WAG, but it might actually make the average age of first pregnancy lower (it’s 25 right now in the US). I foresee a lot of 21-year-old moms (which might create stigma for them, specifically, in employers’ eyes). Accidents would happen for women (and men) who misjudged the cut-off date for the birth control’s effectiveness – they’d probably be advised to use condoms or another form of BC approaching the woman’s 21st birthday, but old habits die hard. So to speak.
Instead of saying ‘Don’t worry, I’m clean’ or ‘Are you on birth control?’ you’d get ‘Don’t worry, I’m under 21’ and ‘When’s your birthday?’
There may not be a stigma against teen mothers anymore, but I imagine the lives of 21-year-old women would change quite a bit, and not necessarily for the better. They’d have to decide whether or not to continue BC (especially if they have to ‘lock in’ for another few years – I can’t imagine regular BC would be as attractive, with its risks and side effects). They might see that birthday as especially symbolic, the point at which they must decide whether not to have a child (versus the hazy age most child-free women have now, around 30, when they realize they’ve got to make a serious decision). Plus, of course, the Bat Mitzvah-style celebrations.
No, you didn’t say it was a bad thing; I was just curious (and thus asking) if that was in fact a connotation you intended to assign to it or not. I apologize if I imputed views to you you do not hold.
This is an excellent post. A similar thing happened in China with marriage, They raised the minimum age to get married, and it led to a decrease in the marriage age.
All too many underage mothers mess up their kids lives, and their own lives as well.
The kids are the victims, not the parents.
EVERYONE knows nowadays where babies come from, and contraception is easily available if the people can be bothered to get it in the first place.
And if they have moral objections against using birth contro,l but apparantly not having u.a. sex, then theres the fact that people may die through not eating or drinking, but no ones ever died from not having sex.