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October 18, 2007
Birth control debate boils in MaineThe school board of Portland, Maine voted last night to allow an independent clinic located at a district middle school to provide birth control to students engaging in risky behavior. According to this article in the New York Times, "All but two members of the 12-person committee voted to approve the plan." Additionally, the article noted, "The school principal, Mike McCarthy, said about 5 of the school’s 500 students had identified themselves as being sexually active."
One important point to note is that this plan includes prescriptions for the birth control pill. Condoms have been available to students with parental permission since 2002. This has, of course sparked vigorous debates, both within the community in Portland, and in the national news.
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.“It has been shown, over and over again, that this does not increase sexual activity,” said Pat Patterson, the medical director of School-Based Health Centers.
Reaction was mixed.
“This is really a violation of parents’ rights,” Peter Doyle, a Portland resident, told the committee. “If there were a constitutional challenge, you guys would be at risk of a lawsuit.”
Others argued for approval.
“Not every child is getting the guidance needed to keep them safe,” said Richard Veilleux, who said his child attends King Middle School. “This is about giving kids who are sexually active the tools that they need.”
BoardBuzz would like to point out that this is exactly the kind of situation that illustrates why local decision making is so important. The Portland officials are clearly striving to meet a need that exists in their community, but may not in other districts in the state or across the nation. Using data to make decisions about health-related programs is as important as using relevant data to make decisions about academic programs.
But if we were to look into our crystal ball, BoardBuzz suspects that the debate over this issue is not finished yet. What do you think about this policy? Leave us a comment and tell us what you think.
For more coverage, check out additional stories here and here.
Posted October 18, 2007 3:15 PM | Health & Wellness
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