Rebecca Ralph
Jasmine Pratt Courtney Foster
Jour 377
1,386 wordsA Woman’s Decision or the Governments Decision?
Initiative 26 could have stemmed from numerous issues that citizens recognized as a problem. Some of the issues that may have pushed citizens to be in favor of Initiative 26 is the high number of teen pregnancy rates in Miss., the abortion center in Miss., and the fact that public funds are used for in-state abortions in cases of life endangerment, rape, incest, or fetal abnormality.
Initiative 26 would have amended the state Constitution to define life or to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof. According to the New York Times, opponents who led the protest said the proposal would have outlawed all abortions, including cases of rape and incest, even if the mother’s life was in danger, and would have barred morning-after pills and certain contraception; and could have limited in vitro fertility procedures. Understanding the history of pregnancy and abortion rates in Miss., might help one to better understand the derivation of Initiative 26.
Contraceptive use is a key predictor of women's recourse to abortion according to an online article by the Guttmacher Institute. The article also said the group of American women who are at risk of experiencing an unintended pregnancy, but are not using contraceptives, account for almost half of all abortions in Miss. In addition, many of these women did not think they would get pregnant or had concerns about contraceptive methods. The remainders of abortions that occur among the much larger group of women in Miss., were using contraceptives in the month they became pregnant. Many of these women report difficulty using contraceptives consistently, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
“Abortion is one of the safest surgical procedures for women in the United States, pregnancy counselor,” Mary Turner* said. Turner also said she agrees with our state’s requirements to fund abortions in those instances.
Fewer than five percent of women obtaining abortions experience a complication, and the risk of death associated with abortion is about one-tenth that associated with childbirth.
In the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a woman, in consultation with her physician, has a constitutionally protected right to choose abortion in the early stages of pregnancy. In 1992, the Court upheld the basic right to abortion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. However, it also expanded the ability of the states to enact all but the most extreme restrictions on women's access to abortion.
The most common restrictions in effect are parental consent requirements for minors, state-sponsored counseling and waiting periods, and limitations on public funding. In Miss., 57,000 women of reproductive age became pregnant in 2008. According to the latest statistics, Wright said 79 percent of these pregnancies resulted in live births and five percent in induced abortions. According to the latest Fox online report, Miss. now has the highest teen pregnancy rate. “Last year, eight of my friends in high school became pregnant, and none of them were taking contraceptives,” Sabrina Gale said.
Gale is a student from Jackson, Miss. Miss.'s rate was more than 60 percent higher than the national average in 2006, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2008, 2,770 women obtained abortions in Miss. Abortions in Miss. represent two percent of all abortions in the United States, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Look at some more of CDC’s statistics here.
In Miss., as of Jan. 2011, the parents of a minor must consent before an abortion is provided, a woman must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage her from having an abortion and then wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided. Counseling must also be provided in person and must take place before the waiting period begins, thereby necessitating two separate trips to the facility. In addition, public funding is available for Miss. abortions only in cases of life endangerment, rape, incest or fetal abnormality.
Where Did They Go Wrong?
There’s an old saying that in polite social circles one should never discuss religion, politics, or sex. Mississippi now has the nation's highest teen pregnancy rate and sex education is on its way to disappearing from most schools. Now, is an appropriate time to talk about sex and possibly find solutions to the problems.
Planned Parenthood in Miss. and Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) have partnered to take a closer look at the information students are receiving in public schools, primarily teenagers. The messages delivered are by school-based, community-based, abstinence-only-until-marriage programs reaching youth across the state of Mississippi.
“We found that Mississippi school districts and the Mississippi Department of Human Services abdicate their responsibility to provide medically accurate information to students and instead rely on failed abstinence-only-until-marriage programming. Based on the evidence detailed in the report, a fundamental change is needed on how Mississippi educates its young people and prepares them to be sexually healthy adults, according to a recent SIECUS online article found here.
The National Vital Statistics Systems current data are from the 2008 preliminary file. All teenage births, of all races, 15 to 19 years of age, consisted of the most teenage girls becoming pregnant. If the Initiative 26 ballot had passed, leaving teenage girls with no birth control options, one could conclude that the number of teenage pregnancies might have increased.
The Department of Human Services, which is generally a trusted and accurate organization in each state, plays a large role in publicizing effective programming and information to teenagers and young adults; in addition, the Department of Human Service also provides teenagers and young adults with their accurate health information.
Mississippi’s state law does not require schools to teach sexual education. Many public schools in the state do not provide students information on prevention from HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, or pregnancy prevention. However, if schools choose to teach any of these topics, state law requires that they stress abstinence-only-until-marriage. Students are therefore at risk of receiving inaccurate and biased instruction, which leaves young people at risk.
Felicia Williams, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Ala. and Miss., said “the state needs to focus on teen pregnancy prevention at earlier ages, while addressing Initiative 26.”
Parents and teachers are also aware of the high pregnancy ratings and lack of education teens receive. Many parents and teachers may desire that schools provide sex-education to students. However, some parents and teachers may not think sex education should be taught in school. “I don’t think it should be frowned upon and pushed aside. Our children need to know about it and the side effects. Sometimes, it’s better if a child hears it from someone other than their parent because then they know it’s not just their annoying mom or dad trying to have ‘that talk’ with them. They can hear it more than one time and hopefully have it embedded in their brains,” Heather Graham said.
Graham is a single mother of one child. Graham said she thinks sex education should be taught in public schools and private schools.
“I want to teach my own children when I think it is an appropriate time to talk about it. Sex is a tough and touchy topic and I fully think parents know what is best for their child and when it is best to educate them about sex. It also interferes with some family’s religious views,” Wright *said.
Wright is the mother of two teenagers and a science teacher in Jackson, Miss. Wright said she does not agree with sex education being taught in public schools.
According to an online article by SIECUS, some researchers suggest increasing communication and coordination between the Mississippi Departments of Health, Education, and Human Services in order to update the health education standards. Researchers also suggested that it would be beneficial to provide curricula, public health resources, and teacher training to school districts that choose to provide sex education.
Courtney Foster
12/2/11
955 words
(sidebar story)
MTV’s Teen Series: Is Fertility Worth the Fame?
Recently, MTV has been accused of glamorizing indecent sexual behavior among teenagers. This glamorization has grown to the point that teenage females have been attempting to get pregnant in order to appear on the MTV series “Teen Mom” “Teen Mom 2,” and “16 and Pregnant”. The network has recently gone a step further in making sex, drugs and alcohol use acceptable, if not expected, behavior among teens as in the series “Skins.”
According to The Paly Voice, the shows present young female American teens in situations that many teen drama predecessors have covered. The shows are centered on teens having premarital sex and leading destructive lifestyles. However, the public outcry is due to the fact that it seems these girls are not ashamed to share their personal obstacles of dealing with teen motherhood with the entire country.
Bailey Cassidy, writer for The Paly Voice states that “The publicity and attention that these young girls generate from the media essentially glamorizes teenage pregnancy. Years ago, teenage pregnancy was portrayed as shameful.”
An episode of “16 and Pregnant” that debuted on December 28, 2011, second time mother, Markai Durham is faced with the decision to keep, abort, or give up their unborn child for adoption. Making the decision to terminate her pregnancy, the teenage mother excused her decision telling MTV:
“God gave me 3 paths to take abortion, adoption, or raising this baby along with my first born child. I chose this path and I think about how stressing things would have been if I hadn’t made the one I’ve made.”
The Republican National Coalition for Life touches base on the series declaring that these mothers are protesting that they are doing the right thing by getting abortions.
“Though MTV has promised that its reality shows will show ‘all sides’ of the teen pregnancy and abortion issue, it hardly seems to be living up to that pledge,” the RNC for Life said.
The pilot episode of the “Skins” series starts with one of the main characters making numerous phone calls in an attempt to find a girl for his friend to lose his virginity to. These calls eventually lead to a plan that involves buying a large amount of marijuana and then re-selling the drug at a party.
“Skins” does not differ much in that nothing negative comes from these wrong doings. No arrests are made, no life lessons are learned, and no regret is felt. Instead, the teens that have broken laws without care end up strengthening their friendships and enjoying a life that is seemingly free of consequences or repercussions.
These shows have even raised concerns regarding child pornography and teen pregnancy laws. The New York Times describes child pornography as “any visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.” The characters in the show, most of which are under 18, are shown simulating sex. So can MTV get in trouble for child pornography? Even if MTV was pressured into censoring episodes of the show, could they get in trouble for having shot the footage in the first place?
The public opposition to these new series has affected the network’s marketing. The New York Times states that one of MTV’s most consistent advertisers, Taco Bell, has announced that it will pull it’s commercials from any future episodes of “Skins” in an effort to disassociate itself with the series. MTV is not only under parental pressure over its new series, it is also under financial pressure. If more advertisers join Taco Bell in its boycott of “Skins,” MTV will have to make a decision as to whether or not these series are worth broadcasting.
The Times’ quotes a Taco Bell spokesman stating “We advertise on a variety of MTV programs that reach our core demographic of 18 to 34 year olds, which included the premiere episode of Skins. Upon further review, we’ve decided that the show is not a fit for our brand and have moved our advertising to other MTV programming.” So, are these shows hurting our youth? MTV explains that they are just filming what American teens are actually doing, which some may be. Teen development expert Doctor Logan Levkoff tells The Paly Voice that even though MTV illustrates the harsh realities and consequences of teen pregnancies, there are other pop culture contributors that influence these teens.
“There are more pregnant teens in pop culture than ever before. They are on the cover of magazines, getting paid, getting endorsement deals, and becoming calendar models,” Levkoff said.
| “There is no fear or shame in teen pregnancy anymore.” |
These MTV series are just another example of the widening gap between pop culture and traditional values. In America, behavior that was stigmatized a few decades ago is now presented as perfectly acceptable and even encouraged by television, movies and music. Current films entitled “No Strings Attached” starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, and “Friends with Benefits” starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, encourage a sexual relationship with no emotional or romantic strings attached. On television in the fifties, couples were always shown having separate beds, but now the “friends with benefits” relationship is much more expected
These are the teens that MTV is affecting by valuing ratings gained from portraying these illicit practices rather than considering the affect their programming has on their audience.
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