Annotated Biobiography

Diane M. Reddy, Raymond Fleming, and Carolyne Swain
Effect of Mandatory Parental Notification on Adolescent Girls' Use of Sexual Health Care Services
JAMA, Aug 2002; 288: 710 - 714.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/288/6/710

The article discussed the use of prescribed contraceptives offered through a public health clinic in an urban community. The clinics were receiving federal funding. The study looked at the need for consent of a parent and how it would impede a girl seeking the health services. If the adolescent need the consent of a parent to receive the contraceptive, it could cause an increase in teen pregnancies, abortion, and STD because the teen would refuse to seek care if it was needed.

The study took a look at urban female adolescents, younger then 18 years old. The studies gather information form different variables of age, race and socioeconomic. The two issues being debated in the article discussed:
1. Having parents consent, which should open dialog between the parents and the child leading to a decrease in pregnancy and STD’s.
2. If an Adolescent engages in sex and chooses to use contraceptive, it should be kept confidential between the clinic and the patient.
The article at this time could not conclude any evidence that showed a correlation between having parental involvement, which will change sexual behavior of adolescent girls.

As I was reading the article, I would research further, the idea of including parent’s awareness in their daughter's choice to engage in sex at an early age. I want to further explore the idea of the effects + or – on parental influence on sexual behavior and decreasing STD especially HIV, abortion, pregnancy. I would like to see know how parent eduction in conjunction with student education would effect or have a change on adolescent experimenting with sex.

According to the article, more than half the girls interviewed, indicated that they would stop seeking health care services if their parents had to be involved. The next question would be to investigate WHY?