MORALITY VS. LEGALITY.

I remember attending a APOC (Adolescent Package of Care) training last year and was surprised to learn that the law allows for teenagers to use contraception no matter the method requested (as long as it's reversible). There seems to be a very thin line between morality and legality.  The over-18 limit no longer applies in this current day and age. A 10 year old requesting for Norplant cannot be denied the service as long as informed consent has been given . I didn't think much about it until I saw 15 year olds with Norplant implants , Intrauterine Copper Devices etc, most of which had been forcefully organised by their mothers. Maybe I have been raised up in a rather traditional set-up where 'abstinence' was the only measure talked about and successfully instilled. I still don't get it why a mother would rather protect their daughter from pregnancy and not worry about S.T.Is or infertility. I have seen countless times young girls coming in with irregular menses, total lack of menses or heavy bleeding and on further enquiry learn that they are on hormonal contraceptives. If a teenager is not married and has no boyfriend, I still don't understand why long-term contraception is important.

There are times in the office when I get stuck. I can't have a rather 'adult-talk' with a child and expect them to make a life-changing decision. I also aim at zero-prejudice and let them make the decisions on their own without being judgmental. When I tell them about probable infertility in the future , most of them confidently state that they would tackle it when they grew up and get married. When I tell them about abstinence or Barrier methods of contraception (condoms) , most of them sneer that I'm old-fashioned and don't understand 'these things'. As a young doctor in her twenties,I try hard to come down to their level and reason as one of them , but I just can't seem to get used to this century's shocks.

A teenager can be expected to make some stupid mistakes , but as a mother, why would you make some of these  decisions for your child. Have we become so westernized, liberal and 'digital' in a manner that can only be harmful to the upcoming generation ?

Looking at it from the other 'digital' view, I guess that we must face the fact that our teens are sexually active. As much as we are aiming at protecting them from pregnancies, we should also balance the equation and protect them from diseases too. It pains me when I see 14 year olds diagnosed with S.T.Is and H.I.V during their antenatal check-ups. Others are diagnosed during their pre-operative check-ups after illegal abortions gone wrong.  Would you rather protect your daughter from pregnancy now and have her suffer from infertility in the future or deadly diseases?

Shouldn't a law be passed regulating contraception use among teenagers? Shouldn't we have parent's consent and some legal framework followed before these kids are allowed to use family planning methods
? Let's ponder about it.