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September 8, 2008 12:33:14 AM CDT

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Maine Middle School Offers Preteens the Pill

Posted Oct 18, 07 10:56 AM CDT in US,  Politics,  Arts & Living,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – A Portland, Maine, middle school stirred controversy last night when its board voted 5-2 to make birth control pills and patches available for its pupils, typically between 11 and 13 years old. The move was prompted by the school nurse's claim that five of 134 students treated by the health center last year were sexually active, the AP reports. Opponents cited religious and health concerns.

Students need parental permission to visit the health center and must undergo a physical, but all treatment is confidential. Condoms have been offered there since 2002, as in many schools, but it’s “very rare” for a middle school to offer oral contraceptives, one expert said. About 25% of national student health centers that serve ages 11 or older provide some form of contraception.

Source Associated Press

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Portland School Superintendent Jeanne Whynot-Vicker, left, joined by Assistant Superintendent Jill Blackwood, right, speaks during a School Committee meeting Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 in Portland, Maine....   (Associated Press)
Portland School Head Nurse Amanda Rowe speaks about a proposal that would allow students at King Middle School to obtain birth control prescriptions from the school's health center, during a School Committee...   (Associated Press)
Peter Boyle speaks in opposition to a proposal that would allow students at King Middle School to obtain birth control prescriptions from the school's health center, during a Portland School Committee...   (Associated Press)
Portland School Committee member Robert O'Brien, center, joined by Rebecca Minnick, left, and Lori Gramlich, right, asks a question during a school board meeting Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 in Portland,...   (Associated Press)
A Portland, Maine, middle school board has decided to make contraception available to students between 11 and 13 years old.   (Getty Images)
A Portland, Maine, middle school board has decided to make contraception available to students between 11 and 13 years old.   (Getty Images)
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birth control  • contraception  • sex education  • Portland, Maine


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