news headlines

email to a friend

printer friendly

sign up to newsletter

Mass. Town Rejects Ballot Initiative To Overturn School Contraception Policy

Mayor Thomas Ambrosino and the Revere School Committee instituted the policy in February as a way to address the rising number of teen pregnancies in the town, the Globe reports. According to Superintendent Paul Dakin, there were 21 pregnancies in the school district in 2009, up from 13 in 2008. Under the policy, students are allowed to obtain birth control from the school health clinic if they have parental permission. The program is overseen by doctors and nurses from Massachusetts General Hospital. Dakin said the program is a "parent-choice policy" that is "for families that are in need, families that see a crisis coming or are in a crisis." He added, "I've renewed my faith in the electorate in their understanding of how important it is to give freedom of choice to parents."

If the ballot initiative had passed, the city would have created a commission to study the risks and benefits of contraception and abstinence, the Globe reports. Kathleen Magno, who initiated the efforts to overturn the policy, said the opponents would continue to lobby the School Department for more public debate on the issue (Burge/Rosenberg, Boston Globe, 11/4).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

Medical News Today publishes the latest health news and health videos for consumers and health professionals. It has a searchable archive of over 100,000 health news articles.