(June
26, 2008) Although widely promoted,
birth control is something
many teens avoid during sexual
activity, the Center for Disease
Control reported June 10. Although
condom use increased in the
1990’s,
the five years since 2003 have
shown no increase in the use
of birth control among teens,
a popular medical blogger reported
recently.
Writing in a blog on the website RH Reality Check, Dr. Tamer Middleton called the lack of birth control use “unacceptable.” Middleton is a member of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, and practices family medicine in Georgia and Alabama.
The comments are relevant to teens and young adults in Berwyn, IL as well as Cicero, Maywood and other nearby areas who are sexually active.
The doctor’s observation is one that has been made for many years, as teens show a reluctance to use birth control. The teens’ doctors follow a similar level in broaching the subject, Dr. Middleton reported. A 2005 study of doctors' checkups of 13- to 18-year-olds in the U.S. showed that researchers found that only 8% of these appointments covered birth control.
Dr. Middleton says she is one of a “tiny minority” among physicians promoting birth control to their teen patients. She reports that recently a 15-year-old girl came to her for an abortion. The girl said she had never talked to a doctor about birth control or STDs. Dr. Middleton spoke to her about the termination of pregnancy, the ring, the IUD, Depo-Provera, the patch, and the various birth control pills.
Sources
RH
Reality Check , June 10,
2008
Abortion and Birth Control News is a project of TreeFrogClick, Inc. President, Kevin J. Banet