Pre-Teen Birth Control at School?

Posted by Susan Hyde Oct 17, 2007

Maine's Portland City schools are considering a proposal to make birth control pills and other contraceptives available to King Middle School students. If the proposal passes, the Student Health Center, which already provides condoms to pre-adolescents, could also provide prescription contraceptives.

To receive student health services, parents must sign enrollment forms. However, since King's health center also provides dental care, injury and illness treatments, and immunizations, parents might not realize that they are, in effect, signing a permission slip that would also allow their pre-teenagers to receive homones or other contraceptives without parental counsel. In fact, parents may be unaware that their 'tweens have received any reproductive "advice" since Maine laws allow minors to receive confidential services.

The contraceptives-for-children crowd touts this measure as "necessary" with the excuse that "kids are going to do it anyway." Nevermind that a recent Maine Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows that sexual activity among Maine middle schoolers has dropped a whopping 10% over the past ten years, and nevermind that only 4% of middle schoolers at King Middle are sexually active at all. Education and appropriate supervision can and do postpone sexual activity. Furthermore, drug education campaigns suggest that parental communication is key in preventing high-risk activities. Shouldn't parents likewise be included in conversations when pre-teens are putting themselves at risk for AIDS, cervical cancer, sexual abuse, and STDs?

Morality aside, even low-dose estrogen contraceptives have serious potential health consequences such as thromboembolism, pre-menopausal breast cancer, cervical cancer, and liver cancer. If a risk-taking pre-adolescent smokes while she is on the pill, the dangers increase. Additionally, the pills' typical 99% success rate applies only to patients who take the pill at the same time daily.

The proposed contraceptive program dismisses parental rights, disrespects family communication and places inappropriate responsibility in the hands of children.