Big Apple Parents Beware

  

From Tony Perkins, President

Family Research Council

From trans fats to Big Gulps, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has insisted that the city's interest in "public health" excuses his overreach on things like dietary choices. This seems a bit hypocritical for a mayor who just last year told a crowd, "The government should get out of your personal life!" 

Unfortunately, the Mayor's duplicity doesn't stop with targeting those who frequent the city's restaurants. Parents should also beware.

The New York Times reported today that the city is now distributing free "morning after" pills in more than 50 high school buildings. In 13 of the schools in which the city actually runs the clinic (as opposed to a local health clinic), an opt-out form was provided for parents to sign. As is typical, not every parent saw the form and several students even admitted to a reporter that they had not bothered to pass the opt-out form to their parents. Shockingly, during the 2011-2012 school year alone, about 5,500 girls were given Plan B.

Anna Higgins, director of FRC's Center for Human Dignity, was quoted in the The New York Times story, "The moral and physical consequences to this premature sexual behavior are very real. They need to be addressed by the person who knows the child and who loves the child best, which is the parent." This is especially true when it comes to a drug that hasn't been tested by the FDA to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of the pills on young girls. Even President Obama as the father of two girls has recognized the potential dangers of stocking Plan B "alongside the bubble gum or batteries."

Rather than addressing a public health problem, the Mayor is creating a new one. How's this for harm: Young people under 25 are infected with about half of the sexually transmitted infections (STIs) nationwide -- and Plan B doesn't protect against a single one. Not only has Plan B had zero impact on teen pregnancy rates, but a 2010 study found that it's partially responsible for a spike in adolescent STIs. Surely, moms and dads have a right to help their daughters considering the risks. 

Unfortunately, the trends will only change when leaders recognize that involving parents in the decision-making process is the best birth control of all.