Birth Control/Pregnancy Prevention

 

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO GET BIRTH CONTROL WITHOUT ANYONE’S PERMISSION

Teens have rights when it comes to their sexual and reproductive health choices. Minors of any age can receive birth control without parental consent. The conversations you have with your doctor are guaranteed by law to be confidential. However, you must be 12 or older to receive care for an STI without parental consent. These are places you can go for confidential family planning services.

  • School Health Clinics
  • Public Health Clinics
  • County Hospitals
  • Planned Parenthood

If you do not know where to go, you can ask your social worker or attorney for a referral. If you tell them you do not want this discussed with anyone, they have a duty to keep it confidential.

Many clinics offer these services for free or at a low cost, and your Medi-Cal will cover any cost of service. These places can give teens birth control that requires a prescription such as:

  • Birth control pills (“the pill”)
  • Depo-Provera (“the shot” that lasts 3 months)
  • Implanon (birth control implant inserted under the skin)
  • IUD (a coil placed in your uterus until a doctor removes it).

    Teens are allowed to buy the following types of birth control at drug stores:

  • Condoms
  • Sponges
  •  Spermicide cream or jelly

Using confidential family planning services can help teens:

  • Prevent unwanted pregnancy
  • Avoid contracting HIV (the virus that causes AIDS)
  • Avoid other sexually transmitted infections (STI’S)

These two publications will give you more information about your reproductive privacy and decision-making rights.