Should testing be taken advantage of?

I definitely think prenatal testing should be routine for pregnant women. About 96% of women have healthy babies, but many women understandably want to ensure their baby is not one of the unlucky 4%. Oftentimes, a positive result of good health for a baby can allow a mother to let go of some stress and result in a more content pregnancy. Sometimes, problems such as exposed nerves can be detected and notify the doctors that a C-section should be performed. If the testing had not been conducted, the mother could proceed with vaginal birth and cause serious injury to the child. Other problems can include heart deficiencies etc., and the child needs to be delivered at a hospital where an infant heart specialist resides. Otherwise, time and effort spent transporting the child could result in the loss of the child’s life. In some cases, testing may detect an issue that the parents can prepare for at home by getting certain supplies or make special arrangements that will be necessary ahead of time. Many times prenatal testing is decided upon when a parent has a family history of certain diseases or defects. However, it is understandable that some people decide against prenatal testing. This could be for religious reasons or perhaps they prefer to keep the pregnancy all natural. Also, some people do not care for testing because they know they will keep the child no matter the condition in contrast to some couples who may decide to abort the pregnancy if a serious issue is detected. I believe prenatal testing benefits outweigh the cons. If a parent has the opportunity to prepare for a medical issue with their child, I definitely feel the opportunity should be seized eagerly.

Children and Contraception

Birth Control seems to be a rising controversy. I think it really comes down to a person’s own personal view of sex, or even society. Many people believe sex is solely intended for procreation, and thus birth control should not be used because it is a barrier to procreating. This often stems of religious views. A few of my close Catholic friends have experienced trouble and inner turmoil when trying to decide whether to use birth control. The Church advises against it and their families stood firmly against the use. However, these girls did not necessarily agree with the opinions being thrown at them because they wanted to be safe and prevent against unplanned teen pregnancy. In some less fortunate countries, it is necessary for a woman to provide a large family in order to have children to work a farm or field etc. Also, access to contraception may be extremely limited due to supply or cost.  Across the world, many cultures believe it is a blessing to have a large family, so the use of contraception may be frowned upon. I grew up in a typical Southern Baptist family. I had severe cramps every month growing up, thanks to Mother Nature. I started taking birth control to dull the effects of the womanly cycle so I could actually participate in life. Well, I met my first love and we had sex. My family found out and freaked out because they thought I would not have made the same decision if I hadn’t been taking birth control. On the other hand, abortion is an even more extreme topic and would cause huge divisions in my family. I’m not ready or capable of taking care of a baby at this point in my life, so ultimately, it is my decision and I continue to take it.

Sex Education

Sex education is definitely a controversial topic these days. Schools are meant to teach our children, but the question is how much do they teach? Are the school systems responsible for teaching our children morals and values? Is sex education a matter of morals or is it factual? I appreciate all that the school and government provides for us, but in my opinion, who and when to have sex should be taught by parents. I think how and how to be safe can be taught by schools but gradually so children aren't exposed too early without a chance for the parent to act first. Notices definitely need to be sent to parents before the education is taught in order to provide parents with the chance to teach them their own views and values or withhold their child if they deem necessary, such as in a case of abuse etc. I believe abstinence only education is naive and teaching children how to protect themselves and be safe is extremely important. People have sex.. end of story. Because of that, children/teens today need to be informed about what they're getting themselves into and how to be proactive. I know there are parents out there who think their son/daughter would NEVER have sex at such a young age, but the fact of the matter is, it has been done before and it is becoming more common. I am a firm believer in facing the truth head on and straight forward. I think if our children are shown the unfortunate and very real consequences of unprotected sex, they will be more likely to  not engage in unsafe activity rather than having someone point a finger and say "no."

Healthy Behavior in Adolescents

When I hear "healthy behavior," the first thing I think of is my mother chanting "eat your veggies, drink your milk etc." Honestly there are more pressing issues that need to be addressed to modern day adolescents. I grew up as the typical nerdy, loser who had no friends for most of my childhood until high school. I then dated an older guy and it got pretty serious. In an attempt to impress him and his friends, I was eager to go along and try everything they were into including drugs, alcohol, and criminal activity. I'm not going to lie, I had a lot of fun in high school and really don't regret trying the things I did because I learned from it. However, what I learned was also a tough, painful lesson. The two issues I want to bring to light are drugs and abuse in teen relationships. I wish I could have recorded all the violence and loss my group of friends experienced, and then shown future generations the turmoil we all went through in a search to get high, or plain stupidity. I feel that may be the best option to really try to prevent these kids from starting down the road to drug addiction. Most of my friends became dealers or middle men at one point or another, and some, continue. I've known a lot of people who have overdosed and died, or simply were fighting over drugs and it got out of hand. I was one of the few lucky ones, but most my girlfriends were treated as objects and pure entertainment for the boys. The "relationships" they were in were unhealthy. Abuse, physical and emotional, was common, and it has affected their self esteem and self worth to this day. I know this sounds like I lived on the streets, or lived at a crackhouse. No, I grew up in typical, middle-class suburbs. All the houses were neatly lined up and the neighborhood "yard of the month" sign stood out front. I wonder if I grew up in an environment like mine and still was introduced and maintained a lifestyle like I described, what IS happening in the streets? What are the kids with no hope for a future living through? Most certainly, a living hell. I think we need to start early while kids are young. Remember the "just say no" campaigns? Yeah, they weren't very effective. Kids got excited to get a T-shirt and then went right back to it. I think raw, real information needs to be put out there. Stories of lost loved ones and friends. Visits from people permanently disabled from drugs. We need women to tell their stories of abuse and how there is a way out and a brighter future. I think the hard truth needs to be told, and it needs to be blunt. I hope no one else has to deal with the pain of losing a friend to drugs, but I know they will. Hopefully, we can diminish that number with campaigns, guest speakers, and presentations. Raw footage(like that show intervention) would have been much more effective to me, and hopefully will be to kids today.