A conservative Christian legal group said Thursday it will proceed with a lawsuit against a Maine school district over its refusal to reconsider its birth control policy, which allows students as young as 11 to receive prescription contraceptives without parental knowledge or consent.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which specializes in constitutional law, contends that the Portland School Committee is not only usurping parental authority but also violating a Maine law by not reporting all illegal sexual activity involving children 13 years old or younger.
“This is an issue where the rights of parents must be protected,” said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ, in a statement Thursday.
“This is not only bad public policy but a violation of state law that simply cannot be ignored. There is tremendous outrage and disgust over the Committee’s usurpation of parental responsibility to protect the health and morality of their children,” he added.
The D.C.-based group’s announcement comes one day after the committee indicated during its regular meeting that it will not reconsider its policy offering prescription birth control to students at King Middle School.
At the Wednesday meeting, six people spoke against the policy and nine spoke in favor of it, the Portland Press Herald reported.
While the policy requires students to receive parental permission to be admitted to the school health clinic, any care students would receive, including being prescribed birth control, is confidential. King Middle School students are between the ages of 11 and 15.
The school committee approved the policy on Oct. 17 in a 5-2 vote.
The controversial policy has prompted Sen. Doug Smith (R-Maine) to submit a bill that would require parental consent before any school in the state could give prescription birth control to children 14 years old or younger. The bill will be considered in the 2008 session.
Smith said that if students can't go to the art museum without a permission slip from a parent, they shouldn't be getting prescription drugs without parental permission, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, more than 40,000 Americans nationwide, including hundreds of Maine residents, have signed a petition urging school officials to change a policy they consider to be “flawed” and “dangerous,” the ACLJ reported Thursday.
Earlier this week, the group sent a letter to the Maine district committee asking officials to modify the “deeply troubling” policy or be prepared to face a lawsuit.
“The failure of health center personnel to report all instances of sexual activity involving young children endangers the safety of those children and must be corrected. Moreover, the Committee’s decision to offer prescription birth control to children as young as 11 years old tramples upon parental rights and has the effect of promoting illegal sexual activity,” the letter states.
The ACLJ said the committee “is not only fostering criminal activity and child abuse, but is usurping parental authority and subjecting children to all kinds of health risks as well.”
Sekulow said ACLJ attorneys are now reviewing all legal avenues available, and will make a decision soon on whether the suit will be brought in state or federal court.
“Unless school officials make an 11th hour concession, we will move forward and file a lawsuit within a matter of weeks to remove this policy,” he said.
“We will be representing parents who have children in the middle school and are confident that our legal challenge will succeed.”
RSS
Allowing children age 11-15 to get birth control with out parent consent is a good idea. I am a student in college and i know many young children that are out there having sex at a young age. Yes it is very sicken but you have to understand that rather you accept it or not it is going to happen. The best thing that we can do is speak to them influence these children about why not to do it and the danger that can happen from have sex. But right now you got to understand that there can be children younger then even 11 that is having sex. I myself rather that they do not do it and focus more on school but since they are doing it at least have them be aware of birth control and condoms. This way we can at least do our part in influence them about protection and hopefully decrease the amount of STD's and HIV that is in this world.
Also, the next reason why it should be without parent consent because most children may not go to there parents about them having sex so they will continue to have sex with out telling them and end up doing it unprotected. Some of the reason why they may not tell there parents because they already know what there parents may say to them, they can be scared and afraid what may happen. Most parents may react in a harsh manner and that is the main reason why children would not tell parents about what they may think or may already have started doing.
The sad part about all of these parents is in denial about these things and they would not accept it. Not all parent knows best a child may not tell you what is going on but maybe a teenager may let you know the truth and if not then speak to a young adult they may let you be aware with what was or is happen when they were younger or what is goin on now in schools or neighborhoods today.
Satan is whittling away at the foundation of our country--our family unit! And he's succeeding.
No...it's not funny! It's disgusting.
Isn't it funny how Planned Parenthood wants birth control to be available to children (yes..."children" that's what they are) eight years of age and older? Eight? You kidding me? That is just sick!
Isn't if funny how the enemy (satan) targets the family? Using homosexuality to "recreate" the definition of a family, thus corrupting a sacred institution set up by God, then he attacks our children by taking the power from the parents and giving it to a corrupt government.
Isn't it funny how they can't even give out tylenol to students without parental consent...but they want to do so with a perscription medicine?
Considering the serious side effects I have suffered from birth control since getting married one year ago, and how long it took my doctor to figure out the side effects were indeed due to the birth control, I can't imagine giving these away like candy to 11-year-olds whose parents don't even know about it. Birth control has given me debilitating migraines that have required extensive medication just so I can continue working, and numerous other side effects, even since quitting the birth control. It is a terrifying prospect to imagine 11-year-olds putting these chemicals into their bodies, facing the risk of what I have gone through, or worse, without a parent's knowledge. Birth control alters the way your body works, and to give this to a child who hasn't even completed puberty yet, seems so dangerous to me, with or without a parent's knowledge or permission.
I want to know if the school clinic is doing the necessary exams and education that is required before dispensing BC. There are big risks with taking any medication - is the school willing to take on this liability as well?
They shouldn't just go after the school district, they should also go after the supplier. Who in their right mind would sell any kind of prescription drug to a school district, knowing full well it would be given to non-prescribed individuals, and in fact minors.
On all the bottles of prescription drugs I have been prescribed, it has always stated that it was a federal crime to distribute the medication to non-prescribed individuals. Does this not also apply here?
One statement I found troubling is: "The controversial policy has prompted Sen. Doug Smith (R-Maine) to submit a bill that would require parental consent before any school in the state could give prescription birth control to children 14 years old or younger."
Fourteen? I didn't think anybody shed the status of minor until they were 18. Has this changed? While Senator Smith may want to do something about this, what he proposes is certainly no where close enough.
If they get away with this, what kind of drugs or experiments can we expect in the future?