Would you sterilize your teenage daughter?

That's right, Mel. Punish the girl's children for what their mother has done. (And their father, too - but I'm guessing he's still allowed to get services if he needs them?)

So, Mel let's take this scenario:

A girl decides "I believe in sex after marriage" and does not go under the surgery believing that she has enough self-control to restrain her sexual needs. However, she ends up getting raped, gets pregnant, and perhaps due to some religious belief does not get an abortion.

So, she should be punished for something she did not exactly do out of some sexual desire?

Yes, many abuse the welfare system but there are those rare instances where someone desperately needs it and to assume all fit under one category is simply not fair.

I DO STRONGLY AGREE with this!! I have a (almost) 17 year old daughter and I THANK GOD EVERYDAY that she is NOTHING at all like her "So-Called" friends!! All of her friends either already have a baby some have more than just 1 or they are already expecting! This is CHILDREN having CHILDREN!! Come on all you Mothers out there.... What the hell are you doing while your children are out there getting this way anyway?? I also have a 15 year old daughter. My 2 youngest are ages 12 and 11, and they Will be brought up/raised with RESPECT! They will be raised up the same way that I was... Knowing The Importance Of WAITING UNTIL YOU ARE MARRIED!!! I have to Strongly agree with Mel..... Something NEEDS to be done with these Teenage Children who are having babies!! Their Babies having Babies! So, All you ones who calls yourself..."Mother's" Crack down on your Teens. Better do it before she Makes you a GrandMa and makes you Raise that 1 while she works on #2 for you to support. They Need to Cut the Welfare Out, Completely Out for these teens and make them support it theirselves by getting Jobs and WORKING or give the Baby up to someone who can't have children but so badly wait them!!!!!

OK Dena, however, just like you said, "there are those RARE instances..." Why should we have to pay for EVERYONE including the low-lives when the only ones who truly deserve it are "rare instances?" In that case there should be a system setup for those cases and each case should be thoroughly reviewed before approval.

I have a better idea for the use of this procedure. Let's make it MANDATORY for everyone with one child on welfare. ...teenager or adult!

How about parents becoming "More" active in children's lives, more involved in positive,open,communication and bonding relationships, education not only from class,books,video on sexual activity but discussion between parents and child on the topic, and how it can affect or change the childs life aswell as the parents. In my opinion, this is just another "quickfix", or way for busy, uninvolved parents to avoid a possible problem/situation. Its not the right way to handle the situation, and it is a lazy, way for uninvolved parents to "not deal" with issues. If a teenager feels this is something they personally wish to do, because they recogonize that they tend to be irresponsible and lack control, then that is something they should have a option to consider. Forced by parents, however, is a violation. There are many adults who have child after child, from many different fathers, yet they are adult. I would like to see the reaction if force was used on adults who lack control! Just because a teenager is a child to someone, or not legally considered a adult, doesnt mean they deserve less respect, or treated less than any human based on age. I have seen adults approach/treat and talk to kids with foul language, anger, bitterness, then stand there and say the kid isnt showing respect to them as a adult, when the child reacts to the aggressive behavior of the adult. Perhaps, if these particular adults approached a child, teen, in a respectful manner by calmly addressing a issue, showing they are a mature,reasonable adult, then they have shown they are someone to be respected. Anyways, my point is teenagers or not, they have rights equally to any adult when it comes to physical decisions. If they are irresponsible then options can and should be discussed in a mature, educational,enlightening way that will put consideration,thought and positive reaction in the mind of the child/teen rather than defensive, destructive behavior leading to breakdown of any positive relationship between parents/gardians and child/teen involved.

How about parents becoming "More" active in children's lives, more involved in positive,open,communication and bonding relationships, education not only from class,books,video on sexual activity but discussion between parents and child on the topic, and how it can affect or change the childs life aswell as the parents. In my opinion, this is just another "quickfix", or way for busy, uninvolved parents to avoid a possible problem/situation. Its not the right way to handle the situation, and it is a lazy, way for uninvolved parents to "not deal" with issues. If a teenager feels this is something they personally wish to do, because they recogonize that they tend to be irresponsible and lack control, then that is something they should have a option to consider. Forced by parents, however, is a violation. There are many adults who have child after child, from many different fathers, yet they are adult. I would like to see the reaction if force was used on adults who lack control! Just because a teenager is a child to someone, or not legally considered a adult, doesnt mean they deserve less respect, or treated less than any human based on age. I have seen adults approach/treat and talk to kids with foul language, anger, bitterness, then stand there and say the kid isnt showing respect to them as a adult, when the child reacts to the aggressive behavior of the adult. Perhaps, if these particular adults approached a child, teen, in a respectful manner by calmly addressing a issue, showing they are a mature,reasonable adult, then they have shown they are someone to be respected. Anyways, my point is teenagers or not, they have rights equally to any adult when it comes to physical decisions. If they are irresponsible then options can and should be discussed in a mature, educational,enlightening way that will put consideration,thought and positive reaction in the mind of the child/teen rather than defensive, destructive behavior leading to breakdown of any positive relationship between parents/gardians and child/teen involved.

I agree with Mel. I think your right. The problem isn't really 100% the sex. The problem is rewarding the behavior with a monthly check that cost our government and tax payers billions of dollars. It should be a waiver that is signed by both parent and teenaged girl.With their ssn and forwarded to every government agency, to prevent welfare fraud later.

Mel: I agree with you. If anyone wants to indiscriminately have children with no thought to marrying first or supporting them themselves, let sterilization be considered. They seem to be making UNwed motherhood all the fashion in this country now and I think it is ridiculous!

I say everyone has a right to have children and as many of them as they want-------------as long as they support and educate them themselves

I'm so sick and tired of females coming under scrutiny for teen sex and its consequeces. Women already risk their health by taking birth control pills that can have long term effects, now we should get temporary sterilization? This is like a 21st century chastity belt, which perpetuates the stupid, outdated notion that teen girls are these fragile creatures that need protection from horny teen boys. What if something goes wrong and it becomes permanent? Why the hell can't they come up with temporary vasectomies or some form of birth control for men? I'm sick of seeing experiments and tests being done that could jeopardize women's reproductive health, and yet men's health are never put through this. Proposing a FORCED procedure is so barbaric I can't believe its the year 2008.

Mel, I'd like you to know that there are plenty of teen moms out in the world who are far better parents then MARRIED adult mothers. I happen to be one of them. I had my daughter when I was 17 and guess what my parents didn't raise her, nor did welfare! I had a job along with her father. We both graduated from high school and I did it all while mantaining my 4.0!!! So maybe you should meet a few teen moms who done it on their own before you go and spout off things you really know nothing about. My daughter is now 7.5 years old, in second grade and is one of the smartest kids in her class.

All talk has been about girls being sterilized, what about the guys being forced to get vasectomies. Remember it takes "Two to Tango."

This is frankly rather scary. I would never force anyone to sterilize themselves or their child. And the idea of punishing them if they don't is nearly the same as forcing them, as if they don't, there will be consequences.

If officials want to stop unwanted pregnancies, perhaps they shouldn't freely distribute ways to have "safe sex" to underage kids. Besides, these forms of "safe sex" don't work all the time anyway.

Giving kids condoms, birth control pills, etc, is essentially the same as giving them sexual freedom. If you tell people "there's a way to have sex without getting pregnant, here you take it," of course they are going to use it, causing pregnancies. On the other hand, if people know there are consequences, they will be less inclined to take part in it, thus causing less unwanted pregnancies (though there is no way to completely demolish it). Making sterilization mandatory would create a sense of no consequences, bond-free sexual freedom.

We have a mistaken belief that bearing children is a right. It's not, it is a responsibility. Until an individual is in a position to manage that responsibility, society should not be placed in a position to bear the burden of the product of people unprepared for parenthood. If we had fewer children born in to unstable home lifes we would have fewer social problems. However, it should be male and female teenagers who have to undergo reversible sterilization and the sterilization shouldn't be reversed until they meet some sort of means test for parenthood.

How can you possibly believe that it's ok to take away ANYONES freedom of whether or not they can have sex. If teenagers WANT to have sex. They're going to, whether there parents allow them to or not. Teenagers are going to get condoms from somewhere whether you give them to him or not. Sterilizing your teenage daughter against her will is wrong. What if your parents decided to take away your human rights. It's absolutely ridiculous. What, because you're older you think that your daughter can't make her own decisions. There's no such thing as a right or wrong decision in this case. It's HER body. If you take away her rights to her body then you are no better than the Nazis who took away the rights of the Jews. If you take away HER rights TO HER BODY then you are no better than the slave owners who forced African Americans to plant cotton fields or die. YOU ARE NO BETTER IF YOU TAKE AWAY HER RIGHTS TO LIFE.

I think it should be an option for welfare mothers. Many of them have too many kids by too many fathers. If you are on welfare, you need to stop making babies! So, horrible as that sounds, temporary sterilization of welfare mothers and their daughters might be something to think about. Its reversible and should they get their slacker rear ends off welfare then they can have more kids..(assuming they can take care of them)

ever raised a grandchild? Ever had a 17 year old pregnant with her second child and no way to support it?

Go Mel. I agree with you. There is too much help out there now for the wild, free, and careless. Far too many fatherless children and unsupervised lives. This country is PAYING for it's freedoms in more ways then one. Teach our young the right things to do and guide them, help them even, but, make them stand more on their own two feet. I have 6 girls and 1 boy. I raised them, not welfare. They are expected to make the right choice.