Condoms in Schools: A Good Idea
The movie Grease. One of the best-loved movies of the twentieth century, watched by millions in the movie theatre upon its release in 1978. A newer, generation that is more modern got to experience the gang at Rydell High when it was re-released in 1998. There are many memorable scenes in the movie, but one that really stands out is the scene where Rizzo and Knicky are making out in his car. They are swept into the moment and Knicky reaches for his wallet where a condom awaits. He comes to find that the condom is broken. Rather than let the mood be blown, they decide to go ahead and have sex anyway. Rizzo has a scare several weeks later when she realizes that she has missed a period. Throughout the rest of the movie, Rizzo is tormented by the fact that she might be pregnant. Although the movie takes place in the fifties, the premise is very modern.
In the late part of the twentieth century, America saw a sexual revolution, which brought about many more increasingly dangerous consequences for sex than simply becoming pregnant. Every year, thousands of teenagers become pregnant or contract an STD. The consequences of adolescent sexuality are of great concern to parents and health care professionals. Sexual conduct among American teens has been studied for the past several decades and analysis has shown that there is an increasing rate of sexual intercourse among young people. In the last twenty years, the amount of teenagers having sex has risen substantially. A solution to the problem has been to include sex education and distribution of condoms in high schools. People were able to accept sex education in high schools but many were opposed to the condom distribution. Parents and educators feel that allowing condoms to be handed out in schools is simply encouraging teenagers to have sex. Travis Tatum is an individual that disagrees with the argument that it is an encouragement, rather, he believes that it is merely providing young people with the materials they need to be responsible and safe in their actions. Mr. Tatum provides three very justifiable reasons for his claim that condom distribution in high schools is necessary.
The first reason that Tatum gives to support his claim is that teenagers are sometimes too young to make wise decisions such as whether to use condoms before engaging in sexual activities. Many times, teenagers make unwise decisions without first considering the ramifications of their actions. Tatum assumes that one of the areas, in which teens are most likely to waver in the common sense department, is in sex. The Committee on Adolescence, American Academy of Pediatrics believes:
School condom availability programs, whether as part of comprehensive
health services provided at the school site, or in the context of a school
based HIV infection/AIDS prevention program, can help remove barriers
to contraceptive use by teenagers and can help establish condom use as a
norm for expected responsible behavior, thus encouraging both peer and
cultural acceptance (Pediatrics, 4)

Many factors decide whether condoms are used by sexually active teenagers, including access, availability, confidentiality, and cost. School is a safe place where children go to experience, grow, understand and learn. They learn to make healthy and intelligent choices so that they may live productive and ...