How'd you feel about limiting pregnancy by requiring birth control from first menstration until the age of 21?

I suppose this would be considered the "solution" to the teen pregnancy problem. And yes, I am aware of constitutional impediments to restricting procreation and religious opposition to birth control in general. Thoughts?

follow-up: wouldnt be so silly to assume that kids would be responsible for taking birth control on their own. This would be a highly regulated activity--likely using the shots, to eliminate (as much as possible) the chance of a lapse. Again, this is just an idea. Lots of legal issues to consider.

It is a great idea theoretically, but it would be hard to enforce. There are so many side effects to birth control that some women just wouldn't be able to handle or wouldn't want.
Another question would be, what type of birth control? An IUD can be very effective but not all women would be accepting of the idea of an IUD or its possible side effects.
If it's other forms of birth control, you can't control what people are doing in real-time, it ends up being very personal.

No that would be unacceptable. There are too many side effects to the pill. I took it for a year and my blood pressure went through the roof. It's better to limit pregnancy by requiring sex education classes, and any parent who objects to that would not be allowed to seek public assistance if their kid gets pregnant. There is also the issue that this idea smacks of sexual discrimination. Why should only the females be responsible? I know, I know, only girls get pregnant, but if we teach the boys correctly, then they will know that they need to use condoms, not only for birth control, but to prevent disease. The pill can tend to cause a false sense of security, so condom use would not be as common since they wouldn't worry about getting pregnant. You've probably seen all the stink made when one state tried to make the cervical cancer vaccine mandatory. It didn't last long. Also, what you say about the shot makes it even worse. I have known several women who took the shot and had horrible bleeding for months afterward. It prevented pregnancy all, right, because they couldn't have sex.

That's a terrible idea. It's like taking away the motivation to get educated. It could also increase the risk of STDs cause being terrified of getting pregnant encorages people to use a condom. While it can be a solution for some teen pregnancies, I don't see why the vast majority of teens who actually don't get pregnant because they have enough brains should suffer the artificial hormones. Those pills have adverse side effects on blood pressure, and for many the risk of a heart disease is higher than that of teen pregnancy.

I would consider that to be a totalitarian state.

You've also completely overlooked the fact that not all girls are candidates for birth control. How many teenaged girls are you willing to kill in order to "solve" your perceived problem of too many babies?

Yes, that is the heart of the matter, isn't it? You want to treat the symptom, but not the cause. It's not children having sex that horrifies you, it's those darned babies that result from it.

Hardly a solution.
Mistakes happen. Girls aren't always going to take birth control.
Birth control is not 100% effective.

EDIT: Also, this idea implies teenagers are still children who cannot make their own decisions.
The world needs to stop being the parents of everyone's children - they need to make their own mistakes. The best the world/society/etc... can do is teach these teenagers how to prevent these things and how to make better decisions.
Abstinence-only eduction should be stopped. >__<; It leads to too much experimentation.

That is a horrible idea! Messing with people's hormones is not healthy. Not everyone has sex when they are still teenagers. Why should every teenage WOMAN have to suffer because some idiots can't keep their legs closed? I dare say that boys often have more culpability in teen pregnancy than girls do. Fcol your brain must hate you.

bad idea... birth control isnt even healthy... i think instead of teaching abstinence in school we should teach teens about virht control... and how to get it if they need it.... they dont do that now and kids are afraid to ask... bottom line is kids are going to have sex... and have the option to make responsible decisions... if we give them the information needed to make these responsible decisions

I think that is an unacceptable infringement on civil liberties, and probably extremely difficult if not possible to enforce.
Teen pregnancy may be bad, but not bad enough to justify a measure that draconian.

Good idea,but for girls not sexually active,a bit unnecessary.

I think its a great idea. I'm also for forced sterilization of...well, a large part of the population. I think we should require IQ tests before you're allowed to breed, own a pet, drive a car or be within 150 yards of me.

I had a long, hot day in the sun yesterday with a whole bunch of morons and their spawn. The one fat child was yanking this cute little puppy around on a leash, and the puppy was OBVIOUSLY terrified of the crowds. The things mother was standing there, not doing anything about it. That being said, the child was obviously born before the mother was 21, so yeah.

But, we'd never get away with it. Just like there's no way to do anything about ensuring the elderly are still capable of driving without enforcing the rules on everyone. Not that I don't think the elderly can drive, my grandma does just fine. My grandfather on the other hand willingly surrendered his license because he knows he can't.

You know, I've just realized that people get offended way, way too easily.

Mandatory birth control would be a good thing. I know plenty of parents that would be happy that they don't have to worry about their child getting pregnant (or being the talk of the neighborhood because they put a 13 year old on BC 'just in case, because EVERYONES kid is on it.)

Great idea!!