Many believe reproductive health education is important in order for students to understand different points of view and make informed decisions for themselves, including about abortion.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about abortion,” says Junior Jane Myette. “People say that it’s like, murdering babies, but they’re not being aborted in the second or third terms, and so there’s a lot of misinformation.”
Myette’s friend, junior Lucie Remignanti, agrees.
“I think that education about abortion would be very helpful for teenage girls, and I think that it would help to eliminate those misconceptions,” says Remignanti.
In 1973, the Supreme Court case “Roe vs Wade” legalized abortion for all women. But in June of 2022, the ruling was overturned. As of 2025, the U.S. states that have banned abortion are Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. In contrast to these laws, abortion is a form of healthcare, according to the World Health Organization.
“All my personal beliefs are that every woman should have healthcare for their future fertility and to be able to make decisions on her own,” said Nadine Marcheterre, Triton High School nurse.. “But I think there is definitely room for growth for people to learn more about the issue. I believe that women are empowered when they are fully educated about reproductive health, such as information about their bodies, contraception options, sexually transmitted disease education and pregnancy. I believe that both males and females need to have education on all of these same issues.”
The circumstances surrounding abortion have been widely argued. Much of the debate has surrounded the idea of the moment of conception, after which those who oppose abortion say a pregnancy should not be terminated.
“When it comes to the moment of conception, I couldn’t pretend, honestly. We don’t even really know exactly how the brain works and everything, like completely. So I couldn’t really tell you. It’s not something to take lightly in any case,” says biology teacher Mr. Lathrop.
Some students have firm views on the matter.
“I think that girls should be able to take an abortion if they’re like, taken advantage of. Because if they don’t want a kid, they shouldn’t have to have one.” says Senior London Cole.
What students are allowed to learn in terms of reproductive health depends on local or state politics. While Massachusetts does have guidelines for sex education topics, the decision to offer the content is left to local districts, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website. Whether students support a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion or not, they may not have access to the full information that could help them make an educated decision if faced with making decisions about their bodies.
