Condom distribution in the schools
English, A.
Journal of Adolescent Health Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 14(7): 562-564
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 1054-139X PMID: 8312293 DOI: 10.1016/1054-139x(93)90141-bDocument Number: 330605
The issue of condom availability has become a target for those who oppose adolescent sexual activity ad who would like to restrict adolescents' access to information and services. The author is an advocate for the legal rights of children and youth, and, as such, discusses a few issues which can support or facilitate the establishment of responsible programs to make condoms available in schools. Specifically, she discusses the ethical implications of requiring parental consent for condom availability; the legal considerations related to parental consent requirements; the need to remember that legal issues are often a smokescreen for something else; and the importance of viewing legal issues related to condom availability programs in the broader context of other legal issues related to adolescent health, teenage pregnancy, and HIV. The author concludes by positing that the answers are in strategy, not law. Any strategies to improve condom availability or improve adolescents' access to health care should, however, include finding ways to use the law to benefit youth. Moreover, where laws are concerned, one must search for the most expansive interpretations of existing laws and try to change them when they present real obstacles.