Empowering Teen Girls on Sex, More

(CBS)  To celebrate the release of her book, "The Body Scoop for Girls: A Straight-Talk Guide to a Healthy, Beautiful You," CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton sat down with some typical teenagers from the New York area to give them the scoop on their health on everything from body image to contraception.

Ashton's "Body Scoop for Girls"
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Just as in her book, Ashton said, her aim is to end some of the confusion young girls face during puberty.

However, Ashton said, it's the young women she spoke to who taught her a thing or two.

Click on the video below to see Ashton's candid conversation with these seven young women.


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Ashton added on "The Early Show" there's a recommendation by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that girls should first see a gynecologist between the ages of 13 and 15.

"That has absolutely nothing to do with sex or contraception or birth control. That has to do with teaching our teenage daughters about their overall health and wellness," Ashton said.

She said a gynecologist can also address breast health, bone health, acne, and problems with periods -- as well as sexual education.

"It's a huge topic," she said. "They need a pediatrician and a gynecologist."

[cidaia]

Empowering girls to put out too young...that is what America is all about.

The only way we will ever "empower" our girls is to stop harassing and attacking anyone who suggests that maybe, just maybe, we should regard girls as sexually off-limits until they are legal adults and able to grant informed consent.

Right now, we stigmatize girls who practice abstinence, and we sabotage and undercut the abstinence message. We attack adults who suggest that there might be something inappropriate about viewing children as sex objects - how DARE we object to threesomes on a TV show aimed at teens?

We say it is up to the parents to decide a family's values...then we mock, ridicule, and sabotage any parent who tries to teach a girl to preserve her virginity until she is old enough to make a mature choice.

OF COURSE girls are having sex young. Most Americans are sending the strong message that there is something WRONG with any girl who is fourteen and still a virgin.

America is strongly in favor of underaged promiscuity.

[canubserious]

The only way to empower our girls to make choices they can be proud of, is to educate them. It is irresponsible to live in this technological society, where girls are given suggestive social messages every hour, and not arm them with the facts and information they need to make the right choices for themselves. Poor choices are made when a girl is not educated, feels pressured, and cannot think for herself.

[farmerjack1]

Why can we not have a serious discussion about the growing a daughter question. the mom that off handedly commented about hoping she didn't have to deal with these questions till her daughter was in her thirties is nuts. Picture this a totally innocent daughter who is thirty years old and has no clue about her own sex and health. I'm sure that is one very happy, well adjusted daughter......not.

[farmerjack1]

the mom that thinks its great to have an innocent daughter at the beginning of her teen years has her head in the sand.Kids can be exposed to all kinds of things as long as their parents are available to help them process the input. Its not whether a child is exposed to adult themes , it is whether their is a significant adult around that they can communicate honestly with about what they encounter in life.

[kamsack50]

DEESGUSTING! Get her away from those teenagers! Cool .. awesome .. you guys. Gimme a break. Woman, people like YOU are the reason 13-year-olds talk like they're 30 now. You made this world they grew up in!

[mrsherman]

I know some religious moralist is going to comment about protecting a girls innocence, so I'll start in on his/her case first.
Who's responsible for them getting pregnant in the first place?? In almost all cases, the boyfriend is older than the girl and that makes HIM responsible. Hormones be da***ed! Make the guy (even if he's thirteen) responsible for caring for the child! When word gets around that they're going to be held liable for their actions, then you'll see the pregnancy rate drop!!

[excop1949]

Ashton added on "The Early Show" there's a recommendation by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that girls should first see a gynecologist between the ages of 13 and 15.

I TEACH HIGH SCHOOL, AND I KNOW THAT A LARGE NUMBR OF GIRLS THIS AGE DO SEE A GYNECOLOGIST...BECAUSE THEY'RE PREGNANT.