Last week, The New York Times broke a story out of Maine in which the Portland school board approved a measure allowing middle-schoolers to gain access to prescription birth control medications without notifying their parents.
With this new ruling, King Middle School not only provides the birth control medications for their students, but their medical clinic also offers immunizations and physical checkups in addition to counseling for sexually transmitted diseases.
While some parents viewed this measure as a violation of parental rights, others felt that it was a necessary precaution to offer protection for kids that were engaging in "risky behavior."
I am sure this article will strike a cord with all you mothers out there, so how would you feel if your child were offered prescription birth control without your consent? And you non-mothers, do you think it's a good idea or a bad idea for middle schoolers to be exposed to birth control at such a young age?
Nicoli
Havaianas
Adidas
I hate that it has to occur but parents need to realize that even middle schoolers may engage in sexual activity. I think it is more important to educate budding teenagers about safety and prevention than ignore the issue and hope it never comes up. My 7th grade classmate became pregnant and gave birth before we even made it out middle school. Instances like these could be avoided. My school taught abstinence only and I grew up in an area that held one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the country so clearly something isn't working. However, I do believe parents should be involved in any medications their child may be consuming. Until that child is a legal adult responsibility for their health belongs to the parents and not an educational institution. I think parents should be educated in how to talk to their children about sex, even at an early age.
1Listen, if a kid's going to have sex they might as well have protection, regardless of age.
Personally I would be completely freaked if my (hypothetical) 14 year old came and asked for the pill, but I know there are kids out there with a variety of upbringings and backgrounds. Better to be prepared against pregnancy than have regrets later on in life.
2This is ridiculous! Children are having sex younger and younger, and giving out free birth control is condoning it. I understand where some people say that they are going to be doing it anyway so they might as well be safe, but I just don't agree with that...if they think they're old enough to have sex then they are old enough to deal with the consequences of having a baby at such a young age. What ever happened to consequences?? There's an easy way out of everything when it comes to a baby now, have birth control at 11 years old, morning after pill, abortion...bring responsibility back!
3I think it's a good idea. Kids are exposed to sex that young, so I think exposure to condoms and birth control can be good. The first girl I knew who had sex was 12, and I'm fairly certain they didn't use a condom. Kids are growing up really fast these days and I'm in favor of anything to help keep them safe while they experiment.
4I had sex when I was 14.
5My mom put me on the pill when I was almost 16.
I mean, something is bound to happen, and my mom didn't want to be a Grandma anytime soon.
At least she was understanding about
It's shocking that there is so much sex pressure among young kids today. I think that abstinence should be taught more predominantly before sex. But if they can't be good, they should just be careful, so protection should be available. I just would like that health educators promote abstinence and encourage kids to wait a few years (at least!) before doing it, without sounding preachy but in a profound way that gets the message across.
6i started birth control when i was 13 or 14 due to heavy periods and bad cramps, so i kind of avoided the whole, "hey mom, i want to get on the pill so i can have sex" thing.
that said, i like to think that i could have had that honest discussion with mom and that i can have it with my daughter in the future.
however, just because they're young doesn't mean they don't have individual rights, and if a girl wants to go on birth control in order to prevent pregnancy out of wedlock or GASP! abortion, then good for her for being smart about her body and sex in general.
hopefully she's smart enough to use a condom to protect from STIs as well.
7I think offering free condoms would be much better than offering a prescription. First of all parents are legal guardians for a reason. Children, especially middle school age, are not mature enough to take the pill everyday at the same time. The pill can also cause problems, ones that grown women can recognize and change brands or methods. Girls that age don't know their bodies well enough to know what is strange for them. Also at that age, how do you know girls would not abuse the pill because they think it will help them grow larger breasts or get their period. Without parental guidance, girls could double dosages or even triple. Condoms are effective, help prevent STDs (which the pill does not), are cheap, and do not parental guidance.
If I were a parent I would be outraged if the school gave my daughter birth control without my consent. A middle schooler can't even get her ears pierced without parental consent!
8I was 16 when I lost my virginity and my mom was realistic enough that when I was in 6th grade she told me that while she was hopeful I would wait until I was married, she knew I probably wouldnt, but that she hoped that when I decided to take that step with a guy that I would come to her first so she could make sure I was protected.
I didnt. But I was careful- always was. My friend teased me about being overly paranoid about protection (within 6 months his gf was pregnant). I didnt have cramps, so I didnt have an excuse to go to the gyno and get on the pill. I went when I was 18 and got it and my mom wasnt happy about it, but she would rather I be safe.
Had I had the option to get it and my parents not know about it, I would have taken it- of course there is always Planned Parenthood, but kids now are having sex before they can drive or have any friends that can drive.
I just always kept in mind that when I told my parents that they were going to be grandparents, that it better be good news. Now Im married and its a nice feeling to know when I tell my parents Im having a baby- that their reaction will be nothing but pure joy.
9Condoms are effective, help prevent STDs (which the pill does not), are cheap, and do not *REQUIRE* parental guidance.
Sorry
10Absolutely not. They are way too young and we do not need to accept or encourage it. And without a parent's knowledge? I doubt they have the maturity or responsibility to even take it as they should. To the child it would seem like it is ok and normal to have sex at that age. I am 100 percent against this.
11
WHAT!?!?!?! Out off all the places, Maine???? Bad, bad, bad idea. This
only teaches middle schoolers that sex is appropriate for their age because they have access to birth control. Parents should be making these kinds of decisions for their kids, not schools.
12My niece who lives in Maine is 11 and I shudder at the thought of her school approving such nonsense!
13This kinda sh- stuff makes me wonder where this world is coming to...
14I heard on the news that kids as young as 11 will be able to get it. I think that's terrible. An 11 year old girl should not be having sex! Or even thinking about it! Why are kids so young having sex? Around age 14 I agree kids are beginning to explore and become active. I think 14 is still too young! I wish kids would enjoy their childhoods and wait until they are emotionally ready. Now, everyone is different but in my perfect world little girls wouldn't have sex until they are women! You can't consent until you are 18 for a reason! At least wait until you're 16 girls... What's the rush... Sheesh!
15liz4aker- you're right condoms don't require a prescription, but that's putting all of the power of female reproduction in a male's hand. If girls are having sex this young, they're clearly responding to some kind of pressure (peer, societal, from their partner's, etc.) and they might succumb to pressure to not use condoms either ("baby, I don't want anything between us," "if you really loved me..." and that kind of cr*p). Giving them birth control empowers them to take control of their own reproductive destinies.
ChristinaVal, you're wondering whatever happened to consequences, but babies are not consequences!! Women should not have to have babies to punish them for having sex!! While it's sad that younger and younger girls are having sex, it is absolutely ludicrous to consider that they should be exposed to pregnancy and childbirth just to prove some point! If they're old enough to be having sex, they're old enough to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies.
16I can see both sides. Kids are going to have sex, whether they have protection or not, so why not make sure they at least have the option? But, on the other hand, by giving it to them, its like we're saying its perfectly fine to have sex at 14, when its really not. At 14, NO ONE is emotionally or physically ready to deal with sex.
We also must understand that girls use birth control pills for many things other than preventing pregnancy.
17I am not a mother, but I am not excited about the fact children are engaging in sexual activities at a much younger age.
I think that it is a good idea to give more to younger adults other than text book information because they don't even listen in class anyway!
It's just sad that it has to come to this.
18facin8me I understand what you are saying about "putting it in a man's hand", but if a girl is not mature enough to say no to that sort of pressure, she is not mature enough to have the responsibility of a prescription drug.
What would be more empowering is to work with girls more on saying no to sex without a condom. Giving out birth control is only slapping a band aid on a bigger problem. There should be condom usage regardless of whether or not a girl is on birth control. You would already think that a girl signing up for an exam/the pill at school, which is admitting she is going to have sex, would have enough self confidence to say no to that sort of pressure from a guy.
I mean think back to middle school... how comfortable were you to even go ask the school nurse for a tampon/pad? Imagine the guts it would take to get an exam and pill. Condoms could be placed in the bathrooms so there would be no adult judgment (real or imagined).
19Here's some things that are missing from DearSugar's synopsis of this news:
the middle school involved is operating a clinic for for students that will provide basic health care, like immunizations and physicals
students are be required to have their parents permission to use the clinic, though they will not be required to have their parents permission to receive birth control
this decision was made in response to recent cases of pregnancy among middle schoolers
studies have shown, time and again, that having access to birth control or condoms does not make kids wild and crazy sex animals
20haha, touché facin8me.. yep, i think it's okay for students to have access to birth control if they want it.. although i personally wasn't ready for sex at that young age, some girls choose to be sexually active, and i think they should have options available to them. Unrelatedly, my sister was actually on birth control at around 13, because of issues surrounding her period..
21liz4aker- I agree that things would be much better if we could empower girls to not have sex without a condom... I think it would be even better even we could convince them to not have sex until they're older. But as a society, we're kind of falling down on the whole "teaching girls to value themselves" thing... Perhaps in addition to birth control, female condoms could be distributed in bathrooms for girls...perhaps you are correct that the anonymity involved would lead girls to protect themselves while at the same time be something they can do without relying on a male partner.
I think CitizenKane brings up a good point that BCPs are used for a range of things besides contraception (controlling acne, PMS, cramps, etc) and from that standpoint I think that younger girls should have access to them. And if they are mature enough to walk into a nurses office and ask for the pill for actual birth control reasons, then I think that they should have access then as well.
22I think kids should be able to get whatever it is they need to have safe sex and prevent pregnancies, regardless of age. I do think it's alarming that kids at that age are having sex, but I guess that's how the world is now. Hey, Romeo and Juliet were 14 and look at what they were doing. So I guess it isn't just a modern occurrence.
23Well, let's see, the first time I heard about kids in my classes having oral sex, was when I was in 7th grade. I was completely astonished at hearing this stuff when I was that age, and even more so later when I heard that a few girls had lost their virginity at the age of 8. So, sad as that may be, it is a necasary thing if you do not want pregnant 12 and 13 year olds.
24I was lucky enough to have a mother that spoke with me about safe sex and birth control when I was about to head into High School, which is a good time, but sometimes, not soon enough. It's obviously not easy for a teenage girl to talk to her parents about wanting to be on birth control. You can't be naive about the situation. I mean, the people who preach abstinence until marriage, and that birth control is evil, are the most likely to be teen mothers.
Taking birth control to prevent an accident IS a form of responsibility.
25I didn't even get my period until I was 12! I can't get over how sex is something that children face. It's scary!
26It is a scary to think how quickly children are being exposed to sex today but it is everywhere. The world we live in now is completely different. I do not believe that children as young as 11 should be engaging in sexual activities but if it is going to happen they need to have the facts. Also, I was very offended by the poster who equated babies to a consequence of sex. Just because one engages in these activities doesn't mean a consequence has to occur. Girls should be educated on their options so they are never taken advantage of in any situation. This can be as simple as picking up a pamphlet or having a discussion with your own child. I hope to be a responsible parent and think of my child and not my comfort level when it comes to raising them.
27I feel divided on this. Children that young should not be having sex. However, kids are very impressionable and more likely to make an unwise decision. I can easily imagine a situation where a girl suggests a condom, but the guy refuses or doesn't put it on properly. Birth control does give the woman more control, though condoms are much better, since they prevent STIs. Some parents are not going to allow their child to be on birth control until they can procure it themselves at the age of 18. Having STI tests and counseling in schools is a great idea though.
28this is a very small school district that had 17 middle-school pregnancies last year.
i just wanted to make sure you factor that in, they're already having sex.
29At a school where the parents are completely uninvolved in children's lives, it's sad that maybe these kids have to take charge of their own health at such a young age. This would never happen at a WASP-y surburban school. If kids are having sex, and they're getting pregnant, the school is stepping in for the absence of parental guidance. They're doing what they have to do.
30I believe in sex ed because knowledge will never hurt you and it's always better to be protected than not. But for MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS?? That's just WAY too early for birth control pills. I understand if you have really bad cramps or something, but you shouldn't be having sex when you're in middle-school...I'd be so mortified if my child were doing that. I think, 16 and up, even though that deep down inside, 16 is still too young. Maybe 17. Yeah. I don't know.
31There are good and bad sides to this issue, but I have to go against it. Middle-School is way too young to use the pill. Plus, from what I understand, if you use the pill for too long you can have problems having children later on in life.
32It is not the job of the schools to parent a child. It is the school's job to step in if the child is being abused/neglected, but not to make moral judgments. If a parent does not want their child to be on a CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE that is their right. Everyone is forgetting that this is not saying the girls can not get birth control, but they can't get it without their parents' consent. This is not stepping in for irresponsible parents, but for ALL parents. We are not talking about teenagers in high school (14-18yrs) but middle school age children (8-14yrs). Think of all the things parents must give consent for children that age.
33The parents have the right to deny their children access to the clinic. The clinic requires the parents' permission to let the student utilize it; from there medical treatment is confidential under state law. So the school is not making a "moral judgement." The school is providing health care- the parent can choose not to grant permission to use the clinic, so I'm not sure what the problem is here.
Either way, I'd rather have a bunch of pissed off parents instead of a bunch of pregnant 11-13 year olds (the school district is grades 6-8, and therefore does not include 8 year olds, unless of course if they're geniuses or something). This isn't some random policy instituted by some liberal administrators- are you aware that the middle school district involved had seventeen pregnancies in the past four years involving middle schoolers?? And this doesn't count miscarriages or terminated pregnancies not reported to the district?
Seeing as that the kids are having sex without their parents' consent, I'm not sure where the outrage comes from that these girls might be able to protect themselves from pregnancy using services from a clinic that requires their parents' consent.
34My problem with this whole thing is that people fail to realize that the pill is actually very dangerous. I've had a couple patients get potentially fatal blood clots from the pill and the patch. What happens if one of these kids die from taking this controlled substance that their parent did not approve of? I bet this whole thing would be reversed in a heartbeat. This is why you need a prescription and doctors recommendation in the first place! How can these idiots be so quick to think that a 11 yr old can handle the responsibility of taking the pill! What happens when this child thinks she just has a cramp in her leg from the gym not realizing it's a blood clot that she can die from? There is more at stake than just having a baby!!!
35I know it seems insanely young and it is very sad that a middle school student would need to use birth control. Unfortunately though, some middle school students ARE sexually active these days...I'm an 8th grade teacher and know for a fact that several of my students are or have been sexually active.
I know it's disturbing, but it's true.
I don't really know what my opinion is on this topic, just that these kids ARE having sex and they do need to be protected in some way. I know I would be horrified if I had a 12 year old daughter (or around that age) asking me for birth control. But the reality is, it's happening...
I first started taking the pill when I was 16/17...it was mainly for the horrible cramps I had, I usually couldn't even go to school the first two days of my period they were so bad. I was sexually active at age 16 though, so that also played a role.
36i think it's a good idea...certainly better than middle schools having sex without some form of birth control. i started on birth control at age 13 and didn't think it was that big of a deal, but then again, my mom is a gynocologist and i started because of heavy periods, not because i was sexually active at 13.
37middle schoolers**
38I don't think it's a great idea, but sadly, in the world and culture we find ourselves in, children of that age ARE experimenting sexually, have NO idea what is sex and isn't (or any idea that things they don't consider "sex" also spread STDs), and are prone to pregnancies and STDs based on this ignorance. If there were comprehensive sexual education all over America, equal even in communities where the schools are subpar, we wouldn't need something like this... but I'm glad that the school is putting itself in the situation where they have to draw attention to this issue by protecting their students from stupid mistakes they might make out of sheer ignorance.
39hotstuff, yes, those problems do happen in a very small percentage of women who use hormonal birth control. but that's why it's prescribed by doctors who assess for risk factors like stroke or heart attack or blood clots in one's heredity, as well as smoking, high blood pressure, etc. and why it's not for anyone to just pick up at the wal-mart. and if a patient is educated about recognizing the warning signs of an embolism or what have you, they're better equipped to handle it in the ALREADY SMALL CHANCE that it does happen to them.
40luvneverends: The pill does NOT prevent STDs.
41i absolutely support it. i worked as a social worker and had 13 year old girls who had had multiple abortions. its a sad fact but this is the state of our country. not just ignorance abt sex on the part of the kids, but also sexual abuse, rape, and drugs which put kids at higher risk for early sexual activity. parents should be more up in arms about the fact that they arent keeping good enough tabs and communication up with their children and that the kids dont feel like they can go to their parents for help. protect your kids from the risk factors that lead to early sex. if you are an active and engaged parent then your kid probably wont have to go ask the nurse for it. otherwise, theyre gonna have sex whether you like it or not and they should be protected.
42I think it's a good idea to have the option of going someplace that you feel comfortable and getting birth control. When I was in jr high I felt much more comfortable talking to my history teacher than to my parents. She didn't judge me, yell at me, or threaten to ground me. She listened and got me whatever help that I needed. I think it's important for kids to know that there's a place they can go to for help. For me the nearest Planned Parenthood is over an hour away, so for my 14 year old self it was not an option.
43Isn't it bad to be on continuous birth control for a long period of time?? I would worry about the effects of that continual hormone/medication treatment from age 11 on. Can you imagine being on birth control from 11 to say your late twenties when you finally want to have kids? That is over a decade of that. I dont even want to know what that could do to that poor girls ovaries and hormones
Also how many girls at age 11 are even on their period or have a steady regular period to properly take the pill?
44Oh yeah and if they girls are secretly getting the pill how are they going to go to the gyno and do the regular tests that sexually active women should have.
My friend went on the pill when she was 19 and before she was even prescribed had to get a pap smear. How many 11 year old girls are honestly going to do that?
45I think one important thing to keep in mind is that the pills wouldn't just be given out like candy to any kid that asks for them--the nurses and other health professionals at the school clinic would screen the girls first and make sure they would be able to handle it.
A lot of these comments just say "OMG that is WAY too young for them to be having sex!" but the facts show that the kids in this area ARE doing it, so it doesn't matter what we think they SHOULD be doing. What we need to be doing is making sure these kids have the tools they need to be healthy and informed.
46I think that access to birth control should be available no mater what age-if they're having sex, then they should be making sure it's safe. I don't know if it should be the school's responsibility to hand out birth control pills though.
47First, I don't think offering birth-control to teens is going to encourage them to have sex earlier.
I think it's a really good idea if it is backed up with a proper education, ie explaining what safe sex really is. I agree with Facin8me that using condoms asks for taking responsibilities and not being afraid of saying what you want, so a good sex education is more necessary than ever.
As much as I approve of giving free condoms, I'd completely disagree with putting kids on the pill without the parents knowing about it. As someone said, the pill doesn't protect from STIs/STDs and that's probably the first thing to teach to kids. Also, let's not forget that the pill can create side effects, sometimes serious, and the parents should know about it. Otherwise it's like giving antibiotics to a kid and hiding to her parents, pretty irresponsible in my opinion. While I totally understand that some teens may wish to be on the pill without telling her parents, for various reasons, you need to make sure she is mature enough to understand that taking the pill is something serious - so I wouldn't recommend that for 13-14yo.
48Good and Bad Sides.
I was one of girls who became sexually active way too young (13).
49I think if the pill was available to me it would have made me even worse, but at the same time had I become a mother at 14? What a nightmare....
Good and Bad Sides.
I was one of girls who became sexually active way too young (13).
50I think if the pill was available to me it would have made me even worse, but at the same time had I become a mother at 14? What a nightmare....
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