Let girlfriend buy birth control
August 9, 2012 5:24PM
Updated: September 11, 2012 6:02AM
Dear Annie: My husband and I are the parents of a 15-year-old boy. “Will” is a good student. He has been in a friendly relationship with a 15-year-old girl, and it has become serious. They have had sex on two different occasions, and Will used a condom both times.
There was a brief pregnancy scare, and the girl was so concerned that she told her parents about her predicament. Now her father wants us to pay for her birth control pills. I don’t know what to say about this. I don’t know what type of insurance they have. And I think putting her on the pill is saying, “Great, have sex.” And who knows whether she will have partners other than my son. Is he responsible for her birth control? What should I do?
— His Mom
Dear Mom: It’s a good sign that your son feels comfortable discussing his sex life with you, but it is unfair to believe that a girl on birth control pills is going to be more promiscuous than a boy using condoms. And while we aren’t crazy about 15-year-olds having sex, once they start, they aren’t likely to stop.
You should be relieved that both kids are being responsible about using protection to prevent not only pregnancy, but also sexually transmitted diseases. That said, you are not obligated to pay for his girlfriend’s choice of birth control. He should continue to use condoms. Her body belongs to her.
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