August 14, 2002 MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Nearly half of the young girls surveyed in Wisconsin said they would quit going to Planned Parenthood if their parents had to be told they wanted prescribed contraceptives, according to a study.
The study suggested that parental notification could lead to more teen pregnancies, abortions and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Congress and 10 states, including Wisconsin, have considered legislation requiring that parents be informed if their children are seeking prescribed contraceptives, the study noted.
The study, appearing in Wednesday's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, was funded by grants from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for Urban Initiatives and Research, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues and Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin Inc.
Researchers surveyed 950 girls ages 12 to 17 at 33 Planned Parenthood clinics around Wisconsin in 1999. The girls were asked to complete a confidential survey as they waited for appointments.
The study found 47 percent said they would stop using all sexual health care services at Planned Parenthood if their parents were notified they were seeking birth control pills or devices.
"If a teen thinks that their access to medical services is compromised in one area, they are making the assumption it could apply to other areas as well," Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin spokeswoman Lisa Boyce said.
Ninety-nine percent of the girls said they would have unprotected sex or use condoms if they couldn't get prescribed contraceptives, the study found.
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
