A compelling report form the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released in January puts a spotlight on "reproductive coercion." According to the ACOG, reproductive coercion, or the act of forcing or compelling a partner to get pregnant, is a serious problem for many women. Partners sometimes even sabotage birth control in order to achieve their goal.
Of course, this is nothing new, and reproductive coercion is certainly not an act unique to men. Both men and women have used shady means to get their partners to participate in baby making perhaps as long as people have been reproducing. Trickery, emotional blackmail, threats of violence or other acts of coercion are troubling, especially when used as a means to bring an innocent baby into the world.
Teens at risk
Teens may be especially at risk of reproductive coercion. Not only are they young and inexperienced, but they may lack the support and resources needed to protect themselves from an unwanted pregnancy. Or they may be emotionally vulnerable enough to be easily manipulated into believing they want to have a baby, too, if that is what their partner desires.
Think your teen is not at risk? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 46 percent of all teens have had sex. About 1 out of every 25 teen girls gives birth, for a total of approximately 400,000 births each year. That doesn't even include the number of abortions performed on teens, more than 200,000 additional unborn babies destroyed in the wombs of teenage mothers each year according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Communication is critical
It is vitally important that parents communicate with their teens. Teens who are comfortable talking with their parents may be more likely to abstain from sex or ask for help obtaining birth control before they become sexually active. They may also be more willing to talk about how they are feeling if their boyfriend or girlfriend begins to pressure them to have unprotected sex.
Remember that teens are less able to reason than adults. They may be much more vulnerable to reproductive coercion from their partner than you might think. The threat of a break up or the promise of a happy life together can be compelling to a teen in love, and it's harder for them to process the consequences of becoming a teen parent.
Steps you can take
Role play some of the arguments a partner might make in order to coerce your teen into having unprotected sex. Discuss the tricks a partner might use to sabotage birth control or otherwise entrap a partner. Use statistics and specific cases to demonstrate how promises of forever made as teens don't often work out. Have all these talks before you see signs of trouble, and repeat them as your teen becomes more involved with a significant other.
Most of all, work to maintain a relationship of love and trust with your teen, so that they know they can come to you with any problem big or small. Your support could make all the difference in your teen's ability to say no.
Of course, this is nothing new, and reproductive coercion is certainly not an act unique to men. Both men and women have used shady means to get their partners to participate in baby making perhaps as long as people have been reproducing. Trickery, emotional blackmail, threats of violence or other acts of coercion are troubling, especially when used as a means to bring an innocent baby into the world.
Teens at risk
Teens may be especially at risk of reproductive coercion. Not only are they young and inexperienced, but they may lack the support and resources needed to protect themselves from an unwanted pregnancy. Or they may be emotionally vulnerable enough to be easily manipulated into believing they want to have a baby, too, if that is what their partner desires.
Think your teen is not at risk? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 46 percent of all teens have had sex. About 1 out of every 25 teen girls gives birth, for a total of approximately 400,000 births each year. That doesn't even include the number of abortions performed on teens, more than 200,000 additional unborn babies destroyed in the wombs of teenage mothers each year according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Communication is critical
It is vitally important that parents communicate with their teens. Teens who are comfortable talking with their parents may be more likely to abstain from sex or ask for help obtaining birth control before they become sexually active. They may also be more willing to talk about how they are feeling if their boyfriend or girlfriend begins to pressure them to have unprotected sex.
Remember that teens are less able to reason than adults. They may be much more vulnerable to reproductive coercion from their partner than you might think. The threat of a break up or the promise of a happy life together can be compelling to a teen in love, and it's harder for them to process the consequences of becoming a teen parent.
Steps you can take
Role play some of the arguments a partner might make in order to coerce your teen into having unprotected sex. Discuss the tricks a partner might use to sabotage birth control or otherwise entrap a partner. Use statistics and specific cases to demonstrate how promises of forever made as teens don't often work out. Have all these talks before you see signs of trouble, and repeat them as your teen becomes more involved with a significant other.
Most of all, work to maintain a relationship of love and trust with your teen, so that they know they can come to you with any problem big or small. Your support could make all the difference in your teen's ability to say no.
