What happens when family planning is out of reach for poor and uninsured Texans? In the final segment of our Fertile Ground series, we explore the costs to communities and taxpayers of the state's high rate of unplanned pregnancies.
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Comments (7)
Papa Ray
You could write a book about this and I'm sure several people have.
Here is my opinion if anyone is interested. I'm old and influanced by my upbringing of course but common sense should not have a year date or expiration date.
But it sure seems like it.
In the past social stigmatism has been the main reason girls didn't get pregnant. That is no more, in fact, in some circles having a baby without the fact of being married and old enough to know the problems of "unplanned pregnancies" it is somewhat a badge of honor or at least it is until the problems set in or are realized. This video shows Latinos but blacks and whites are also infected with this misconception and we have to pay for it.
To get back to the social part of sexual activity. I am aware that there are other reasons. The most stupid is that the young girls think that to be accepted or to be cool that they have to have sex or they are somehow not cool or (insert other derogatory term here). They also even if getting schooled in sex just a little by their school, have nobody to get real parenting from. You will not find it in most parents of the last ten years. Girls might get it from their grand parents, but every kid knows that grand parents don't understand or really know anything. Maybe not every kid but you get the idea.
Then we have the relentless onslaught of permissiveness that bombards children every day from TV, Movies to advertizements and of course their peers. It is a winning combination for allowing and in some cases encouraging sex.
There are other contributing factors but I will end long comment with this.
Raising generations of children without fathers, without the parents being educated or you could even say in too many cases, that don't care or even pay attention to their children has caused this to explode to the point it is now.
And it is not going to get better no matter how many clinics, how many free services or how much money you throw at it. Education, supervision and personal responsibility are the tools that need to be invoked and mandated.
Much more could be said and needs to be said. But I will quit here.
Papa Ray
Rudy Gonzales
Controlling family planning is controlling people. Your grandparents and some of your parents produced offspring because they could. Their actions was love and joy in life and many didn't have what is available today. TEA-Republicans want to control this because loving people produce more Democrats than Republicans. The other reason is some children will not make it in life and their seed will survive to produce another generation. TEA-Republicans want to control this. They are control freaks. Read history. Listen to your grandparents. If you think your tough, try to appreciate how tough your grandparents had to be to live the conditions and troubles they lived through.
yana guana
This has a lot to do with European Culture and Religion.
The culture being that is based on the family unit, and religion telling its members to go out, multiply and subdue the Earth.
When you play you pay. The State of Texas needs to make some fundamental policy changes to get a handle on this one.
Sharon Cooper Morgan via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This should be required viewing for anyone opposed to Planned Parenthood.
Flawed Plan
Incredible series, standing ovation. This is it. War on Women, puritanism, state-created economic dependency with a dash of eugenics, the whole incoherent enchilada we're all paying for to avoid the scourge of family planning in Texas.
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Sharon, I agree.
Anya Khan
A box of condoms cost around $1, schools give them out free.
These are not "unplanned" pregnancies, these are "I don't care if I get pregnant or not" pregnancies.