The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Ring
The health clinic at a Maine middle school caused an uproar by planning to prescribe and distribute the birth control pill to students who request it. Although students need parental permission to use the clinic, the treatment they receive is confidential under state law.
Some parents are outraged that their children could obtain birth control pills (as well as condoms) without their knowledge and want the plan revoked. Proponents of the program insist that sex among middle schoolers is a reality and that schools have an obligation to provide counseling, contraception, and privacy to those students who seek it. But are schools within their rights to hand out birth control? Tell us what you think.
Should middle school health clinics provide birth control pills?
Submitted by kendra (not verified) on August 25, 2008 - 06:49.
i agree with you. some students are to young to learn about sex education. i think it should only be taught to high school students. if they dont hear about it then they could not do it.
over stepping bounds
Submitted by Jennie (not verified) on May 25, 2008 - 14:16.
As a high school teacher I certainly understand the importance of sex education and prevention of teen pregnancy. I have dealt with 2 students who found themselves pregnant and in high school. The first terminated the pregnancy the second delivered a little girl that she is now raising alone. I found both circumstances to be very painful but even so it is not the place of the school to distribute birth control. I think schools are taking too much responsibility for these things and it is the role of the parent to educate and ultimately provide contraceptives if they choose to.
no i appose it
Submitted by clair jones (not verified) on May 21, 2008 - 10:48.
i dont think children of that age should even be offered it. it is suggestive to them, and at a young age...sex shouldnt be on there minds right now. i am 16 and im not even worried about sex. i think that if you tell a child that you have pills that will let you have sex and not worry about getting pregnant, there gonna take advantage of that, and they can be student who never gave sex one minuate of a thought. i think they should ban birthcontrol from middle schools
Sex education and birth control
Submitted by Kelsu (not verified) on July 3, 2008 - 11:54.
developing sexuality is a fact of life. Unless a child is raised in a cave, he or she will see sexuality all over the media, and will inevitably have the natural urge to have sex. first, will the young adult understand the implications of acting on this urge? second, will the young adult have all the information needed to make a responsible decision?
parents must take responsibility for the values and morals of their children. the school can be a good source for information.
Sex is not the enemy.
Should middle school health clinics provide birth control pills?
Submitted by Ruth Steinhart (not verified) on June 23, 2008 - 21:18.
In response to Clair's post:
Although some young people, like Clair, do not feel any interest in sex, many others do. There is no evidence that informing young people about birth control increases the likelyhood that they will have sex at an earlier age, as Clair states. In fact, the studies suggest comprehensive sex education may cut teen birth rates. We in the U.S. should be doing more to prevent teen pregnancy. In the United States, the teen pregnancy rate is more than nine times higher than that in the Netherlands, nearly four times higher than the rate in France, and nearly five times higher than that in Germany. In these nations, societal openness and comfort in dealing with sexuality, including teen sexuality, and pragmatic governmental policies create greater, easier access to sexual health information and services for all people, including teens. Easy access to sexual health information and services leads to better sexual health outcomes for French, German, and Dutch teens when compared to U.S. teens.
As an educator and a parent of a sixteen-year-old, I think providing birth control at school clinics is a good thing.
Should middle school health clinics provide birth control pills?
Submitted by Heather (not verified) on April 27, 2008 - 17:25.
I understand the need to decrease teen pregnancies but I do not believe it is the schools job to take control of the situation without parental consent. I live in West Virginia and my children will be starting middle school in the fifth grade. Are we supposed to just keep giving it to younger and younger children? I plan to have detailed discussions with my children when they are ready and to prepare them and make sure they can come to me. If you cannot handle this aspect of raising children then you should not have them.
Contraception distribution
Submitted by Cristina Erwin, Marysville, Wa. (not verified) on April 27, 2008 - 06:49.
Whether you believe in God or not, are young or old, male or female, everyone should understand the nature of sexuality since it is likely we all will engage in this activity many times in our life. Learning about "it" makes the only sense. In America, we love and hate sex. I work in a school that has numerous births and impending births. I teach science. From this percpective every student should know that the goal of every living creature is to repoduce. Therfore, we should embrace this wonderful ability by teaching every aspect of it's function. If we did that, it is unlikely that we (schools) would have to resort to distributing birth control to children because they would know that doctors offices, clinics, and pharmacies are the places to get thourogh understanding, advice, and products. Americans need to get real about this issue. When we have sex, worrying is not the emotion you want to have.
Should middle school health clinics provide birth control pills?
Submitted by Jermaine (not verified) on April 10, 2008 - 15:29.
Birth Control Yes... Pills no... MORE SEX ED NOW!
Birth Control pills should only be administered by health professionals. If the school nurse is trained in administering birth control, and has the authority by all means. But, if any woman is given the wrong medication and not checked up on, it can lead to serious complications, even death. So teach them about condoms, with the rampant spread of STDs and especially HPV which leads to cervical cancer in women. Teach them that pregnancy is not the only thing to watch out for.
I know a lot of kids now and when I was growing up that had sex in middle school. The majority waited until they were in high school, but they still had no idea about proper birth control methods. And quite a few girls I knew ended up with STDs, pregnant, or in terrible situations like date rape. All becuase they had no idea what to expect out there in this "adult" sexual world.
Birth control in middle school
Submitted by love (not verified) on March 19, 2008 - 13:11.
yes i believe that birth control should be distributed in middle sschoool!! because times have changed the age where kids star having sex gets younger and younger. me personally have jus stared to take birth control as a senior in high school. i never took it before because birth control was never a fact that was stressed to me. also because it was not a clinic that was close by for me to go to and get it from.so my mother would have to take me and she did not kno that i was sexually active and i was to afraid to tell her! as a result of me not having birth control i eneded up preganat! i did not want to be pregnant at such a yong age and if i would of had birth control that came with easy acess to it i would of never been pregnant. so this is why i feel this way i lived the life with no birth control and now i am experencing a whole nothe life that i feel that other young girls do not want to experience and they should not have to.
Birth control
Submitted by Lyndsey (not verified) on March 10, 2008 - 06:38.
My opion varies. Do to the fact that middle school girls could be using the pill for their period , and not for sex !
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