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From: krossen@bbncca.ARPA (Ken Rossen)
Newsgroups: net.abortion
Subject: Re: Planned Parenthood posting
Message-ID: <1517@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 9-Aug-85 11:11:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: bbncca.1517
Posted: Fri Aug  9 11:11:58 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Aug-85 07:04:57 EDT
References: <639@ttidcc.UUCP> <10929@rochester.UUCP>
Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
Lines: 109

So much of Ray Frank's article is based on inappropriate analogies and 
distorted ideas of what Planned Parenthood's function is.  Most of these
are reflected in his concluding paragraph.

>     What the hell makes PP think that an adolescent is mentally
>     responsible for making decision about sex and abortions, young minds
>     can be broken for life by trumatic experiences.

Why do you believe PP thinks that at all?  Of course young minds can be
broken for life by traumatic experiences.  I am sure that Planned
Parenthood is aware of that, along with the fact that an unplanned
young-age pregnancy is a traumatic experience.

>     The standard argument of PP is that kids are going to have sex so why
>     not help them not to get pregnant.  What PP must realize is that they
>     are in no way dealing with the problem of teen sex, they are only
>     fooling around with the symtoms.

I expect that it is closer to the mark to say, "PP's standard argument is
that kids who come to them have already decided to be sexually active, and
it is in the interest of their safety to help them not to get pregnant."

Planned Parenthood is not in the practice of helping children make the
decision whether or not to have sex.  Far too many children have already
decided "yes" either in defiance or in the absence of the advice of their
parents and teachers.  Planned Parenthood tries to make life safer for
these kids.  As to getting to the root of the problem, I doubt they can,
and I think they would if they could.  I don't believe, as Ray does, that
they have a hand in making it worse.  See below.

Sex with contraception at a young age is safer than pregnancy at a young age,
and abortion at a young age is less fraught with risk (for both mother and 
child) than carrying the pregnancy to term.  I suspect it is with this in
mind that the PP person Ray spoke to would have avoided calling the
pregnant 10-year-old's parents.  If she came to PP and NOT to her parents
it's because she doesn't believe she can turn to her parents.  If PP
betrays her fragile trust they cannot act in the interest of her safety
because she will probably cut out and run.

Ray seems to assume much more burden and ability on the part of Planned
Parenthood to change these kids' minds than I believe they have.  Earlier
in the article, he writes:

>     Any responsible parent would definitely tell their children not to
>     have sex.

I agree that a responsible parent will discourage their child from sexual
activity during childhood and teenage.

>     But here is a respectible organization (on the outside) full of ADULTS
>     who a child would naturally look up to like they would a teacher or
>     counselor telling them "Well if you must have sex, here, have some
>     pills."  This to the mind of a child must make it seem really OK to go
>     ahead and have sex.

Wrong!  A child entering Planned Parenthood for contraceptives or abortion
has already decided about sex.  I can hardly believe Ray has thought this
through.  Planned Parenthood counselors are strangers to these kids.  If
the real, established authority figures in their lives have failed to
convince these kids that sex at a young age is a bad idea, why
assume that a Planned Parenthood counselor will succeed?  Kids don't come
to Planned Parenthood saying, "Help me decide whether or not I should have
sex."  They say, "I need some pills so I won't get pregnant while I'm
having sex,"  or worse yet, "I've been having sex, and now I'm pregnant."
What is the kid liable to do if the counselor says, "I really don't think
you should be having sex at all, so I won't give you pills," or "I'm
calling your mother immediately, young lady." ... what then?

The wisdom behind many of the proposals concerning parental notification
and the like put forth by the Reagan administration and behind "family bill"
legislation says that the child will stop having sex.  But it doesn't seem
to work that way, and the matter doesn't go "back to the family" to be
worked out.  Instead the child is left alone without the maturity to make a
good decision, and without the information or protection he/she needs.

"I can't tell my parents, I just can't" is extremely widespread for a
number of unfortunate reasons which PP hasn't the ability to address, and a
child who has made the immature decision to have sex at a young age isn't
likely to turn around and reconsider that decision because no contraception
is available.

>     Unfortunately the morals of society filter down to our children and
>     the buck stops there.  We must educate children about the harms of
>     early sex, not give them the right to do.

The idea that decreased availability of contraceptives leads to less
teenage sex is a popular one, as has been the (related) notion that
teaching kids about sex will send them out to try it.  Neither of these
notions have been borne out by reality.  It's the kids who are in the dark
about sex who get pregnant, and it's  the well-informed kids who are more
likely to make the right decisions.  Planned Parenthood doesn't give any
more "rights" to kids than they already believe they have.

>     PP must stop putting kids in the drivers seat, they just are not old
>     enough, PP might respond; "well, kids are going to drive anyway, we're
>     just giving them the cars."

They already have the cars.  PP is handing out safety belts.  Your comment
would be more appropriate if Planned Parenthood were in the practice of
dispensing genitals.

I welcome corrections from someone affiliated with Planned Parenthood as to
their practices.  I'd also be interested in evidence that shows that
decreasing the availability of contraceptives, abortions and information is
likely to curb teenage sexual activity.  I don't believe it, and Ray seems
to.
-- 
Ken Rossen	...!{decvax,ihnp4,ima,linus,harvard}!bbncca!krossen
... or ...  	krossen@bbnccp.ARPA