Birth Control in Middle-School?

NYT reports...
PORTLAND, Me., Oct. 17 %u2014 The Portland school board on Wednesday approved a measure allowing middle-school students to gain access to prescription birth control medications without notifying parents.

The proposal, from the Portland Division of Public Health, calls for the independently operated health care center at King Middle School to provide a variety of services to students, including immunizations and physical checkups in addition to birth-control medications and counseling for sexually transmitted diseases, said Lisa Belanger, an administrator for Portland%u2019s student health centers.

All but two members of the 12-person committee voted to approve the plan.

The school principal, Mike McCarthy, said about 5 of the school%u2019s 500 students had identified themselves as being sexually active.

Health care professionals at the clinic advised the committee that the proposal was necessary in order for the clinic to serve students who were engaging in risky behavior.

The conference room at the Wednesday night meeting was packed with parents, students and television cameras as school board committee members discussed the issue and heard testimony from experts and residents.

%u201CIt has been shown, over and over again, that this does not increase sexual activity,%u201D said Pat Patterson, the medical director of School-Based Health Centers.

Reaction was mixed.

%u201CThis is really a violation of parents%u2019 rights,%u201D Peter Doyle, a Portland resident, told the committee. %u201CIf there were a constitutional challenge, you guys would be at risk of a lawsuit.%u201D

Others argued for approval.

%u201CNot every child is getting the guidance needed to keep them safe,%u201D said Richard Veilleux, who said his child attends King Middle School. %u201CThis is about giving kids who are sexually active the tools that they need.%u201D

According to the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care, about 30 percent of the 1,700 school-based health centers in the United States provide birth control to students, Dr. Patterson said.

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