Birth Control ESL Lesson Plan: Warm-up

1)  Is it expensive to get medicine and treatment from a doctor in your country?

2)  What methods are used in your country to prevent pregnancy?

3)  What important factors should a couple consider before having a baby?

4)  Who should be responsible for teaching sexual education to children and teenagers?

U.S. Insurers Must Fully Cover Birth Control (August 7th, 2011)

Under a new rule made by the Obama administration, U.S. health insurance companies must fully cover birth control and other preventive health services for women. These services include the morning-after pill, which is taken shortly after intercourse to stop pregnancy, counseling for HIV, and screenings for certain types of diabetes and sexually transmitted diseases.

According to a government spokesperson, the new rules were designed to keep women healthy by relieving them of the costs of contraceptive services. These services will no longer require women to pay co-payment or deductible payments to insurance companies.

The law is a landmark decision in the decades-long debate on women’s health that has pitted family planning groups against conservative and religious organizations. The law is part of a broader effort focusing on prevention of disease and other health problems. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops opposes the law, stating that “Pregnancy is not a disease, and fertility is not a … condition to be suppressed by any means technically possible.” The group advocates abstinence as the best way to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Conservative groups have balked at the decision to use taxpayer money to cover birth control, especially the morning after pill. A traditional criticism of the use of emergency contraceptives, such as the birth control pill, is that it will promote promiscuity and unprotected sex. This claim, however, is unsubstantiated according to recent research done in the United States.

In the United States, birth control is the most common drug prescribed to woman ages 18 to 44. The law will go into effect in August 2012. (263)

[Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/01/us-usa-health-preventive-idUSTRE7703C420110801, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmRz3b0myok]


ESL Lesson Plan: Comprehension Questions

1)  What type of services will be covered under the new law?

2)  True or False: Women wishing to receive the morning after pill will still be required to pay a deductible.

3)  Why do the Catholic bishops oppose the law?

4)  True or False: Research in the United States has shown that the availability of emergency contraceptives does not encourage unprotected sex.

Match the words with their meaning as used in the article.

intercourse
screening (noun)
contraceptive
deductible
landmark
pit sb against sth (verb)
suppress (verb)
abstinence
balk (AmE) (baulk= BrE) (verb)
promiscuity
substantiate (verb) / the state of having many sexual partners
prove, validate
be unwilling to do sth or allow sth to happen
money paid by the insured before the insurer will pay a claim
make sb/sth compete against another [*usually passive]
hold back, restrain
a device or drug used to prevent pregnancy
the practice of not allowing yourself sth, e.g. sex
an event or discovery that marks an important stage in sth
sex
a test or examination for sth, e.g. a disease

Master the language: Connect the below ideas to make a sentence.

government crush uprising / E.g. The government plans to crush the uprising.
abstinence / intercourse
screening / disease
contraceptive / balk
landmark / law
research / substantiate / criticism
suppress / promiscuity
pit / workers / owners
deductible / car / crash


Brainstorm the benefits of emergency contraception (such as the “morning after pill”) and also some of the concerns about them.

Pros: / Cons:

When finished, decide if the use of such contraception should be promoted to the public.

ESL Lesson Plan: Role-play

Situation 1: Elementary and middle schools in your town have begun giving out free condoms to students.

Student A: / You are an elementary school principal. The free condom campaign has just been introduced. You support this program, but you know that some parents might not like the idea. Think of reasons for why the program is a good idea. (Soon, you’ll need to give these reasons.) After a minute or so, your phone will ring.
Student B: / Your innocent 11-year old daughter has just come home from elementary school with a handful of condoms. She tells you about the new program. You think it’s crazy. Think of reasons for why the program should be changed or cancelled for a minute or so. When you’re ready, call the school principal on the telephone.

Situation 2:

Student A:
(female) / You are a 16-year old girl. You have a new boyfriend, Ricky, who is 22. Ricky didn’t finish high school but he makes good money fixing motorcycles. You love him. Tell your parent (Student B) that you want to marry Ricky and have his baby.
Student B: / Your daughter is the top student in her classes. You want her to go on to become a dentist like you. Recently, however, she’s been out a lot and you haven’t seen her much. Today she says she wants to talk to you about something.

ESL Lesson Plan: Discussion Questions

1)  What do you think of the new law? Would it be possible in your country?

2)  Is the “morning after pill” a form of abortion?

3)  Do you believe today’s generation of teenagers are more sexually active than the generation of 30 years ago? If so, why?

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Lesson plan copyright Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com

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