NYC schools to hand out Plan B to students---Without informing parents

[Deadvolcanoes]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/c...2KRwg43nHzt97H

School nurse offices stocked with the contraceptives can dispense “Plan B” emergency contraception and other oral or injectable birth control to girls without telling their parents — unless parents opt out after getting a school informational letter about the new program.

Teenage pregnancy, especially in poor urban areas, has been a huge problem in the past. Many girls get pregnant and eventually drop out of school, contributing to the strain on many of our social safety net programs.

Teenage pregnancy has actually been on the decline for many years, thanks in part to a comprehensive school birth control program, including free condoms. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db89.htm

How do you feel about schools giving girls injectable and oral hormonal birth control, including Plan B, without informing parents?

[Olo]

Parental permission isn’t going to stop them from having sex; I don’t see why it should stop them from getting birth control.

[Themius]

They should inform the parents.....

[Deleted]

Parental permission isn’t going to stop them from having sex; I don’t see why it should stop them from getting birth control.

Precisely, the puritanical crusade against sex education and birth control is both disgustingly backwards and laughable in a modern society.

[ShimmerSwirl]

Despite what the media would have you think, parents do actually matter in the upbringing of a child (shocking I know). Throwing contraceptives at the problem of teenage pregnancy is like putting a bandaid on a severed limb. The root of the problem starts in the home with how the kids are being raised.

[Soisoisoi]

Parental permission isn’t going to stop them from having sex; I don’t see why it should stop them from getting birth control.

It's too bad "/thread" posts aren't allowed, this would be the perfect place.

People are going to have sex whether their parents like it or not, and them getting pregnant and dropping out of school just makes the world worse, might as well just give it to them since they're going to make the mistake anyway.

[Deadvolcanoes]

Parental permission isn’t going to stop them from having sex; I don’t see why it should stop them from getting birth control.

When compared to a condom, hormonal birth control has much worse side effects. Is it not the right of the parent to determine if the risks, as small as they may be, are worth it?

[tiporispit]

Article I, Section 8 doesn't give the Federal government the power to run this program. As long as it's not involved, and this is a choice the citizens of New York are willing to live with (i.e. they choose not to replace the administrators for making this decision), I don't see a problem with it under the 10th Amendment. This is how Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, welfare, Social Security, Obamacare and all the other programs SHOULD have been implemented. State-level, 10th Amendment programs... not unConstitutional Federal programs allowed by Supreme Courts full of clowns who can't read black and white in Article I.

[Deadvolcanoes]

Precisely, the puritanical crusade against sex education and birth control is both disgustingly backwards and laughable in a modern society.

Agree. But we are talking about injecting hormones into a teenager. Shouldn't the parents be notified?

[Olo]

When compared to a condom, hormonal birth control has much worse side effects. Is it not the right of the parent to determine if the risks, as small as they may be, are worth it?

Informing the parents does nothing except lessen the chances the students take advantage of the program.

[Wilian]

Agree. But we are talking about injecting hormones into a teenager. Shouldn't the parents be notified?

Not necessarily because hormonal treatments like that aren't necessarily something the parents even know much about, (we never had anything about it in school or anywhere) expesially if sex teaching stuff was even more primitive in their youth.

They could themselves be making uneducated decision on the subject and fearmonger the teen from taking it without understanding the subject, just because they don't understand it.

What should be done is to make it perfectly clear to the one taking it what can happen and what are all of the side effects in very detailed fashion. It might surprise many but teens aren't all THAT stupid and can make decisions too on subjects if brought up in a manner that is constructive.

[cityguy193]

Despite what the media would have you think, parents do actually matter in the upbringing of a child (shocking I know). Throwing contraceptives at the problem of teenage pregnancy is like putting a bandaid on a severed limb. The root of the problem starts in the home with how the kids are being raised.

Nothing wrong with sex at a young age, if thats what your getting at.

[Gum]

I think its important to remember that those kids are teenagers, and learning the hard way, no matter the outcome, that theres consequenses for your actions sint really too much to deal with. I dont think its the parents right to dictate what their kids should and should not take past the age of 13. Honestly then the kids are more than able to understand basic concepts of smart and stupid. Let Darwin handle the rest.

[Deadvolcanoes]

Informing the parents does nothing except lessen the chances the students take advantage of the program.

So when it comes to injecting kids with hormones, schools have more rights than parents, simply because parents might say no. Gotcha.

[mrwingtipshoes]

Once a person turns 15 or 16 (Mattering on the state) their health choices, including sexual health, is their own business and their parents have no right to know. Telling the kids in the school "We can do this.... but were telling your parents!" is going to make people NOT do it. Though i don't know how they can legally not inform their parents of giving them pills if they are under 15/16 years old... Kind of illegal to give a kid under that age ANYTHING with out parental notification.

[Artravus]

Despite what the media would have you think, parents do actually matter in the upbringing of a child (shocking I know). Throwing contraceptives at the problem of teenage pregnancy is like putting a bandaid on a severed limb. The root of the problem starts in the home with how the kids are being raised.

But once the first line of defense (the parents) falls and teenage girls get pregnant, other intervention must be at the ready to prevent children being born into a bad life and the teenage girl from having her life made even worse because her parents go nuts. Contraceptives are a much easier solution to this problem than making sure parents raise their children well which is almost impossible unless there were some measure put in place such as a parent test and license designed to only allow "good" parents to have kids which, lets be honest, is a step towards the opposite of what the people crusading against contraception (far-righters) want (socialism).

[Seirith]

Despite what the media would have you think, parents do actually matter in the upbringing of a child (shocking I know). Throwing contraceptives at the problem of teenage pregnancy is like putting a bandaid on a severed limb. The root of the problem starts in the home with how the kids are being raised.

I come from a middle class, two parent, working household. My parents were present in my life and there was no physical or emotional abuse. My parents talked to me about sex, pregnancy and everything else a "good" parent should.

That being said, I still had sex at 15 and they did not know for almost a year and the only reason she found out is she find a note from a friend. I had sex because I wanted to, it had nothing to do with what my parents did or did not want me to do. I am now married to that same person who was my first.

I have never been pregnant but I never wanted children. How a child is raised has little do to on if they will have sex or not.

As to the OP, yes, I am all for the school giving out any contraceptive necessary to lower teenage pregnancy as long as they have a competent school doctor. My mother took mt to get on the pill when I was just about 17. Even though she took me the doctor would not discuss anything about our visit with her. The Dr. actually said she could have put me on BC without my mother knowing.

[Themius]

They should tell the parents... you are dealing with pills that if there is a health issue could give you stroke or heart attacks and potentially kill you. The parents should at the very least be informed.

[ShimmerSwirl]

Nothing wrong with sex at a young age, if thats what your getting at.

If you live in a vacuum where you can isolate the act of sex from all the consequences that come with it, then yes. In reality, sex at a young age does have a lot of negative consequences, pregnancy being a big one.

[This name sucks]

If you're stupid enough to go and fuck some guy when you're 16 without a condom or something, a few more years of school probably wasn't going to make you any less stupid.