Teen Health article

The topic of sex remains in an awkward “gray area” for many Athens teens – a fitting conversation between pals in the back of the bus or at an overcrowded lunch table, but socially taboo with parents and school officials.

Unfortunately, many teens hold the perception that adequate protection from sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy can be found with the aid of a crinkly, two-year-old condom stuffed semi-neatly in a wallet next to a frequent buyer card at Little Caesars.

Jordan Shapiro, a seventeen-year-old from Dallas, GA, agreed to share her experience, explaining how the true consequences of misinformed sex came at an unexpected cost.

“I remember before I got pregnant, I would see pregnant teenagers at my school and would think, ‘How could they get pregnant? How stupid,’” Shapiro said. “But you don’t have to be stupid to get pregnant. I was an Honor’s Student, active in JROTC, had a part time job and was in [the] Student Government. I still got pregnant — life will find a way.”

For sexually active teens, the metaphorical trophy earned by tearing up a V-card outweighs any real possibility of bringing a screaming, kicking baby in to the world.

For others, sex represents a mecca of sorts — a goal that once reached almost always guarantees immense popularity and respect amongst teens.

“All teenagers have a sense of invincibility,” Shapiro said. “Often times girls, and even guys, get involved in promiscuous circumstances and have the notion they’ll walk away unscathed.”

While pregnancy prevention methods are readily available to those in need, it’s this misconception of “it could never happen to me” that often leads many down a road they were not prepared for.

“We did not use a condom,” Shapiro said. “I had been in a relationship with the biological father for over a year — I trusted him. We had practiced other natural forms of birth control but he ‘slipped up.’”

According to a 2005 Clarke County survey of local teenagers, 65% admitted to having engaged in sexual activities – a number that might shock parents, but actually seem relatively low to students. In fact, the birth rate in Athens-Clarke County is actually eight times that of the entire country of France.

Though the topic of teenage pregnancy is nearly impossible to tackle from any particular angle, professionals point to the notion of simply being misinformed as a potential cause of many of the teenage pregnancies.

“It’s a state law that anyone of reproductive age, whether or not they’re over the age of 18, can seek reproductive services and birth control without the need for parental consent,” said Sarah Peck, a Public Information Officer for the Northeast Health District in Athens.

Teen Matters, an off-shoot of the public health department that has been around since the ‘90s, offers teens the security of sensitive services at a price that any teenager can easily afford.

“All the services at Teen Matters are free,” Peck said. “They offer pelvic exams, pap smears, testing for sexually transmitted infections – including HIV – and a variety of different types of birth control methods.”

Condoms are also available free of charge, as well as counseling if teens want to discuss any aspects of their lives.

For those more stubborn, this might all seem too good to be true.

Surely there is a way parents can find out, right?

“A lot of teens are unaware that the services are confidential,” Peck said. “They don’t understand exactly what confidentiality means, and that that’s a state law we’re observing.”

In laitance terms – mom and dad finding out is entirely up to the teenager. While parental involvement is encouraged, it is left up to the teen to decide.

In addition to the regular variety of contraceptive methods available, teenagers are able to pick up the emergency contraceptive, Plan B.

Deisgned to be taken after unprotected sex, the pills essentially contain a heavy dose of estrogen and are fairly effective overall, though only available to those 17 and over without a prescription.

Dr. Kerri Wenslow, a 2006 graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Pharm. D., and the head pharmacist of the Walgreens in her hometown of Albany, sees the benefits of Plan B, but worries about potential side effects and potential for misuse.

“I think there’s a misconception about it,” Wenslow said. “If you’re already pregnant, it won’t do anything. It can prevent fertilization, and keep the egg from the egg attaching to the uterine wall, but it can’t stop you from being pregnant.”

--- I know it ends abruptly; having issues figuring out where I’m going from here.