Pill controversy update

The distribution of birth control pills at a Maine middle school has gone from local controversy to national news item, picked up by MSNBC and discussed this morning on The Today Show.

At an meeting yesterday evening, the school board approved the plan for the creation of a student "health center" at the school, presumably giving the school health officials the authority to prescribe the contraceptives to female students. Students will need parental permission to sign up for health center services, but in accordance with the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA -- PDF), any further information as to the treatment the students receive there must be kept confidential, even from their parents. Birth control pills AND patches will be available to female students who request them and who first undergo a physical exam from a licensed nurse practitioner.

On this morning's Today Show, Dr. Nancy Snyderman cited a study that found 13 percent of middle school students polled said they were sexually active. At King Middle School specifically, a school nurse reported that five of the 134 female students who came to the school health center in 2006-07 said they were sexually active.

The school board voted 7-2, with one of the dissenters claiming that providing contraceptives was the responsibility of parents. But those who support this plan say many of these students lack responsible adults in their lives or would no feel comfortable discussing sex with their parents.

While opinions on the subject certainly vary, I think it's for the best. This school is going above and beyond in its effort to protect students.

The issues in question are young ages of the students and the fact that they will have access to contraception without their parents' knowledge.

So, what do YOU think? Anyone who stumbles across my blog this week, I'd like to know your opinion -- Are middle schoolers too young to have this option, or is it a necessary precaution?