Absolutely. but age appropriate of course and not to my 13 year old without my consent.

I think anyone who wants access to birth control who can take it should be able to. I mean would you want your 13 year old daughter draggin' around twins?

Can a 13 year old go to the doctor and get a prescription for say...antibiotics with parental consent? If they can't then they shouldn't be able to get a prescription for birth control without parental consent. I've read the pamphlet with the warnings that come with birth control pills. They too have side effects and long term consequences. Most young teens aren't mature enough to make decisions like these.

No birth control for minors; whippings for teen preggers, and the grampies and grammies get to keep the kid in such a way that it doesn't increase their eligibility for state aid.

No birth control for minors and then let the grandparents raise another family? Get real. Kids are going to have sex. At least give them the advantage of having safe sex. Make sure it is on medical records and documented and make sure the teen is aware of all of the side effects and other issues that go along with sex. TEACH! TEACH! TEACH! Don't take away preventitive measures. Outrageous you would even think that grandparents would necessarily want to raise another family. Grandparents are supposed to be able to take and enjoy their grandchildren not raise and discipline them. Grandparents are the funness to children and vice versa....the ones that are lucky enough to have them.

I believe that if your son/daughter is of an age or in a situation where they may be having sex, that all types of birth controls should be available to them. This is not a thing about "Oh, well my daughter is 13, she won't be having sex. And if she is then she should come to me first and get my consent to get birth control." Doesn't that sound a little bit like it would NEVER happen. Teens are having sex in this day and age MUCH earlier than they used to. With pressure from their friends and media directed towards teens with much more racy scenes, they seem to think it's something they should be doing. A thirteen year old is not mature enough to have sex, but if they're going to do it, and the parents have not instilled in them that they should be very careful, they're going to do it without protection. If they're not mature enough to come to this conclusion, then it's very unlikely that they will go ask their parents for consent to use birth control. It's something that's going to happen.

I don't think birth control pills are harmful. The warnings on them pertain to people who smoke, and those who have things such as a history of migraines and such. The risk is higher to individuals such as this. Condoms, as we know, are not harmful at all. If an environment for having safe sex is not planted within our school systems, then there will be much more teen pregnancies and more teens with std's running around. Especially with those in the media that are becoming pregnant at the ages of 16 or 17. There should be a counseling session with the individual from a health teacher/counselor consulting the teen about the risks and benefits. I see no downfall to having this in the school system. These individuals are people still, even though they may be your son or daughter. If they were going to go behind your back and have sex, wouldn't you rather it be safe? And if the health clinics/nurses contacted someone about their son/daughter receiving a form of birth control, I'm sure the parent would still try to not have their child have sex and not provide them with the birth control they need. So the teen will end up having sex without protection ANYWAYS (it's inevitable people) and then the whole thing would have been for nothing.

I know you are thekingofmaine but keep your invasive laws out of my home as I teach my child personal responsibility. There are many ways to achieve the same end, each as viable as another. Why would you find your way so overwhelmingly correct that you illigetimize mine. If you wish to chase the lowest common denominator as you teach your child (or maybe you dont teach) responsibility you may. Please allow me the right to make a different choice for my child. Besides if I have to pay the bill, whether from taxes or my healthcare deductable, I want to know what I'm paying for.

I agree with Kate. If you're old enough to get pregnant you are old enough to choose your own protection. We respect kids' privacy in any number of ways, perhaps we should consider respecting their privacy regarding sex. Having restricted access to birth control is not going to prevent kids from having sex, it's only going to increase their risk of getting pregnant. It's a lot like how you have to be 18 to enlist in the military but 21 to drink. When I was a kid it used to make me furious that at the age of 15 I couldn't get into an R movie, but had to pay the adult price. Some age restrictions are just plain unfair.

Some people think having sex before marriage is taboo. So when it comes to teens doing the back seat rodeo they either avoid it, hide it, sweep it under the rug and try to forget about it. There are plenty of 13 year old girls getting de-flowered and their parents have not a clue.

And exactly, SteveyDee, how would you know that?

First our liberalized public school system teaches kids to behave like little animals, and then they want to give those kids birth control pills without notifying the parents.

Sick.

ParkAvenueJoe, Nicely said. Thats pretty much how I see it. My 13 year old came home the other day and told me that they had a discussion that involved the repeated use of 2-3 vulgarities. Teaching inappropriate behavior- perfect.

vichet and parkavenuejoe you both must have perfect little angels. lol. like i am sure your son/daughter (s) do not swear or think about or have discussions or are in the least bit curious about sex. give me a break. sheltered children are the worst. food for thought.

Back to massachusetts mainah_mom

thanks david...but, sorry to say that i am a true mainer. born and bred in this great state. mass serves no purpose for me..only LOTS of bad drivers. no offense to all you from mass. lol

Just so everyone understands--this is not about morals.

It's about money.

The state doesn't want to spend money supporting unwed mothers. Cheapest fix, give the little brats birthcontrol pills, while telling us it's for the brats' own good.

Where money is concerned, looks like the state is immoral.

How's this for a moral argument? More birth control, fewer abortions.

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mainah_mom wrote: "vichet and parkavenuejoe you both must have perfect little angels. lol."

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Don't laugh. I was.

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But I had help: I came of age in an ealier, saner, society and school system.

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anne_of_mdi wrote: "How's this for a moral argument? More birth control, fewer abortions."

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How's this for a moral argument: keep your knees together and fewer of both.

ParkAvenueJoe, the "keep your knees together" method has proven to be uneffective. Just ask Bristol Palin.

mainah_mom Of course they are not perfect... but do you advocate turning your child over to someone you met once or twice for a discussion best left to the parent. We do discuss all things even sex and swearing... but the school has made my job harder. I now have to convince the child that swearing is inappropriate and to respect themselves their bodies and other peoples bodies and sensibilities as well. And actually its true I didnt break loose until I was in college. Not because I grew up protected but because I didnt learn self control. At least until later in life. Allow me the freedom to teach that now.

okay, so you are saying that the schools teach that swearing is appropriate adn that sex is unrespectful? maybe you should homeschool. i too, grew up "unprotected" (i had very loving parents just had very open relationships with them) and I didn't break loose (as you like to call it until after high school as well); however, I was on birth control at the age of 15 because of "womanly" reasons as I am sure that you know birth control can help with. I was taught to respect myself most definite. I am a strong woman. Always have been and always will be. Don't judge me because i think that access to a preventitive measure is acceptable. I too was raised decently and turned into a decent woman who is a loving, caring, nurturing, open and honest mother with my children and who teaches my daughter self respect and my son respect for woman. you the one my dear are judging people.

oh and i do think that anyone who is respectable (teacher, mothers friend, sister, aunt, uncle, clergy, grandparents, etc.) i would greatly appreciate their talks with my children. The more the better. If my child feels comfortable enough to talk with someone and they are at the age of 13 I think I have raised them well enough to make the right decision and I think I trust them in the decision that they make. That is how you grow up.You make mistakes and you learn from them. Talking to someone other than you is not going to harm your child. How old are you?

ParkAvenueJoe, I'm somewhat sheepish in agreeing with your assessment - "it's about the money." As a taxpaying citizen of the state, I suppose I could call myself an investor in supporting some of the illegitimate children. On that basis, I would like to have some sense of the outcomes of the people I'm investing in. What percentage go on to higher education? What percentage make good salaries and pay taxes in their own right? What percentage goes on to welfare? What percentage is in jail? Knowing some of this kind of information would probably help me evolve my thinking about this issue.

I'm not sure what planet the rest of you grew up on, but growing up in the good ole USA in the '60's and '70's here on planet earth there was plenty of exposure to sex, filthy language, and pretty much any corrupting influence you can think of. My parents were hard working and exhausted, a situation which I believe is par for the course with most parents nowadays. It seemed as though we had every discussion about sex, drugs, and anything else you can label as bad behavior after I figured out how to handle these influences myself. It wasn't their fault and I survived more or less intact. I don't believe for a moment our public school system is teaching our children how to swear or how to have sex without getting caught. If for some inexplicable reason I can't teach them myself, I'd rather my kids learn about the birds and bees from a school teacher than from a Catholic priest ...

Mainah_mom, a while back Vichet said he was a guy, so here he is arguing from a paternal viewpoint. By the way, I begged my daughter to get on some kind of birth control when she was 13 and she refused! She's now all grown up and I'm still not a grandma. Takes all kinds, yo.

Guys, generally, when addressing issues about their children argue from a paternal viewpoint. If I was female I might argue from a maternal viewpoint. Glad we have that cleared up.

ParkAvenueJoe, fewer unwed mothers is bad because....?

Do you suppose my kid was lying to me Bob? As far as Catholic priests go... the problem there is children are left alone in the company of people they believe above reproach outside of the control of their parents. In Maine periodically you hear of a child having affairs with teachers...another trusting individual supposively above reproach. But wait.... Maine has a law that incidents like that cant become public knowledge unless criminal charges are filed. Their Principals cant even talk about it. ... Teachers are protected by law and the public has absolutely no right to the information. At least you can go after pedophile priests. Teachers are shielded.

Vichet, I'm sorry if you got the impression that I thought your kid was lying to you. As far as priests are concerned, I was thinking that people who know nothing about a subject shouldn't be teaching and advising others on that subject. You make an interesting point though. When it comes to classes where children are taught how to swear or other questionable behavior, I'm convinced you get what you pay for. If you're looking for the cheapest rather than the best, you're bound to end up with marginal people in positions of great responsibility. When our society wakes up and realizes that giving our children the best education possible is more important than bombing people who don't look like us, then maybe we'll end up allocating funds to give our children the best possible edumacation.

Providing for the common welfare should be the primary focus of government. That includes things we all use. Schools, road construction and maintenence, the Judicial system and the countries defense. There are probably other things I could mention. The problem is the common welfare has come to mean in recent decades a plethora of things that really shouldn't be in the public domain or the even the publics responsibility. The responsiblity for caring for a child is the families. Perhaps schools should focus on what they are sometimes good at.... education.

I just asked my kid whimsically "Why is it you never get in any real trouble? The response was accompanied by a smile..... " Because I am really good at telling you things with a straight face."

SO in a previous post on this subject I was all against this, only for the the side effects and that I didn't think this was ok for young teens 13 or 14, just because I think any parent would want to know if their daughter were taking something that could harm her so it could be monitored...I do have to say I feel both ways on the matter because recently my teenage son has recently taken a liking to a young girl, whom I adored and thought was sweet as gold..Till I got the calls from other mom's with the "warnings" and a call from the gramma that even she was concerned....This young girl is 15, according to the gramma she has had 3 abortions, first at 13, this last abortion according to gramma was for she went to a "party" and had multiple partners in one night....I was mortified! I felt sick!

Of course we have the rule in our home, they remain in the living room and are never left alone..I don't sit on top of them no but I do remain in the kitchen or where I can have visibility....It just made my heart sink because I cannot imagine a "child" having this behavior not just once but 3x!

We had to have a lengthy discussion with the boy..the human hormone...I can guarantee through his snickers, giggles and laughs that he didn't give a rats what we were saying and once we were done I sat and thought...WHY IS SHE NOT ON SOMETHING???

It all boils down to the fact all We can do is teach right from wrong, morals, self respect, and consequences...After that it's not in our hands..Other than eyeballing every second they see each other!!

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Simple solution:

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If you approve of the state secretly giving birth control to their little girls, you would be required to sign a form allowing the state to do so. .

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If you don't sign, you preserve your natural parental right to decide whether your little girl should have birth control.

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CASE CLOSED.

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mainah_mom I am 56 ....grew up in the wild sixties. Most people my age are dealing with grandchildren. Maybe this gives me a different perspective. I would not judge you on the decisions you make with regards to your children. Its not my place. I certainly wouldnt advocate the government make a law aimed at making your job more difficult. Please allow me the same respect to teach my child responsibility, As I see it. hrdwkngmom case is absolutley frightening, no one has taught that young girl anything in her life except to go with her hormones. No one has taught her any repect for herself or for others. Instead has made easy the irresponsibilty. All I ask is the right to teach my child without government oversight.

If a school cannot give an aspirin to your child without parental permission, why would anyone let the school provide birth control of any kind without parental permission?