Birth Control in High School?

Should high schools be handing out birth control? I keep thinking about my kids being in high school. Would that prevent them from getting an STD or getting a girl pregnant or would it encourage them to have sex earlier and more often? I wish I knew.

From ABC: City officials in Gloucester, Mass. have made a controversial decision in the wake of a pregnancy boom at Gloucester High School. The school committee voted to allow the distribution of birth control to students.

"Well, I don't think it was a good idea, but things happen," student Siennica Service said. She and many other students don't like the fact that contraceptives will now be distributed at Gloucester High School. "I really don't think it's needed. If they make a bad decision, that's their problem," Service said.

Other students disagree. "At least they're giving out condoms to everyone -- better than getting pregnant," freshman Corey Beal said. Seven school committee members voted unanimously Wednesday night to change the school's policy of not distributing contraceptives in the school's health clinic. "This is not going to be popular," School Committee member Gary Verga said.

School and city officials came under fire last year after 17 Gloucester students got pregnant. Principal Joseph Sullivan has since quit his job. The new principal spared few words. "We'll do what they tell us to do," Dr. Bill Goodwin said. "We'll carry out the wishes of the school committee." Now with parents' consent, students will be allowed access to a range of reproductive health services, including prescription contraceptives. Parents may opt out.

Imagine your kids going to this high school. Would you want birth control handed out in the health clinic?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.

7 Teenagers make pregnancy pact?

I just had to share this story. I am sure many of you have heard about the seven teenage girls who supposedly made a pact to all get pregnant. One of the girls reportedly slept with a homeless man to get the deed done. It is obviously very disturbing to parents. The mayor is now refuting the story from Time Magazine.

Here's part of the original story:
As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies—more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers. But principal Joseph Sullivan knows at least part of the reason there's been such a spike in teen pregnancies in this Massachusetts fishing town.

School officials started looking into the matter as early as October after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, "some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together.


Here's the latest from CNN:

The mayor of Gloucester, Massachusetts says there is no evidence a group of girls at the city's high school made a pact to become pregnant. After a closed-door meeting with city, school and health leaders, Mayor Carolyn Kirk, said there was no independent confirmation of any plan among the teens to get pregnant and raise their babies together.


The principal who first told Time magazine of such a pact was not invited to the meeting. Kirk says Joseph Sullivan is now "foggy in his memory" as to how he first heard the information.
This year, 17 girls have become pregnant, four times the typical number of Gloucester High students who become pregnant.

But the superintendent of schools pointed out that Time magazine failed to distinguish between a pact to get pregnant together, and a pact to deal with pregnancy together. Kirk said the spike in pregnancies in their town is similar to spikes in other cities. The mayor made her comments after she and other leaders in the community held a closed meeting to discuss the issue. The principal was not present.

Kirk said:
"We'll start with the alleged pact. We have not been able to confirm the existence of a pact. We are seeking to understand whether it's based in rumor or in fact. The privacy of our students and families is our number one concern.

There will be no comments about particular students in our schools. Regarding the contraceptive policy of the Gloucester Public Schools-- policy decisions regarding the distribution of contraceptives to students rests solely with the Gloucester School Committee. Current school policy does not permit the distribution of contraceptives in our schools. Regarding health education, budget cuts over the last six years have forced the elimination of almost one hundred teachers and staff in our school department, resulting in cuts to programs and services to Gloucester children, including health education."


"The information from the principal has not been verified by any other source. We are talking to the folks who work with children one on one, and there's been no independent confirmation of the alleged pact."


Good Morning America is doing this story tomorrow!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.