Maine middle school to offer birth control

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gaba101

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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.

what is our world coming to by finding ways to CONDONE girls (students who should go to college!) to fool around and have sex without facing the reprucussions:
1) less time to focus on SCHOOL and become a WORTHY human being in this world (instead of freeloading off Medicaid funds that come out of MY paycheck!!)
2) higher chances of STDs w/o condom use
3) more sex partners (if you start having sex at an age as young as 11, chances are you won't stay w/ the same partner for the rest of your sex life!).

1st they make Plan B available w/o a Rx to anyone over 18 (and hence, allows minors to have easier access to Plan B) and now birth control pills available to 11 year olds?? When you're 11, you should be having fun, building your vocabulary, exploring math, science, world history, playing softball, NOT worrying about taking that pill the SAME TIME every single day or whether or not you remembered to take it yesterday! Yes, this decision could potentially mean less orphans and single-parent families that we'd have to pay for as a society but those "bad" kids are few and the "good" kids may follow their footsteps--(GOOD) kids as young as 11 learn by reward/consequence system. It almost seems as if we are "rewarding" kids to have sex by relinquishing their fear of getting pregnant.

Worst of all is that these 11 year olds do NOT need parental consent to obtain Birth Control pills!! If I were a parent there, I'd pull my child out of that school system in a heartbeat. :mad:

for you parent pharmacists out there--how do you feel?
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I really hate threads like this. It's just a debate about morals, which is a little uncouth.

I shouldn't say anything else...
 
the little girls are already getting pregnant. it's not like it was a Stepford town that was suddenly turned promiscuous when birth control became available. the kids were already having sex, now they're just trying to cut down on the side effects of that.
 
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njac said:
the little girls are already getting pregnant. it's not like it was a Stepford town that was suddenly turned promiscuous when birth control became available. the kids were already having sex, now they're just trying to cut down on the side effects of that.
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exactly.
 
I say it's a great idea. Increased rates of teenage sex would help offset the obesity problem in America. It's good exercise. Plus, they will be happier.
 
While I feel its not the sole responsibility of the school to parent children, something needs to be done when there is a breakdown of parent parenting (ie 11 yo getting preggers). If the parents are not going to step up, then someone needs to. I think its a good idea and the school is showing some serious balls by doing it. Plus, I'm sure there is an education system in place so thwn they get their BC they will also be taught safe sex practices. They are also getting a check up when they get their BC which is also a good thing for young kids.

I also feel that girls need to get gardisil at 5yo so we can encourage them to start fooling around even sooner. ( that argument is so off base that its laughable)
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
I say it's a great idea. Increased rates of teenage sex would help offset the obesity problem in America. It's good exercise. Plus, they will be happier.
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We can always count on you, can't we?
:laugh:
 
njac said:
the kids were already having sex, now they're just trying to cut down on the side effects of that.
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yes, i agree that we should give BC to high school kids (15, 16, 17, etc yr old females) b/c they are already have sex and we (esp. parents) can't do anything to stop them by the time they're in hs & very close to being of legal age (18) so the least we can do is "cut down the side effects of that." but here, we are talking about 11 YEAR OLD KIDS, who can and should be able to be steered back in the right direction ("abstinence" at least until an older age--don't they still teach this in Sex Ed class? I know they did when I was 11y/o)!

ESSENTIALLY what america is saying is that 11 year old GIRLS cannot be controlled--if parents/adults cannot control 11 year olds, (esp. preventing them from having SEXUAL INTERCOURSE), there is something seriously wrong with Americans (I was born an American, btw)--these are girls who are in elementary school, or at least barely starting middle school. I bet if puberty/hormones kicked in at age 5, and 5 year olds started to have sexual, america would offer them free birth control too b/c hey, the message the Maine school nurse is sending is that 5 yr olds can't be controlled.

but you are entitled to your own opinion. not intending to cause rage, just stimulating discussion (as old topics like dispensing EC and non-Rx-EC did).
 
Abstinence programs are the equivalent of telling a heroin addict to just stop doing it. Instead there should be education programs so it can be done in a safer fashion (needle exchange and free contraceptive). Could you please cite one unbiased and not flawed study that supports the use and efficacy of an abstinence program
 
gaba101 said:
yes, i agree that we should give BC to high school kids (15, 16, 17, etc yr old females) b/c they are already have sex and we (esp. parents) can't do anything to stop them by the time they're in hs & very close to being of legal age (18) so the least we can do is "cut down the side effects of that." but here, we are talking about 11 YEAR OLD KIDS, who can and should be able to be steered back in the right direction ("abstinence" at least until an older age--don't they still teach this in Sex Ed class? I know they did when I was 11y/o)!

ESSENTIALLY what america is saying is that 11 year old GIRLS cannot be controlled--if parents/adults cannot control 11 year olds, (esp. preventing them from having SEXUAL INTERCOURSE), there is something seriously wrong with Americans (I was born an American, btw)--these are girls who are in elementary school, or at least barely starting middle school. I bet if puberty/hormones kicked in at age 5, and 5 year olds started to have sexual, america would offer them free birth control too b/c hey, the message the Maine school nurse is sending is that 5 yr olds can't be controlled.

but you are entitled to your own opinion. not intending to cause rage, just stimulating discussion (as old topics like dispensing EC and non-Rx-EC did).
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I agree with gaba101. Not to be morally judgemental but at some point society needs to draw the line. BC to high schoolers is one thing, but giving BC to an 11 year old girl?! I think if you have to do something in middle school, then pass out condoms and how-to-use-a-condom lessons to the boys and girls. At least it prevents STDs and it does not involve putting hormones into a little kid's body. If someone gives my 11 year old daughter hormones (for whatever purpose) without my knowledge, I am going to be pissed off.
 
As a parent of an 11 girl. I am OUTRAGED!!!! Everyone should be. It is partly about morals and that is GOOD. Having morals is good. NO ONE should ever be punished or hassled or anything of the nature for standing up for what is right. If we all stood up for what was right all the time this world would be a better, safer place. You don't have to agree with someones values, but you should respect them.

My daughter has just recently even asked me what birth control is. (She over heard my sisters talking). Very few 11 years are having sex. I have never meet or have known a 11 year old ready to have sex. We do need to make a stand. 11 year olds are very influenced by peer pressure and do NOT have the greatest, clearest thinking abilities, lets not make their lives harder.

Many things are age appropriate, and birth control is not appropiate for 11 years to have on demand.
 
Does anyone else find it interesting that the first sentence says "outbreak of pregnancies" as though it were some contagious disease? It seems to imply that these girls and boys aren't responsible for what's happening. When will society accept actions for their face value and see that we cause most of our own problems, not matter what age. Recognizing the actual cause of a problem is the first step in finding a solution.

I can't wait to hear the replies from all the parents who have their heads in the sand and simply say, "No, not my little girl, she'd never have sex at this age."
 
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I'm sure this rant will offend many. I really don't care, I thought I'd just warn you.

I'll give some of you slack...maybe you don't remember......but I was 12-13 not too long ago...and many of the girls I went to school with were already ******. And I'm sure it was the same when everyone was that young, you were just not as informed about your classmates sex schedule or you've chosen to forget. Sex isn't some sort of new phenomenon. We've been doing it for several millenniums. Hell, back in the olden days, you'd have 6 kids and a retirement plan by the time you were 18. If you don't want your kid blowing little Johnny down the street, fine, whatever, tell them not to. I'll pour some out of my 40 for poor little Johnny and his libido. But I think it's a good idea for the less sexually repressed kids out there to have this option.

I actually know of this one dude I went to high school with who was religiously and parentally repressed from having sex in high school and now he's in jail for child pornography of girls aged 14-17 because he was trying to vicariously relive high school and diddle all of the cheerleaders he had running after him back in the day. This was his actual defense in court. Now his girlfriend is Bubba in cell block C. Sexual repression will **** people up. The **** is hardwired into our brains. There's a reason why "celibate" priests seem to have a propensity towards "inviting their alter boys to confession" and why prisoners in jails tend to "turn" homosexual....if you don't get laid, you go crazy....so you'll change your tastes to get it if you don't get it....or if getting it isn't possible, it just might **** you up later.

So go ahead, tell your kids they can't have sex. When they get caught having sex with their pet beagle when they are 35, I told ya so.

This is what you do....get your female kid that contraceptive implant that lasts 6 years when they are 12. Then it's impossible for them to get pregnant and when it wears off, they are 18 and it isn't your problem anymore. Now that's good parenting.
 
soyroger said:
I can't wait to hear the replies from all the parents who have their heads in the sand and simply say, "No, not my little girl, she'd never have sex at this age."
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....and.... "I can control my kid."

Right, and then they show up pregnant.
 
So, WVU what is this implant you mentioned?
 
I am not sure what the big deal is. There is no doubt that it is occurring, so why not take extra precautions. I started when I was 12 and while there were not a lot of kids that were having sex, it certainly did happen. Then again I have never thought there was anything morally wrong with it either and I still don't. Take precautions, don't get pregnant or contract any STDs and who cares? That being said...my daughter is not getting out of the house without a bodyguard till she is 20! :)
 
I do think it's an absolutely terribly idea. Like hell is an 11 year old going to reliably use the pill in order for to be effective birth control. When I was that age and I was sick I still needed my mom to make sure I took antibiotics on a regular schedule. Not to mention it's just begging for an outbreak of a cornucopia of STDs.

The school would be better off spending it's money on a rigorous sex education program (that is factually correct and has no other political agenda) that starts when the kids are in first grade and you drill that info into their little heads every successive year. None of this wait till the kids are already going through puberty.

Also I don't think 11 year girls are being "rewarded" by having access to birth control. If someone is sexually active that young, there's the chance that something happened to them (ie molestation) and it's not their fault that they're messed up. Also the decision making process of an 11 year old is vastly different from that of an adult. Sure kids can understand the basics of reward/consequences... but to take it to that next level and really understand what getting pregnant and having a kid will do to their futures, I don't think so. You can't hold them to the same standards as adults in most situations.

As a result, to me it feels very, very wrong to use pregnancy as some sort of punishment for having sex that young. There's more constructive ways to teach kids that age not to have sex than have them get pregnant, destroy their lives, destroy the life of their offspring, andn so on.
 
Can I ask some really silly questions:

1) Why is discussing morality uncouth?

2) Do you agree sex is an emotional as well as physical act?

3) Just because an 11 year old is physically capable of having sex, does it mean they are emotionally capable of appreciating the ramifications of the act?

4) Is society permitted to have any values when it pertains to human behavior?
 
WVU I am soooo glad you are no where near my kids!!! Instead of saying they all do it so let just give them birth control, maybe we should figure out why they are having sex at such a young age. And address the issues. Teaching morals is good. Support teaching (and living w/) morals and in the end you will be grateful you did;the world will be a better place. (It is the right thing to do.)

Emotional scars from early sexual activity can and do last a life time. We as parents, health professionals and members of society should be helping and supporting kids not throwing their futures away because standing up for what is right is not cool or convenient.

Step away from yourself and think about what is really in the best interest of the children. At middle school age they are still children, even if they don't think so.
 
Am I surprised to see this going on? of course! do I think it's ridiculous 11 year-olds are having sex? of course! and I'm from a small town where girls were pregnant in my 7th grade class (12y/o).

but abstinence only education does not work, and certainly not after they've started. my parents never pushed the abstinence envelope (hell, it was encouraged if anything) and my sister and I were very late bloomers in that regard.

the fact is, the parents missed their opportunity and now the school has to take place to prevent further consequences. if your daughter is in the same school and not humping her classmates then she doesn't need the BC does she.
 
mrsturtle said:
Instead of saying they all do it so let just give them birth control, maybe we should figure out why they are having sex at such a young age.

Emotional scars from early sexual activity can and do last a life time.
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Teenages are horny and stupid--that is why they are having sex at such a young age. Always have been, always will be--teaching morals doesn't change the fact that kids are stupid, horny bastards!!

"Emotional scars from early sexual activity can and do last a life time." This is just a wee bit overdramatic...Personally I don't find my early sexual experiences scarring--on the contrary I found them exhilirating. :)

"And we've made sex an emotional act because humans are idiots." WTF? Sex is an emotional act-regardless of the emotion you attach to it--whether love or pure joy. It's not stupid it's just the way it is--and thank God sex is an emotional act or it would be no fun whatsoever.
 
timbutt2 said:
"And we've made sex an emotional act because humans are idiots." WTF? Sex is an emotional act-regardless of the emotion you attach to it--whether love or pure joy. It's not stupid it's just the way it is--and thank God sex is an emotional act or it would be no fun whatsoever.
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If sex is an emotional act, then eating is an emptional act. It's an act that causes pleasure. People attach emotions to it because we are all crazy attachment ******.
 
What ever happened to good parenting?!
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
If sex is an emotional act, then eating is an emptional act. It's an act that causes pleasure. People attach emotions to it because we are all crazy attachment ******.
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Please define "emptional"...
 
What you people fail to understand is the battles in life are against your nature. It's your nature that tells a male to have sex as many times as possible with as many different partners as possible. It's our humanity that says you must control your nature. While it is certainly pleasurable to attempt the above, there is much more to be gained from meaningful relationship with a partner of the opposite sex (for heterosexuals) than the simple animal pleasure of copulation.


This is the greatest failure of the liberal movements that started in the sixties. The liberal position is the greatest battle in your life is with society. That's why they have coined sexism, racism, ageism, etc. The real battle is with your self.

As for the difference between fun and happiness. This is another area where people have this screwed up. Fun does not = happiness. Increasing fun does not = increasing happiness. Happiness is the feeling you have when the fun is over.
 
I'll be in Portland Maine in a couple of weeks. I'll fix the problem.

Now Delete Thread!!
 
I disagree--even "humanity" is subject to the laws of nature. "Humanity" has its evolutionary advantages. The urge to hump everything in sight is just as natural as the urge not to. And there is an evotionary purpose behind both urges. One benefits the self--and the other the species.
 
timbutt2 said:
I disagree--even "humanity" is subject to the laws of nature. "Humanity" has its evolutionary advantages. The urge to hump everything in sight is just as natural as the urge not to. And there is an evotionary purpose behind both urges. One benefits the self--and the other the species.
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...
 
mrsturtle said:
maybe we should figure out why they are having sex at such a young age. And address the issues.
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I agree with this. But I don't think that NOT offering the birth control on the grounds that they shouldn't be having sex yet is going to keep it from happening.

I think what they need is birth control AND guidance counselors.
 
You people think kids are going to stop having sex? No. There is a reason sex is so prevalent at this age, hormones are going crazy! It's not their fault they have crazy urges for the first time ever to have sex; its our own evolutionary pathway. Sex is supposed to feel good because if it didn't, our species would not exist. So you think we can just slap these kids on the wrist and they will not have sex? No. You are wrong again! We need to prevent health risks instead of try to tell kids something that inevitably will fail.
 
Tuck said:
I am not sure what the big deal is... I started when I was 12 ... Then again I have never thought there was anything morally wrong with it either and I still don't. ... That being said...my daughter is not getting out of the house without a bodyguard till she is 20! :)
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timbutt2 said:
Teenages are horny and stupid--that is why they are having sex at such a young age. Always have been, always will be--teaching morals doesn't change the fact that kids are stupid, horny bastards!! ...Personally I don't find my early sexual experiences scarring--on the contrary I found them exhilirating.
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bigdogc said:
You people think kids are going to stop having sex? No. There is a reason sex is so prevalent at this age, hormones are going crazy! It's not their fault they have crazy urges for the first time ever to have sex; its our own evolutionary pathway.
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You people are just plain nuts and I will bet a jelly donut the people posting these idiotic comments about the appropriateness of 11 year olds having sex are not parents. You'll sing a different tune if your 11 year old daughter is having sex.

Just because your hormones run wild, does not mean you have to act on them. That's the difference between human and animals. When a male lion sees a female lion he walks up and mounts her. It doesn't work that way with people. Human beings have to control their impulses. Just because it's natural to masturbate, does not mean you do it at McDonald's. It's called self control and it's something we better start teaching ourselves and then we can it teach our kids.
 
Old Timer said:
It's called self control and it's something we better start teaching ourselves and then we can it teach our kids.
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The parents should be teaching their children self-control. It is not up to society to force children to act a certain way. Society controls the adults who then control the children.

The parents are responsible for their children, therefore if the school wants to offer birth control and the parents agree to that type of care, so be it- so long as the medication does not harm the children.

I'm not going to offer my opinion about 11 year olds taking birth control, because I think that's wrong to begin with. The parents have to decide what's the best care for their children.
 
njac said:
the fact is, the parents missed their opportunity and now the school has to take place to prevent further consequences. if your daughter is in the same school and not humping her classmates then she doesn't need the BC does she.
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And that's the crux of the argument, really. I think it's absurd that any kid would be having sex at that age, but obviously they are. There are some lousy-ass parents out there that are not doing their job and it's sad for society to have to step in to pick up the slack. Happens all the time, think about it.

I feel about this the way I do about people who refuse to sell syringes to people with "diabetic cats". No one in the history of mankind will ever stop using heroin because they can't get a clean needle from Wags.
 
PharmDstudent said:
The parents should be teaching their children self-control. It is not up to society to force children to act a certain way. Society controls the adults who then control the children.

The parents are responsible for their children, therefore if the school wants to offer birth control and the parents agree to that type of care, so be it- so long as the medication does not harm the children.

I'm not going to offer my opinion about 11 year olds taking birth control, because I think that's wrong to begin with. The parents have to decide what's the best care for their children.
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Which is why this is a CHOICE in Maine - not a requirement.

If the choice is not needed.....then no choice needs to be made.

Its very difficult to separate your own judgement from the choices society decides to make available to the public.

Over time, we decide as a society that choices we've made have not been the best (tobacco advertising on TV & in print). We may choose, as a society that this is also one of those situations. But, we may need to let time decide that.....

It doesn't prevent each of us from having a valid opinion, as parents, professionals or just concerned public.
 
"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."

Okay, so the health center offers BC. Ignore the fact that the kids are eleven years old. What other services does this health center include? STD testing, and appropriate treatment options? Are they just the BC distributors, or are they following up with these children? Do they send them to their pediatrician with a note from the school nurse? What medical records are they keeping?

Suppose they do more than just hand out BC. A kid gets prescribed a sulfa drug to treat his infection (apologies if this isn't likely, still pre-pharm here), and because he's an eleven year old he doesn't know that he's horribly allergic to it--- but his mom could have told them. Where is the liability when the kid has a horrible reaction? Never mind the incurable STDs! I want to know what this clinic does beyond the controversy of giving BC to pre-teens and how they intend to do it responsibly.
 
Old Timer said:
You people are just plain nuts and I will bet a jelly donut the people posting these idiotic comments about the appropriateness of 11 year olds having sex are not parents. You'll sing a different tune if your 11 year old daughter is having sex.

Just because your hormones run wild, does not mean you have to act on them. That's the difference between human and animals. When a male lion sees a female lion he walks up and mounts her. It doesn't work that way with people. Human beings have to control their impulses. Just because it's natural to masturbate, does not mean you do it at McDonald's. It's called self control and it's something we better start teaching ourselves and then we can it teach our kids.
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Actually I have a 5 year old daughter and in my very first job I worked at Burger King and caught a guy beating his meat in the corner to an underwear ad in the paper. In any case, I am not sure the lion does not have the better deal...multiple females that do all the hunting and are there to fornicate with whenever he desires? I guess I know what I want to be reincarnated as!
 
Tuck said:
Actually I have a 5 year old daughter and in my very first job I worked at Burger King and caught a guy beating his meat in the corner to an underwear ad in the paper. In any case, I am not sure the lion does not have the better deal...multiple females that do all the hunting and are there to fornicate with whenever he desires? I guess I know what I want to be reincarnated as!
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you mean he was tenderizing a whopper right? :barf:
 
Tuck said:
In any case, I am not sure the lion does not have the better deal...multiple females that do all the hunting and are there to fornicate with whenever he desires? I guess I know what I want to be reincarnated as!
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You probably haven't found the right woman yet.
 
PharmDstudent said:
You probably haven't found the right woman yet.
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Actually I am getting married in August. I figure it is about time since we have been together almost 9 years now, but I still think the lion has a better deal.
 
Tuck said:
Actually I am getting married in August. I figure it is about time since we have been together almost 9 years now, but I still think the lion has a better deal.
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Yeah, but you still think an animal has it better...:confused:
 
Tuck said:
Actually I am getting married in August. I figure it is about time since we have been together almost 9 years now, but I still think the lion has a better deal.
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Lucky girl you got there, just wanted to know is she ok with your daughter having sex at 11 years old?
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Define my hand slipped on the keyboard and if you don't shut the **** up I'll chop your 2" weenie off. Epic told me.
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Woah! You are in desperate need of anger management.
 
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