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Author Topic: Maine middle school to offer birth control  (Read 416 times)

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Offline Callaway

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Maine middle school to offer birth control
« on: October 20, 2007, 10:19:44 PM »
I read about this, and I wonder what you think about it.

I have an 11 year old daughter and the schools here are not allowed to even put Neosporin on a cut without a medication form signed both by a parent and a physician.

What if the middle school girl had some sort of medical complication from the contraceptive pill and her parents did not know that she was even taking it?


http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/10/18/middleschool.contraception.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest


You can follow the link for the full article, but here is an excerpt:

Quote
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- After an outbreak of pregnancies among middle school girls, education officials in this city have decided to allow a school health center to make birth control pills available to girls as young as 11.


Maine's King Middle School is the first in the state to offer full range of contraceptives to 6th-8th graders.

 King Middle School will become the first middle school in Maine to make a full range of contraception available, including birth control pills and patches. Condoms have been available at King's health center since 2000.

Students need parental permission to access the school's health center. But treatment is confidential under state law, which allows the students to decide whether to inform their parents about the services they receive.

There are no national figures on how many middle schools provide such services. Most middle schoolers range in age from 11 to 13. 


"It's very rare that middle schools do this," said Divya Mohan, a spokeswoman for the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care.

Portland's three middle schools reported 17 pregnancies during the last four years, not counting miscarriages or terminated pregnancies that weren't reported to the school nurse.

The Portland School Committee approved the plan, offered by city health officials, on a 7-2 vote Wednesday night. Whether the prescriptions would be offered this school year or next wasn't immediately clear....

Offline Tesla

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Re: Maine middle school to offer birth control
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2007, 10:22:15 PM »
Craziness.  Crazy that girls that young are having sex, and crazy what they're trying to do.
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Offline Peter

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Re: Maine middle school to offer birth control
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2007, 10:29:08 PM »
Craziness.  Crazy that girls that young are having sex, and crazy what they're trying to do.

It's crazy that they're giving out contraceptives to deal with the reality that kids are fucking like bunnies?  Sounds like the height of sanity and pragmatism to me.
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Offline Tesla

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Re: Maine middle school to offer birth control
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2007, 10:31:39 PM »
No, what's crazy is that they don't hand out condoms like homework.
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and I leave with nothing but love,
everything else is just borrowed.

Fuck it, we'll do it live.

Offline ASpHole

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Re: Maine middle school to offer birth control
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2007, 10:40:45 PM »
I know the middle school in question quite well. It is essentially an 'Inner City' Middle school that primarily serves kids from the West End, Libbytown, and Parkside neighborhoods. Although I didn't go to that school, (I lived on the East End in Portland) I do clearly recall being somewhat surprised by the fact that on attending 9th Grade at Portland high, there were female students coming to classes with babies in strollers. - This was in 1981.

I find the fact that King Middle School offering Birth Control to students to be a prudent decision given the reality of the situation. Aside from an upper class neighborhood on the Western Promenade where most of the kids go to either the big Catholic Middle / High School, (Cheverus) or private school, (Wayneflete Acadamy) these neighborhoods are essentially lower class slums. --FWIW, at the time that I was growing up, the East   End of Portland was essentially the same. 
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Offline Callaway

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Re: Maine middle school to offer birth control
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2007, 11:21:28 PM »
No, what's crazy is that they don't hand out condoms like homework.

The article said that they have been handing out condoms since 2000.

Unless the middle schooler has a latex allergy, that's not too much of a problem, but the pill can cause blood clots, heart atacks, strokes and depression, as well as other medical issues.

I just think that the children's parents should be informed if their children are getting any medication.

Offline Christopher McCandless

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Re: Maine middle school to offer birth control
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2007, 08:17:23 AM »
No, what's crazy is that they don't hand out condoms like homework.
They do in the UK. Just ask the nurse...

Offline Calandale

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Re: Maine middle school to offer birth control
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2007, 08:25:39 AM »


I just think that the children's parents should be informed if their children are getting any medication.

Yeah. I know. But contraception is a particularly
sensitive issue. I mean, the folks are unlikely to
throw a fit, because sally has a headache. But,
they might well if they find out that she's shagging
jimmy. Now, she's going to fuck him anyway, and it's
just a question of whether she's on the pill or not.

I just hope that they're giving the kids enough information
to make a decision. And pushing condom use as much as
possible.

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Re: Maine middle school to offer birth control
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2007, 11:16:02 AM »
wow, i think the school systems are the same way here callaway, im suprised that one is getting away with that with no legal battle. yet another reason why i wont send my kids to public schools :santa:

Offline Calandale

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Re: Maine middle school to offer birth control
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2007, 11:26:49 AM »
yet another reason why i wont send my kids to public schools :santa:

You're planning on spawning?  :o

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Re: Maine middle school to offer birth control
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2007, 03:25:03 PM »
My only concern with the pills is the same as Callaway's what if she comes home and goes into anaphylactic shock and nobody knows why or suffers some other side effect and doesn't report it till it's too late.  Where I live my son who has stomach problems has to smuggle Tums in and excuse himself to the bathroom to take them in secret
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