Placing Autistic Teens on Birth Control

I have been trying to write this and be politically correct at the same time and the reality is that is not possible. It is not politically correct to say that certain individuals or groups should not be allowed to have children but the reality IS that individuals who are incapable of caring for themselves should not be allowed to have children and the other politically incorrect reality is that some individuals who have autism cannot care for themselves so not only is birth control appropriate for some autistic teens in many cases it is absolutely necessary to ensure the physical and emotional well-being of autistic teens and to ensure that children who will not be able to be cared for do not enter the world. One more politically incorrect statement before I get to my argument, when we are talking about autistic teens and birth control we are really talking about girls. The reality is that except for sterilization there are no reliable methods of birth control that prevent a man from impregnating a woman and sterilization is not legal in the United States unless the person being sterilized consents and the teens we are talking about are not able to consent. If these children were able to consent to these procedures then society and/or parents and caregivers would not have to step in and make these decisions.

There are many levels of autism and while some who have been function at relatively normal levels and will be able to live relatively normal lives there are others who have severe limitations due to their illness that render them incapable of communicating and/or performing basic daily activities. The individuals who are most affected by autism deserve to be protected and the part of the way we can protect is to make sure that there are not unwanted sexual encounters and unwanted pregnancies.

While there are many out there in the community who dedicate their entire professional careers to working with individuals with autism not to mention the scores of parents who get up everyday and do all that they can to protect their children some times very bad things happen and one of these very bad things can be sexual assault. Sexual assault is not completely preventable. Sexual predators tend to be cowards and bullies often choosing victims who are incapable of protecting themselves. Individuals with autism especially females are at increased risk and while we as a society may not be able to protect them from everything today we do have the medical information and knowledge to protect them from pregnancy and this is our responsibility. It is not a question of individual rights and freedoms. It is not an issue of race or eugenics it is an issue of compassion. Compassion for those who can not care for themselves.

Think of an autistic teen who cannot communicate, cannot perform basic daily tasks. Who may not be able to go to the bathroom by themselves or may become frightened during their menstrual cycle and then think about the emotional impact a pregnancy may have on this individual. A parent who caregiver who decides to put a child on birth control is often making a choice from a place of love not from a place of control and this choice needs to be acknowledged and applauded not condemned.

Autism is now a disease that will strike one in one hundred children and as these children become teenagers and adults, we as a society must address the issues that these children and adults will face and one of the most pressing is sexual reproduction so yes birth control must be available to these teens and the decisions about the use of birth control needs to be left to parents and caregivers who work with doctors to ensure that good decisions, decisions that are made from a place of education and love are allowed and protected