Previously, I discussed what I had discovered about King Middle School in Portland deciding to allow the clinic to give out birth control pills and patches to its students.
It seems that not everyone in the town is as happy with the decision as the school officials. The vote by the board of education was won with a 7 to 2 win. The decision was to allow the city ran clinic that is located on the school grounds to prescribe birth control pills and patches to the students. The students may not be seen or treated by the clinic unless they have their parents’ permission. However, the clinic will not discuss any information with the parents due to confidentially of the child.
The Republican Party in the town is asking that the school board rethink its vote. The chairman of the Republican Party, Nick McGee, went as far as to state that the decision “…is an attack on the moral fabric of our community, and a black eye for our state.”
In addition to offering pregnancy testing and birth control methods, the clinic also serves children by offering dental services as well as basic health services. King Middle School has a population of 500 students. Only 135 of the students have parental permission to visit the clinic.
Portland High School clinics have offered birth control for several years. It was decided that the same service may be needed in the middle school after seven middle school students were pregnant during last year’s school term. A total of seventeen middle school girls have gotten pregnant in the past four years.
While some are protesting the school getting involved in contraception methods, some parents are not so upset. They claim that they do not like the thought of their children or their children’s friends being sexually active. However, if the children are sexually active, they are glad that someone is doing something to help.