It’s been a worry to Britain for a while – teen pregnancies are on the up.
So what do we do about it? There are two solutions currently on the table:
1. Greater exposure to condom ads – a great thing which, with the proper education, should help to reduce teen pregnancies and the spread of STDs
2. Advertising the murder of unwanted children.
Now, let’s get this straight, I’m very much in favour of potential parent’s right to choose and I’m fully aware and accept the need for abortions to be available as a last resort.
… but …
Abortion clinics, in my view, do not to be publicised in the way new suggestions recommend. They are a final resort and should only be recommended after proper medical consultation. What this new scheme smacks of is the McDonald’s approach to something which has far reaching implications:
Imagine the scene:
Clueless teenage girl: “One burger with fries please, with Coke”
Spotty Assistant : “Would you like us to rip your bloody, screaming bastard at the same time?”
Extreme? Probably so, sick? Also probably so, but the point needs to be made.
Increasing the exposure of abortion clinics will make them part of everyday life – in the same way that some argue violent video games desensitises the children who play them. It weaves them into the social fabric of everyday life and makes them an acceptable form of birth control – why bother to take care of your sexual health when you nip round the corner and let someone else take care of it.
And where will the buck stop? How long before TV prime time slots are filled with “Celebrity I’ve got a bastard, get it out of me!’” or Government spokespeople make headlines with shock tales of 1000% increases in abortions.
What’s really needed is education. Teens need to be told of the troubles, dangers and consequences of doing the sex, promoting condoms is a great start, promoting the equivalent of drive-through abortions isn’t.