Middle School Birth Control: Too Far?

Oct. 27, 2007 — -- The contraceptive controversy may have died down somewhat at the King Middle School in Portland, Maine, but now another storm is brewing at the school-based health centers over their failure to report underage sexual activity to the authorities.

Just over a week ago, the Portland School Committee voted 7 to 2 in favor of a plan to offer the "pill" as part of an expanded contraceptives program for King Middle School students at the school-based health center. Students as young as 11 will now have access to birth control pills at the school.

The proposal sparked a national debate about whether or not it's appropriate to give contraceptives to kids at school -- and at what age.

Local Republicans are still resisting the policy, gathering signatures for a petition, hoping to turn things around.

"I'm just against the awarding of 11 year olds with birth control -- a precedent we should not be setting," said Sandy Sibson at a local GOP event.

And now it turns out that health care providers at King Middle School and Portland's five other school-based health centers may not have been in compliance with the state's mandatory reporting laws that cover sexual activity with minors. That discovery has fired up the critics all over again.

"It shouldn't have to take national outrage to force the school to comply with the law. There's no just oversight and that's a problem," said Rita Feeney, president of the Maine Right to Life Committee, and an outspoken critic of the health center's activities.

Legal experts say the law is clear. If a child under the age of 14 is suspected of having sex, a health care provider must report it to the Department of Health and Human Services. And the local district attorney's office must also receive notice of all cases of abuse -- including underage sexual activity -- not perpetrated by a parent or guardian. No exceptions.

But until the Cumberland County District Attorney's office initiated a recent inquiry, health care providers at the school-based health centers believed they had a right to report underage sexual activity on a case-by-case basis.

"I welcome the clarification of the law," said Amanda Rowe, head nurse for Portland's schools. "This is an issue across the state, not just with us. It's a problem for all health care providers."