I personally wouldn't put any daughter of mine on the pill etc for sexual activity, I just don't think its safe enough to protect them, I would recommend condoms as their birth control and let them have the pill for back up or other female issues.

EDUCATE about the birth control aspects. And REALLY educate about STD protection.

Personally, it works better for skin conditions and periods from hell, which would be a huge incentive for teen girls no matter what.

If they ask for it.

I will not taking anything involutarily and nobody should. I had personal responsibility and bought condoms from age 14-17, went on depo from 17-20, now on BC pills. Sex is about responsibility, teach that before forcing drugs in our childs bodies. They are not the safest drugs on the planet.

In this day and age it's practically a necessity.

Also, there is an age limit for birth control at most clinics. 14 is the minimum. I have never seen a 12-13 year old girl walk out with birth control pills even once. The hormones can definitely throw off regular growth cycles at that age.

The sad part is that I have seen 9-10 year olds pregnant. It's unbelievable.

I definitely think people should talk to their kids about it and put them on birth control if it's something they're interested in. My Mum always told me to talk to her to get on the pill if I ever needed it, but I wasn't having sex so I didn't. I ended up asking her about it and starting my pills to relieve my cramps, and later for an actual birth control method.

I think if the teen wants to be on BC, whether it's for heavy periods, birth control itself, acne, or whatever the case may be, then they should definitely be allowed. Right now anyone over the age of 16 can get on it without their parent knowing at planned parenthoood around here. I think it's best if the kid and parent talk about it, risks, stds, condoms and everything.
Better to be safe then sorry, and if the teen wants to have sex, they should be allowed to be on birth control and to have condoms

I think that if they have problems like the acne or heavy periods that the birth control would help and it's ok with the doctor, then yes, go ahead and put them on it. But rather than just assume they're going to be having sex at 9, 10, 11, 12 and putting them on a birth control that they might not take responsibly anyway, I think the better option would be to talk to them and educate them about sex, pregnancy, and STD's and then offer the birth control as another option, if they want it. If it's something they have a choice in then when they do start on the pill (if that's the one they choose) they'll be more likely to take it properly.

DO IT. I'm a teen parent, I'm eighteen, but I got pregnant when I was seventeen. I have a friend that was 14, she just turned 15, and her son is nine months. It's just a really good idea. I've also heard of a thirteen year old getting several different STD's, so I'd promote general condom usage also!

I didn't have a problem with birth control when I was 16. If my kid asked for birth control and the doctor wasn't concerned due to age or whatnot, I'd give my kid pills. I'd be more willing if there were other reasons for the pill, to give more justification for putting the hormones in their body. But I would insist that my kid still use condoms! It's good to have the pills for preventing pregnancy, but condoms are always good to learn to use habitually.

I wish I had birth control when I was 14. I had a baby instead at 15.

It's a good idea, in theory, but it runs the risk of sending out the wrong messages to your kids. Forcing it upon them, in my opinion, is basically like saying 'we don't trust you'. I'm not a parent, but that's not the kind of thing I want to say to my future kids. Besides, it doesn't protect them from STDs, so I'd just tell them that I'd keep a stash of condoms somewhere, which I replenish every so often, and don't count. Might not be the best way, but it'll do.

I agree that forcing birth control on kids is a bad idea. They won't understand why it's so important, and instead do everything they can to resist taking it. Teenagers are weird creatures. Some believe they're invincible, and will therefore never contract any illness that will stick around for the rest of their lives. Or, disturbingly enough, there are more and more teenage girls who WANT to get pregnant, because they crave the unconditional love that a baby would provide.

Educating kids is one thing, but I think it's also important for the parents not to have just the one talk, but to keep an on-going, open dialogue with their kids about sex, pregnancy, and illness. I know it's different all over, but my school didn't offer the sex education bit until...11th grade. Most of my friends were sexually active long before then. I actually learned more about HIV the year before, in biology class. (We had what they called sex ed in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, but those were more "You're about to hit puberty. This is what a period is. This is how you use a pad.") Parents can't rely on the school system to take care of the edication side of things. It's usually just a lecture given to the whole class, and a lot of kids are too nervous to ask certain questions in front of their friends. Or questions pop up after the lecture. In that same vein, parents need to stay up-to-date on research and techniques, or at the very least be willing to help their kids find the answers they need.

I don't have children myself, but I think it's perfectly fine putting a teenager on birth control. I was when I was a teen. I had ungodly heavy periods, bad acne, and hormonal imbalance. I wasn't sexually active, but if I had been, knowing the chances of getting pregnant were a lot less would have made me feel better if I did have sex.

If I had children, I'd rather have my daughter on birth contol and have to pay for that instead of possibly having to pay to raise her child and god knows how many other expenses. Teenagers don't always get themselves into the smartest situations, and say my daughter was raped, well at least she most likely wouldn't have to deal with an everlasting reminder of that.

Generally I think BC should be treated as medication. I take it for menstrual issues/PCOS, and had I started taking the "wrong" pill for that condition as a younger teen, I would be overweight and diabetic. (As it is, I'm pretty fine, and on the "right" pill for PCOS -- but it wasn't until I was an adult that I had a doctor correctly identify those symptoms. And symptoms are not that rare, but I don't think they even started showing until my late teens.)

I'm not saying don't do it. I'm saying get as much medical information and do as much monitoring of side-effects as you can. (And honestly? Girls should not have to go rewiring their whole hormonal systems while boys don't do anything. Condoms: still a good idea.)

If they want it. I would NEVER refuse a teen, if i had children, birth control for whatever reason. I would applaud them for being responsible. I started hormonal BC at age 15 behind my mother's back and wish I could have been more open about it as I am now

Put them on it depending on the child, but around age 16 is better than any earlier, teens should not be having sexual encounters much before this, and if they do, condoms are fine. but if teens are going to continue to be active birthcontrol is a great option.

Meh.

Actual education and access, sure - but just sticking them on a pill isn't going to do anything by itself.

Not taking it correctly greatly lowers it's ability to prevent pregnancy, and it's not like you can force a child to take a pill.

In a good relationship, you'd talk with the child about it and decide together if it was necessary... not just throw them on hormones out of lack of trust. I know girls whose parents have done that. And you know, not all of them even wanted to have sex. Great way to make a child resent you and think you're psycho.