunk of Utah torn off the map and pasted back down next to the Tetons--irony not missed) condoms are kept in locked cases at the supermarket. A COLLEGE TOWN. And you have to ask the clerk for a box of condoms the way you would for cigarrettes. The thought process behind it is obvious: make it so embarrassing to get the condoms that you'll choose not to buy them. And if you don't have condoms, you won't give in to temptation! Which is more narrowminded idealist horsepucky. All it really means is that when you DO give in, you've done so without your failsafe in place.

The viewpoint is the same toward the pill. If you're taking it, you must be doing it for evil reasons. If you admit to taking it, you'll be shunned. If you're married, you should be having babies, so why are you on the pill?! If you're not married, you shouldn't be having sex, so why are you on the pill?! Narrowminded idealism. People are humans. Even the most "moral" humans slip up from time to time. Avoiding safety nets is not noble or morally superior. It's foolish and idealistic.

So, in answer to your questions:

1: Yes. Drugs can do unexpected things. Expert advice is worth seeking before use.
2: BOTH?! I mean...I'd hope that I don't have to worry about STDs at all, but you never know. But I also don't want a kid until I decide that I WANT a kid. I don't want a surprise. I want it to be intentional--a joint decision for which we are both prepared. I have FAR too many friends who get pregnant when they can barely support themselves. I will not be one of those people.
3: Abstinence (in regards to ANYTHING) is the SINGLE STUPIDEST IDEA IN THE HISTORY OF STUPID HUMAN IDEAS. If you think abstinence works, you're dumber than the hammer on my shelf.
4: My parents respected my intelligence enough not to have "the talk." But the subject did come up. These discussions did not DIRECTLY influence my decisions. It's the values my parents instilled in me that had that influence. Those values existed entirely independently of any overt discussions about sex. Which is why I've always felt that sex education having ANYTHING to do with the morality of sex is ridiculous. Educate on the hows and whys and let personal values guide the ifs and whens. Education, not indoctrination.

[elwesso]

Ok so this thread is talking about the boring part of sex? LOL.

On one hand I think it's a good idea that women get a prescription to get BC, but OTOH it's also their responsibility to know if they're at risk or not. No one is preventing any diabetic from buying a box of wine and a pound of sugar, and it's just as bad of an idea (bad example).

I think that the answer to the second question is BOTH.... a child is the worst STD out there!

[Jesda]

Ok so this thread is talking about the boring part of sex? LOL.

On one hand I think it's a good idea that women get a prescription to get BC, but OTOH it's also their responsibility to know if they're at risk or not. No one is preventing any diabetic from buying a box of wine and a pound of sugar, and it's just as bad of an idea (bad example).

I think that the answer to the second question is BOTH.... a child is the worst STD out there!

Remember the bags of flour we had to carry around in middle school? Mine lost quite a bit of flour when I dropped it on the floor. I had to refill and gently reseal it without making it look obvious. During the day, I kept it in my locker and stayed under the radar, making sure my health teacher didn't see me except in class.

[The second most effective form of birth control is, of course, listening to Ace of Base in your Saab with the top down.]

[MinisterofDOOM]

When I was in high school, they didn't use bags of flower. They used dolls with accelerometers, gyroscopes, or goofy keys that strapped to your wrist. The things could cry, and the only way to stop it was to put the key (which looked like a pacifier, as I recall) in the doll's mouth. If let unattended (either crying or just lying unheld) it would track the time. When you turned the doll in at the end of the exercize you'd pass or fail based on the data recorded by the doll. I was always immensely glad I did not take whatever they called the class that required that garbage. I'd probably have burned mine and made up some crazy excuse to explain the carbonised hulk that I returned at the end.

[elwesso]

Ok so this thread is talking about the boring part of sex? LOL.

On one hand I think it's a good idea that women get a prescription to get BC, but OTOH it's also their responsibility to know if they're at risk or not. No one is preventing any diabetic from buying a box of wine and a pound of sugar, and it's just as bad of an idea (bad example).

I think that the answer to the second question is BOTH.... a child is the worst STD out there!

Remember the bags of flour we had to carry around in middle school? Mine lost quite a bit of flour when I dropped it on the floor. I had to refill and gently reseal it without making it look obvious. During the day, I kept it in my locker and stayed under the radar, making sure my health teacher didn't see me except in class.

[The second most effective form of birth control is, of course, listening to Ace of Base in your Saab with the top down.]

LOL that's amazing, we had to do that too.. We also had to read that book called "flour baby's" or something... We had ours filled with sand (cheaper than flour?).. Anyway, it sprunk a leak about halfway through the deal, so I put it in a ziplock bag with a straw through the zip-lock part to act as a snorkel.

One of my friends came over after school one time, so rather than take them with us wherever we were going, we had the box from my old scanner take care of them.

Jesda you take a different view on birth control, you're method by scaring away the women is more like "birth prevention"?

[audtatious]

We didn't have such BS when I was in school. Spent time trying to learn instead of social issues.

[WDRacing]

We should employ as many methods as possible to keep kids from reproducing. What kind of a parent is a teenager going to make? Most likely I'll end up paying for yet another welfare kid.If a kid has a stroke because they can't stop f*** and need a bcp, well that's they're choice. Where as paying for more and more welfare kids puts an ever increasing load on my tax dollar. We have enough bad adult parents let alone teens trying to cope with that responsibility. Who's going to help, the grand parents? Where were they in the first place.

No, avoid prego at all costs. Feed them the morning after pill with breakfast and have them take a bcp before bed.

[MinisterofDOOM]

We should employ as many methods as possible to keep kids from reproducing. What kind of a parent is a teenager going to make? Most likely I'll end up paying for yet another welfare kid.If a kid has a stroke because they can't stop f**king and need a bcp, well that's they're choice. Where as paying for more and more welfare kids puts an ever increasing load on my tax dollar. We have enough bad adult parents let alone teens trying to cope with that responsibility. Who's going to help, the grand parents? Where were they in the first place.

No, avoid prego at all costs. Feed them the morning after pill with breakfast and have them take a bcp before bed.

Again:
Since when are irresponsible teens the only people who might want to use birth control pills? Since when is birth control ONLY for sex-addicted, irresponsible, unmarried people? Not everyone wants children. Birth control is NOT just disaster prevention. People need to stop looking at it that way. Certainly, reducing teen pregnancies is a huge benefit of birth control. But there are plenty of happily-married, intelligent, adult couples who use birth control.

[WDRacing]

One has nothing to do with the other dude. Since older people don't require a parents permission they aren't part of the topic. Take my last line and apply it to everyone that isn't planning for a child.

BC is disaster prevention. What else is it? Teens are not responsible enough to have children.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I agree with you completely. I think birth control should be readily available and dispensed intelligently-but-freely. If it is never needed, that's fantastic. But the one time it is needed, the benefit will be there.

I just kinda went off on a tangent because I smell the stink of "age-gating" on the idea of the prescription requirement. The prescription serves a legitimate purpose: to ensure the drug is not going to cause unintended harm to the user. But the prescription's purpose is NOT to artificially restrict availability. And I feel like it's too easy a thing for people to use it at that. It's not the method, it's the mentality that scares me. Same thing that keeps beer locked away in state-operated stores in Utah. Same thing that means I have to present ID whenever I want sudafed or a violent videogame, depsite being neither a meth cook nor a sociopath. On the surface, these things seem sensible. Underneath, they are sinister and terrifying. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Let's not resurface it via yet another "cause."

[PEZi]

Being a 20-something... I've seen modern day high schoolers and college kids act like fools every single day. Promiscuity is already a rampant issue with kids at the age of 15 already having SEVERAL sexual partners... allowing them to grab birth control rather than having to have a prescription would have saved countless teen pregnancies at my school alone. Reality TV creates promiscuity... not the availability of birth control.

[C-Kwik]

I'm gonna preface this by claiming ignorance to the side effects that exist for each type of birth control drug. That said, I don't see a problem with OTC so long as the drugs meet requirements for any other type of OTC medication. I do believe its okay for a drug store to put it behind the counter or lock it up as I would think it might be prone to theft by women who might be embarrassed to purchase it. Not sure of the laws regarding unsolicited recommendations by pharmacists, but it could be a great way to also encourage the use of condoms by pharmacists to those that are buying birth control pills.