He’s full of mumbo. Jumbo, too.
A lot of teenagers are unable to speak with their parents about sex. Either it’s awkward or they’re made to feel bad about their desires because of the irrationality of religion or some other shallow thought. But, of course, Michael Heath of the Maine Family Policy Council embraces shallow thought. He favors changing the current law in Maine concerning parental consent for birth control and other sexual reproductive health issues.
Maine law has allowed minors contraception without parental consent for more than 30 years, but the issue was brought back to the forefront last fall when the Portland School Committee voted to allow contraceptives to be given to girls at the school as part of the services offered at a city-run health center in the school.
…
Mike Heath, executive director of the Maine Family Policy Council which supported Smith’s attempts to limit the confidentiality law last session, believes Family Planning is working to hard to protect the current law because it fails to align with public sentiment.
“The public knows the Maine Family Planning Association is wrong,” Heath said this week. “The MFPA is holding the public forums because they are selling something the public has no interest in buying. The public knows that good laws honor the nobility of sex inside of marriage and the danger of fornication.”
(The MFPA is sponsoring public forums on the issue.)
Oh, Mikey. The state has no business “honoring” sexual practices within the purely legal, purely secular contract of marriage. As such, it does not do this. What’s more interesting here, however, is how childish Heath’s views on sex really are. By denying minors the right to their reproductive health, “the danger of fornification” is actually increased. What’s more, Maine law allows for a person as young as 14 to consent to sex as long as the other person is within 5 years of age. At the age of 16, a person may consent to sex with a person of any age, from 14 to 140, it’s legal. So if Heath is right (his track record says he isn’t) and minors need to get parental consent for their reproductive health issues, then that undermines Maine law. That is, Maine law states a person is responsible enough, in the eyes of the state, to engage in sexual activity at that aforementioned age levels. Forcing consent would imply that, no, these people are not responsible enough. Essentially, the freedom to engage in sex within the prescribed laws would disappear because the sexual activity of a 17 year old would become the responsibility of his or her parents.
Filed under: News, Politics and Social | Tagged: Augusta, Kennebec Journal, Maine, Maine Family Planning Association, Maine Family Policy Council, Michael Heath |
For the Sake of Science 
My reasoning for wanting parent involvement in birth control choices has nothing to do with sex, per se. Birth control has serious side effects, just like any other drug does. Side effects that can do real damage in the long run. They also prevent certain developments in young girls that are necessary. I spent a good deal of my life on birth control, and do not wish it upon any girl. After a while, you just do not feel the same. It is damaging.
My daughter came to me when she was ready to have sex. We did a lot of research, and she made her choice of birth control. It was a completely informed decision on her part.
I couldn’t care less who hands out condoms to these teenagers, but I do not think that anyone has any right to give any type of drug to a minor without parental consent.
If the law says the person is responsible enough to have sex, then that person is also responsible enough to make his or her own decisions on all matters related to sex. We cannot say “You can have sex, but you are allowed limited options.” That undermines the current age of consent laws.
Beside that, the drugs are safe, by and large, and not every teenager has the fortunate relationship you do with your daughter.
I’m torn on this issue- while I do not think it should be illegal for minors to obtain hormone-contain birth control, I can understand where ‘slb725writer’ is coming from.
Having been on the birth control pill for over four years, I’ve come to find how that particular form of birth control affects my body. While researching different methods though, I inquired to my doctor about the “patch”. As it turns out, my doctor refused to prescribe it to me, due to the fact that it heightens your risk for certain types of cancer which happened to run in my family.
Assuming that most sexually active minors are knowledgeable enough to know their family’s health history and certain diseases they are at risk for, you would be surprised to know how many minors do not.
While I don’t believe that it should be completely illegal for minors to obtain birth control, I believe that the minor should be incredibly well informed of their family history, and perhaps be counseled by doctors as to which options are best for that individual.