April 3, 2000

AN ARTICLE IN THE OREGONIAN LAST WEEK CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. THE FOLLOWUP EDITORIAL AND SUBSEQUENT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE PARTICULARLY INTERESTING AS WELL.

MARCH 29, (IN CASE ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THE ENTIRE ARTICLE) THE HEADLINE READS, “TEENS GET NEW BIRTH CONTROL AT SCHOOL.”

THE ARTICLE BEGINS: “SIXTEEN YEAR-OLD SARAH COOK WENT TO MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL’S TEEN CLINIC LAST MONTH HOPING TO GET A NEGATIVE RESULT ON A PREGNANCY TEST, THEN SHE WAS PLANNING TO REFRAIN FROM SEX.”

THE ARTICLE GOES ON TO SAY, ‘SHE DIDN’T WANT ANOTHER PREGNANCY SCARE, SHE SAYS.’ EVEN MORE, SHE WANTED TO HONOR HERSELF BY STICKING TO A CELIBATE LIFESTYLE.

WHAT REALLY CAUGHT MY INITIAL ATTENTION IS THAT SARAH SAYS, ALTHOUGH SHE OBVIOUSLY HAD SEX, SHE WANTED TO REFRAIN FROM FUTURE SEX. SHE DIDN’T WANT TO BE SCARED – AGAIN! AND APPARANTLY, SHE HAD DETERMINED WHAT WOULD BE GOOD FOR HER WOULD BE TO STICK TO CELIBACY.

WE SHOULD APPLAUD THIS TEEN ON GOOD DECISION MAKING. PARTICULARY BECAUSE THIS WAS A CHANGE FROM POOR DECISION MAKING TO GOOD DECISION MAKING FOR HER OWN LIFE.

HOWEVER, THE ARTICLE GOES ON TO SAY, ‘BUT COOK SAYS SHE EMERGED FROM THE CLINIC 45 MINUTES LATER WITH A VERY DIFFERENT RESULT: SHE HAD BEEN GIVEN A SHOT OF THE LONG-ACTING CONTRACEPTIVE DEPO-PROVERA, TOLD SHE COULD SAFELY HAVE SEX FOR THREE MONTHS WITHOUT GETTING PREGNANT AND ASSSURED SHE NEED NOT TELL HER PARENTS.”

HER STEP FATHER, WHO LEARNED WHAT HAPPENED AFTER COOK EXPERIENCED SIDE EFFECTS FROM THE INCREASINGLY POPULAR BIRTH CONTROL DRUG, HIT THE ROOF.

HE TOOK THE MATTER TO THE PORTLAND SCHOOL BOARD LAST WEEK.

THE STORY GOES ON TO DISCUSS THE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION ON TEEN BIRTH CONTROL. OF COURSE, THERE ARE QUOTES DEFENDING THE PRACTICE OF SCHOOLS GIVING CHILDREN BIRTH CONTROL.

I HOPE, HOWEVER, EVERY PARENT, EVERY CITIZEN WILL READ THIS ARTICLE. READ WHAT INFORMATION IS IN IT. THINK ABOUT IT!!

‘OF THOSE SEEKING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES, HUNDREDS (YES, THEY ARE SAYING HUNDREDS – AT MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL, MORE THAN ONE-FOURTH OF THE 404 STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES, THEY USED DEPO-PROVERA. SEVENTY-FOUR OF THE 404 REPORTED THEY USED BIRTH CONTROL PILLS.

THINK ABOUT THIS, AT ONE HIGH SCHOOL ALONE, THERE ARE OVER 400 CHILDREN USING BIRTH CONTROL!!! OVER 400 WHO REPORT THEY ARE – HOW MANY ARE, BUT ARE NOT REPORTING IT!?

NOTICE, TOO, THE TERMINOLOGY USED WITH OUR CHILDREN: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES, FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES.

DEPO-PROVERA IS A PRESCRIPTION DRUG!!! SCHOOLS ARE PRESCRIBING DRUGS TO OUR CHILDREN!!

OH, THEY SAY THEY ALWAYS WARN STUDENTS ABOUT THE POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS – THEY HAVE THE GIRLS SIGN A FORM ACKNOWLEDGING SHE UNDERSTANDS THE HEALTH RISKS.

BUT, THE ARTICLE SAYS, “COOK INSISTS THAT SHE WAS NOT FULLY INFORMED OF POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS AND THAT WHEN SHE GOT SO DIZZY SHE FELL AND SPRAINED HER ANKLE, SHE HAD NO INKLING ‘THE SHOT’ MIGHT BE THE CAUSE.”

THIS TEEN SAYS SHE, “TOLD THE CLINIC’S NURSE THAT SHE WAS WARY OF DEPO-PROVERA, ‘BUT SHE BASICALLY CONVINCED ME THAT IT WAS GOOD FOR ME…I SAID MY PARENTS WOULDN’T REALLY LIKE THAT. BUT SHE TOLD ME ALL THE GOOD STUFF. SHE SAID A LOT OF THE GIRLS IN THE SCHOOL HAD DONE IT, AND EVENTUALLY SHE CONVINCED ME TO DO IT."

DEPO-PROVERA CAN CAUSE SIDE EFFECTS. IRREGULAR MENSTRUAL BLEEDING, WEIGHT GAINS, A DELAY IN THE REGAINING FERTILITY, NERVOUSNESS, DIZZINESS, STOMACH DISCOMFORT AND HEADACHES ACCORDING THE DRUG’S MANUFACTURER.

AS A RESULT OF THE HEALTH RISK THIS STUDENT HAS SUFFERED, IS MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL CHANGING THE POLICY TO BETTER DISCLOSE HARMFUL AFFECTS?

IS THIS A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR CHILDREN?? ADULTS OUR CHILDREN ARE TOLD TO TRUST, ARE CONVINCING OUR CHILDREN TO ‘DO IT’ EVEN WHEN THERE ARE CLEAR HEALTH RISKS?

IN THIS STORY, THE SCHOOL NURSE PRACTITIONER CONVINCED A CHILD TO DO SOMETHING THE CHILD HAD SHARED SHE HAD RESERVATION ABOUT DOING. THE ADULT CONVINCED THE CHILD “IT WAS GOOD FOR ME!”

I HAVE BEEN HOLDING TEEN PREGNANCY FORUMS THROUGHOUT MARION COUNTY TO RAISE SOME AWARENESS ABOUT WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR CHILDREN. TO THIS POINT, DISCUSSIONS HAVEN’T GOTTEN DOWN TO THIS LEVEL. PERHAPS AS WE CONTINUE TO TALK, WE WILL.

THIS IS LARGELY A LEGISLATIVE ISSUE. YES, WHEN I WAS AT THE LEGISLATURE, WE TRIED TO PASS A BILL THAT WOULD GIVE PARENTAL NOTIFICATION, BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THIS ARTICLE SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE FALLACIES OF FIGHTING TEEN PREGNANCY WITH BIRTH CONTROL.

OREGON LAW PERMITS PHYSICIANS TO GIVE BIRTH CONTROL TO CHILDREN OF ANY AGE WITHOUT THEIR PARENTS’ KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT.

AS THE MARCH 30, 2000, OREGONIAN EDITORIAL POINTS OUT: ‘OREGON DECIDED IN THE EARLY 1970’S THAT THE RIGHTS OF MINORS TO HEALTH CARE SHOULD SUPERSEDE PARENTAL AUTHORITY.’

THE OREGONIAN EDITORIAL ALSO TAKES THE POSITION THAT PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IS, AND OUGHT TO BE, A HIGH PRIORITY – BUT NOT THE ONLY ONE.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH COMES FIRST. SO THEY SAY, BUT, WHOSE DEFINITION OF “HEALTH?”

DO I NEED TO READ THIS AGAIN?? DID YOU COMPREHEND WHAT THE OREGONIAN IS SAYING? WHAT OUR OREGON LAW SAYS?

GOVERNMENT HAS A HIGHER AUTHORITY THAN YOU, THE PARENT IN YOUR CHILDRENS’ LIVES.

IF YOU ARE FEELING ALONE IN THIS, REFER TO THE APRIL 2, 2000, SUNDAY OREGONIAN AND READ A COUPLE OF COMMON-SENSE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

IF THIS CONCERNS YOU, PLEASE, PLEASE, CALL ME, CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR, CALL THE LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES AND DISCUSS THIS!!

CALL CANDIDATES AT ALL LEVELS: CITY, COUNTY - ESPECIALLY SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES.

IT REALLY IS IMPERATIVE YOU LET YOUR SCHOOL, YOUR PRINCIPAL, YOUR SUPERINTENDENT, YOUR SCHOOL BOARD, YOUR CITY, COUNTY AND STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

THE ANGRY FATHER IS CORRECT WHEN HE SAYS THE CLINICS SHOULD ENCOURAGE TEENS TO TALK TO THEIR PARENTS, NOT TELL THEM TO KEEP SECRETS.

HIS DAUGHTER SAYS SHE WISHES SHE HAD PHONED HER MOTHER BEFORE GETTING THE SHOT BECAUSE SHE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE REFUSED IT!

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