Maine Middle School to Offer Birth Control to 11 Year Olds
Being sexually active is so much better than lip gloss!
After learning that some of its students are sexually active, a Portland middle school is wading into controversial territory by planning to offer contraceptives such as birth control and the patch to girls as young as 11. The school already offers condoms.
A few more relevant details:
- Written parental consent would be a requirement, though the child would not have to disclose what service is specifically being received.
- It is illegal to have sex in Maine if you are under 14 (because nothing stops sexual behavior like a law!)
- The school is hoping to prevent pregnancies and keep more girls in school; parents feel that offering birth control is effectively enabling sexual activity in preteens.
I don’t really see what the big deal is here. Aside from the self-evident fact that children should start having sex as soon as possible so that we can finally eliminate that annoying societal relic known as mystery, consider the obvious mental health benefits. Middle school girls are often ruthlessly teased by their male peers for being flat-chested, surely to the detriment of their self-esteem. That’s nothing a daily dose of estrogen can’t fix!
When I was 11, I was making out with the bathroom mirror. To think how different it could have been! Sure, the bathroom mirror can’t get you pregnant, but it’s also cold and emotionally unavailable and those are the scars that never heal.
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