Middle schoolers are getting birth control without parental consent

At least 1,200 high school girls went to their school nurse to get birth control and the school doesn’t actually have to tell the parents, according to KING 5. In fact, in Washington, minors can access birth control without parental permission, including 6th graders.

Thankfully, these are not like the nurses office’s of our teenage years. These are health centers run by private groups, like Swedish.

Yet, I still find this shocking.

That anyone thinks it’s okay to put kids on prescription medication without parental consent is bizarre to me. You need parental consent to let your kids take Tylenol in school. You can’t even get a tattoo if you’re under 18 but if you’re an underage girl who wants to engage in sex, she can get on birth control without ever having to tell a parent or guardian.

Now, on the surface, this is admittedly a tricky subject and if a kid is going to have sex regardless of what you tell them, I’d rather they have it on birth control than unprotected. But, too often, there is this assumption that they can’t talk to their parents about sex. And that assumption can be based on one simple truth: it’s an awkward conversation we prefer we not have with parents.

Related: Where are all the parents?

It’s an uncomfortable conversation. The mere thought of talking to my parents about sex – regardless of my age – makes me uncomfortable. But it’s a conversation that can lead to a closer relationship between parents and kids, and one that can truly help a kid make the right decision if she (or he) is going to engage in sex.

And when I see that King County reports 49 middle schoolers are asking about birth control options, with four obtaining a long-acting, arm-implantable contraceptive devices, I can’t help but wonder what impact a conversation with their parents might have.

Not wanting to have the conversation because of awkwardness is not a reason for a school to go behind a parent’s back to offer a kid birth control. The school should do a better job to help make these conversations easier. Yes, there are absolutely legitimate reasons why some kids can’t talk to their parents, but I wonder how many kids who don’t have a valid reason for going behind a parent’s back, are gaining access to birth control. And I wonder how the parents out there feel. Leave your comments below and let’s discuss.