Birth control available to kids in Maine
Meanwhile, at the King Middle School in Portland, Maine, officials have added birth control pills to the goody bag of contraceptives they’ve doled out since 2000.
These children also get free after school snacks and lunches.
I picture their school snack, birth control pill and condom bundled together in a little brown sack like the kind we got 50 years ago after “The Papillion Methodist Church Presents ‘Away in the Manger.’” Ah, those little brown sacks. Twisted at the top, and tied off with a pretty red and green swirl of ribbon. They held promise of a shiny red apple or bright orange orange, some peanuts in the shell, and oh jump up and down a Hershey Bar! At the King school, eleven year old girls can request birth control and neither the school or the child has to tell the parents.
Dandy. Just dandy. We’ve finally arrived at a culture where a child can get into any kind of trouble and the parent won’t be told, won’t have to accept “ultimate responsibility,” and won’t be prosecuted for “lapses in training.” This isn’t fair. If ranchers plagued with killer wolves can’t shoot, shovel and shut up, how come those kids get to?
This letter has not been edited.
We must address this problem before more children find it acceptable to have sex with wolves because they no longer have to fear becoming pregnant due to a school in Maine is handing out birth control.
Posted by Sean on October 27, 2007 02:11 PMWait, did I get that right? I need some Republican help in directing my fake outrage, because when it comes to fake outrage, nobody can direct it better than the GOP.
I am a complete, pro-life conservative. I read an article on this issue and it is clear that the parents must give consent before anything may be done. I don't like this to happen at a school but if the parents have given consent there is nothing wrong with it. I would caution parents to carefully read the permission slips they sign and write their own specifying limits if they believe the slips supplied by the school would permit actions against their, the parents', wishes.
Please, let the parents be in charge. In this case, they are.
Posted by momma y on October 27, 2007 03:43 PMAs I understand it, the parents were just given the choice to let the child have access to the school clinic, or to forbid it. In all the forms we sign for the schools, this could well get overlooked. The typical parent would say, "Sure, you can go to the clinic. You might have a bleeding wound or you might need a Tylenol." Then the parents aren't allowed to know about contraceptives handed out their young girls.
It's abhorrent that schools want to replace parents in so many ways, and parents let them with the free meals and other bennies. Parents bear final responsibility for their own kids. The philosophy from the school seems to be: "Treat them like the animals we assume they are. They'll copulate no matter what we do."
Posted by on October 27, 2007 05:17 PMLet me get this straight. A preteen can choose to have sex and possibly become pregnant but we aren't sure if they should be able to choose to use contraception?
In no way would I have wanted my preteen children to become sexually active but I would have been far more horrified by a pregnancy at this age.
Posted by Michael R on October 27, 2007 06:57 PMwell i have to say the school made a good choice in this matter due to the fact that i had rather have my teenager using a contraceptive birth control than walking into the house saying that she is pregnant. kids will be kids and they will make bad choices in their lives , but this is a time when you have to look back on your childhood and see the poor choices you have made in life and compare them to how you were raised and how you are raising your child....
it is better to have these teens on birth control than have several thousand more teen mothers on welfare draining the system and economy. I promote sex education in the schools cause if you dont teach your kids about "proper " sex education who will ..... no one ....you are the parent and that means you have certain issues YOU must talk with your children about.
In my home town of Lubbock Texas, they do not teach sex education in the schools, they do not give out birth control, they pray for the children to learn from the bible....
Lubbock Texas has the highest , yes , the highest S.T.D. rating in the nation per capita, 220,000 people in the town , one major university several small Christian colleges , and 3 high schools and many middle schools .many of the middle schools have pregnant teenagers due to lack of education and the church demanding to keep sex education out of the schools.
so wake up people learn from your parents mistakes, use birth control
your local friendly atheist
Hoimaha C.
well i have to say the school made a good choice in this matter due to the fact that i had rather have my teenager using a contraceptive birth control than walking into the house saying that she is pregnant. kids will be kids and they will make bad choices in their lives , but this is a time when you have to look back on your childhood and see the poor choices you have made in life and compare them to how you were raised and how you are raising your child....
it is better to have these teens on birth control than have several thousand more teen mothers on welfare draining the system and economy. I promote sex education in the schools cause if you dont teach your kids about "proper " sex education who will ..... no one ....you are the parent and that means you have certain issues YOU must talk with your children about.
In my home town of Lubbock Texas, they do not teach sex education in the schools, they do not give out birth control, they pray for the children to learn from the bible....
Lubbock Texas has the highest , yes , the highest S.T.D. rating in the nation per capita, 220,000 people in the town , one major university several small Christian colleges , and 3 high schools and many middle schools .many of the middle schools have pregnant teenagers due to lack of education and the church demanding to keep sex education out of the schools.
so wake up people learn from your parents mistakes, use birth control
your local friendly atheist
Hoimaha C.
well i have to say the school made a good choice in this matter due to the fact that i had rather have my teenager using a contraceptive birth control than walking into the house saying that she is pregnant. kids will be kids and they will make bad choices in their lives , but this is a time when you have to look back on your childhood and see the poor choices you have made in life and compare them to how you were raised and how you are raising your child....
it is better to have these teens on birth control than have several thousand more teen mothers on welfare draining the system and economy. I promote sex education in the schools cause if you dont teach your kids about "proper " sex education who will ..... no one ....you are the parent and that means you have certain issues YOU must talk with your children about.
In my home town of Lubbock Texas, they do not teach sex education in the schools, they do not give out birth control, they pray for the children to learn from the bible....
Lubbock Texas has the highest , yes , the highest S.T.D. rating in the nation per capita, 220,000 people in the town , one major university several small Christian colleges , and 3 high schools and many middle schools .many of the middle schools have pregnant teenagers due to lack of education and the church demanding to keep sex education out of the schools.
so wake up people learn from your parents mistakes, use birth control
your local friendly atheist
Hoimaha C.
sorry for the triple post my computer was messed up on refreshing
Posted by Hoimaha on October 27, 2007 11:11 PMHOW ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL FOR
'ILLEGALS'! STOP THE YEARLY POPULATION OF ANCHOR BABIES.
Does anyone think about blood clots these girls may get from the birth control pills?
I suppose they think dead is better than pregnant.
Does anyone ever say NO these days?
Posted by c on October 27, 2007 11:59 PMThe number of children homeschooled in Maine is up 50% since 2000. People are opting out of the public school system all over the country. The schools will get less and less public support as they have fewer and fewer students.
Sooner or later this discussion will be irrelevant because there will be too few children in the public schools to justify a newspaper story.
Posted by freethinker on October 28, 2007 12:04 AMJust for clarification purposes - a pregnant preteen girl would not qualify for any welfare benefits, food stamps or even medicaid unless her parents are already eligible. She could apply for services when she turns eighteen.
This can easily turn into a parent's nightmare in more ways than the obvious one. A family may have insurance that excluded pregnancy or they may not have medical insurance at all. If they do not qualify for medicaid or SCHP, the parents would be fully responsible for the entire cost of the pregnancy, easily thousands of dollars.
Of course the cost to the preteen and her child are much higher in terms of a lifetime of hardship and loss of opportunity.
Posted by Michael R on October 28, 2007 08:08 AMThere are so many things wrong with this I don't know where to start.If I was a parent here are some hard questions I would be asking the School Board.
1.How is a nurse qualified to prescripe prescription medication to someone as young as 11?
2. There are so many different pills and strength of pills with possible hormonal effects,what if the child has a bad reaction or complications?
3.Who is going to make sure the girl is going to take her pill correctly,for it to be effective?
Morning announcements?
4. In Maine it is illegal for children 14 and under to have consensual sex.Who is going to make sur these girls are not having sex with boys 14 and above? Alot of girls get into relationships with older boys and men.
5.If a child feels like she can't talk to her parents about sex and birth control,how is handing out a prescription drug going to help that situation . The child only needs to have a signed permission slip to see the nurse.Whatever goes on behind that door is between the nurse and child.The parents have no right to know what has been given their children.
6, If a child gets pregnant while on birth control is the nurse at school obligated to tell the parents or is she allowed to talk to the girl about her options,abortion,adoption and keeping it?
7. If a child gets pregnant who is going to pay for that child's medical bills,upkeep of the child,or abortion.Surely the school doesn't expect the parents to pay ,since their rights were undermined bu a school board?
8. Is the school nurse while handing out pills going to hand out condems to the girls?
9. Are they going to explain to the girls that if they don't use the pill and condem they are at a high risk for pregnancy and a whole host of STD's.
10. What if a girl get a STD and she starts spreading it ,along with the boy around the school, is the nurse equipped to remedy the STD's? If not who pays for the visit to the DR.?
11.What if someone ends up with AIDS and doesn't even know it and that starts spreading?Who is going to pay for that child's and other's drugs and care for the rest of their life?
A new study just came out that said 1 in 4 people do not realize they have AIDS.
12.If a girl is having sex with a boy over 14 are the nurse's going to report it to the proper authorities ,since it is illegal and possibly child abuse?
13. Does the medical establishment have any medical data or long term studies done on the effects these pills have on children as young as 11 , long term? Or are these girls just the beginning of an experiment with children's bodies?
14. Where are the parents? Why is there no lawsuit to stop this?his policy it seems is breaking many laws that Maine has on it's books.
Bring in every parent and have an assembly to show the parents what their children will be on if asked. Maybe this could start a dialogue between children and parents.
Parents wake up and start parenting. You can't deny sex between teens or pre-teens,open the dialogue and start talking to your children early and often.
What the school board in Maine is doing is wrong. It is showing parents that they need to start parenting.The school has no business in the birth control business.
Who is going to pay for this huge experiment with the children,the parents,the children's bodies,their emotions,their hormonal changes,the predators out there waiting in the wings,the unwanted pregnancies,the pregnancies,they are going to happen,if you expect an 11 year old to be responsible enough to take it correctly.
This is insanity at it's best!
This is stupidity at it's worst.!
I have a child that will be turning 11 this Jan.She's in 5th Grade!!!
I never want a school district to be allowed to undermine my parenting,my values,my expectations, my bounderies, my hopes and dreams for my girls. I have already been talking to my daughters about sex,drugs ,peer pressure,fitting in.using your common sense .right and wrong, our values ,their hopes and dreams,and what will happen if they become pregnant or start using drugs or alcohol.
I am the parent and I refuse to let a school parent my children or teach them anything except appropiate learning material.
I certainly would never let a school prescribe prescription drugs to my children.
What in the hell are these schools thinking?
Posted by Can I get an AMEN! on October 28, 2007 08:44 AMParents parenting is the key! Parents need to take control of their childs well being and quit letting the schools parent!
Hoimaha seems to think that birth control pills stops STD's?
Posted by brain on October 28, 2007 09:53 AMWell, now you tell me. And here I went out and bought all these condoms and IUDs to hand out to the kids for trick or treat (candy would just rot their little teeth out).
Posted by Hans Christian Brando on October 28, 2007 11:15 AMLoved the comments from Lubbock where you learn that sex is the dirtiest ,nastiest thing in the world, and so you should save it for someone you love.
Posted by davis X. Machina on October 28, 2007 11:18 AMI agree with the point that parents should start PARENTING. Wouldn't want to disappoint a child today by saying that sex is out of bounds at age 10 or 11 now would we?
I remember talks with my mother. She was comfortable answering any questions I had. Sex was not a game, she explained. It is the closest you will ever be with another human being, and it has to involve MATURE love of that other person; not a crush or infatuation, or hormonal drive. At 10 or 11 it IS nothing other than a crush or infatuation, or sport, if you will.
Sex has been going on since the beginning of time but condoning it between children is absolutely ludicrous.
What kept me out of trouble was REMEMBERING those talks with my mother and realizing what a heartbreak it would be for me and my family to get pregnant as a teen or young adult without the commitment of marriage first.
Sounds old-fashioned, but it works. You can control the hormones if you have good parenting backing you up. Let's not leave that burden on CHILDREN.
Posted by c on October 28, 2007 11:38 AMAmen!
For the first time, a very big thank you to CIGAA, a list of intelligent questions that dissect the issue without an agenda.
At first thought I did not care if Mainiacs gave their children drugs at school, but your ditty has me against this, tho I differ in one aspect, this school policy, is stupidity at best, or insanity at worst.
Posted by Holy Reality on October 28, 2007 01:58 PMBTW the old fashioned method of dealing with pregnant teens involving a preacher and a shotgun may still be appropriate in Maine, :P
Posted by on October 28, 2007 02:01 PMI also have some question,, how many 10 to 11 or even 12 year olds are menstruating these days?
Seems the age of puberty has dropped and it may be related to improved nutrition in early childhood. And there is some interest in environmental pollution, or estrogen in our drinking water to cause so many very young girls to mature between 9 and 12.
I don`t think a school nurse should dispense any prescription medicine to any child, unless the meds come from home, with doctor and parents permission.
Are boys maturing earlier? I haven`t seen anything on that? And I find it hard to see girls pre-teen enjoying sex. Having it yes, because of pressure from an older boy, or rape, but liking sex for a female at that young age is not the norm.
Any studies on these ideas?
Last poster, oh yes lets marry off our pre-teens if they get pregnant. Those pre-teen dads will do a great job, I am sure. And the older ones should be in jail.
Posted by Sharon B. on October 28, 2007 03:11 PMFirst it's "Aboloish the Department of Education! Let State's decide how to run schools!"
Then, all of a sudden, it's "Maine is too stupid to run their own schools! They need people in Colorado to bitch about it!"
Sheesh.
sean you are about as funny as a mouth full of shit while you kiss your girlfriend hillbillary. of course you like the taste as that is all you know.
Posted by on October 28, 2007 05:35 PMSharon said ” Seems the age of puberty has dropped and it may be related to improved nutrition in early childhood.”
Indeed it has.
From what I read it is linked to childhood obesity rather than “improved nutrition” though.
C said ” Does anyone think about blood clots these girls may get from the birth control pills?”
Very good question.
However, the girls most likely to use the drugs are those who are already sexually active, or are about to be. The mortality and morbidity of early pregnancy is far higher than the increase in risk from the drugs. So unless lots of girls are munching the drugs and are also sexually inactive, the risks are lower if the drugs are taken than if not.
”Does anyone ever say NO these days?”
About the same proportion as ever did, even though the skankification of TV and movies seems to be changing the starting age and the frequency a bit.
Well,there WAS the shotgun/preacher procedure.Makes me wonder if firearms manufacturers used to make special white shotguns for formal weddings.
There was also the sudden 9 months long visit to never-before-mentioned relatives (named Florence Crittenden,perhaps?) who always lived on the other side of the country.
Gentlemen, what is happening to the boys? Are they developing early? My very skinny cousin matured at 9 and had to take meds for this to slow it down. She started menstruating after she had a number of blood transfusions. This was over 30 years ago.
BS, I know from cross cultural studies that girls in warmer climates mature earlier and go through menopause earlier.
Shotgun weddings were often hell for the parties involved and ended with divorce or the use of the shotgun on one of the parties.
But the vision of a white shotgun, decorated with flowers is great.
Posted by Sharon B. on October 28, 2007 06:50 PMBrian, i never said birth control stops std's, was i was getting at is that the schools need to educate as well as the parents in this matter , birth control will keep them from getting pregnant and educating them and handing out prophylactics will help prevent std's , i never said that birth control will stop std's .....
all i am saying is to keep the church out of the schools and educate the masses on sex education
your local friendly atheist
Hoimaha C.
Sharon-thanks.......Got a question for ya.The perception seems to be that children in America are at greater risk and are less well cared for now than they've been during modern history,say,the last 50 to 60 years.Do you think that that perception reflects reality?
Jimminy, I would need stats on things like child abuse, which was underreported in the past, and a whole host of other questions.
Posted by Sharon B. on October 29, 2007 12:19 PMI'm not sure how one could develop reliable statistical data on reports that were never made. My sense of the situation is that the treatment of children-and women-has indeed gotten substantially worse in recent decades,as the availability of birth control and legal pregnancy-erasure procedures has gotten exponentially greater.
Posted by Jimminy on October 29, 2007 08:14 PMJimminy, I don`t think birth control has led to greater violence against women and children. I really do not see a connection. When I was growing up, we little girls didn`t even have the words to tell someone we were being sexually molested. No one encouraged us to speak out and stop the abuse. Many of my friends were molested at home, by relatives and we girls knew which men and fathers were bad.
Parents had complete control over children one of my classmates had a broken and never set jaw, where his dad hit him. Pregnant girls were thrown out of their homes and no one would hire them. they were forced to live with and off of men to survive.
Speaking from personal experience, I would much rather be a girl or woman now then back in the 50 and 60`s.
Go ask some women in their 60`s and 70`s if they think the same. Women and girls have recourse now, the law will FINALLY help them, and there are shelters for abused women and social service does help a lot of kids. i know many who benefited by foster care.
Posted by Sharon B. on October 30, 2007 01:38 PM