Sex in School?

At a VOX workshop at the Fulton County Library this summer, 15 Benhill Teen Camp participants raised their voices about President Obama’s decision to reduce funding for abstinence-only programs and replace it with money for teen pregnancy-prevention programs. The teens also shared their opinions on whether condoms should be available in high schools. Here’s what they had to say. — Tania Dowdy/VOX Summer Intern

Photo by VOX Staff

I think that condoms should be in school because what if a teenage boy/girl just got put out of the house and are stressed and they think that having sex would make them feel better. They have no food, water, clothes or money to get any condoms. They are just laying down and getting pregnant. That is why condoms should be in schools, because school might be the only place they can turn to and prevent getting an STD! — Daje McCain, 14

I don’t think condoms should be allowed in schools because there will be a bigger risk of kids having sex in school. And they don’t need to be going to their counselors asking for condoms because that means they are going to have sex. But some children need counseling because they don’t know how to wait until they are a certain age to have sex. And they need to learn about protected sex while they are young. — Jessica Mitchell, 13

I think condoms should be in school ‘cause anything could happen throughout the school. But when you give out condoms, it should be at the end of the day so [students] don’t want to do it in school. They can catch anything. They might be peer pressured to have sex. Their parents probably don’t want to give out condoms, so it will be better getting condoms from counselors.
— Patranda Parrs, 13