The story of schools issuing oral contraceptives to middle schoolers in Portland, Maine has been a hot topic in the media over the past several weeks. As a new parent of a baby girl, this certainly evokes strong opinions from both my husband and me. We also have the medical perspective, since we both work in health care and particularly with Darren being a physician.
In general, it is probably safe to say that “the pill” is relatively low risk. It is not completely without risk, however. One major risk is that of blood clots. I remember when I was in high school, a friend of mine was rushed to the hospital with calf pain. She did have a blood clot, which doctors said had the potential of being fatal. She was ordered to quit taking birth control pills, and informed that she should never take them again. What if she had been issued those pills without her parents’ knowledge or consent? And what if she had chosen to keep them a secret upon arrival at the hospital?
Medical risks are only one area of concern with giving children medications without parental knowledge or consent. Is it really okay for us to hand over such decisions to complete strangers? Children are not equipped to make these decisions on their own. Granted, some of them do, and some children will have sex “no matter what.” That is not the case with all children. As a society, we continue to diminish and invalidate the powerful role that parents can play in the lives of their children. We also continue to de-emphasize parental accountability. Case in point: the 10 year old boy in California who was playing with matches unsupervised, which resulted in catastrophe, death, injury, and enormous loss for thousands of people. Not once in the media have I heard mention of parental accountability in this case.
Another area of concern with schools issuing oral contraceptive is the fact that it does not protect from disease. It may protect against pregnancy, if taken correctly. Let’s be honest…how many 11 year old girls are mature and responsible enough to manage a medication regiment? And while it may be beneficial that pregnancy is avoided, what happens when she gets HIV, chlamydia, crabs, or any of the other sexually transmitted diseases?
One woman on the Portland school board who was a proponent of this bill stated that only about five girls per year were asking for birth control. Since when is legislation passed, and laws changed, in response to five pre-adolescent girls’ wishes?
The most I can say is that this is complete absurdity. Both my husband and I agree that if we lived in that school district, or if something like this were passed where we live, that we would be moving. Marina is our daughter. Not the school’s, the city’s, the county’s, the state’s, or the country’s daughter. She, her well being, and her best interest, are ultimately our responsibility.
