HB 566. No birth control for minors without written parental consent. - A maculate conception.
From the Rome News-Tribune
March 8, 2005
A maculate conception
State Rep. Barry Loudermilk appears to fancy himself a swashbuckling Peter Pan defending morality from the Captain Hooks of the world. How else to explain that the Cassville Republican, who represents the eastern side of Floyd County, seems to live in a Never-Never Land.
It is a place where never will teen-agers have sex and never would it be wise for them to practice birth control or disease protection while doing so.
One supposes that is the intent of Loudermilk's House Bill 566, which would require parents or guardians to give consent before the Department of Human Resources or local health depart-ments can provide contraceptives to anyone under 18. And not just written consent, either, but in-person consent for it demands: " ... Such minor is accompanied by a parent or guardian who shows proper identification and states that such parent or guardian is the lawful parent or guardian of such minor and that such parent or guardian has been notified that such service or device has been requested by such minor."
In addition, it defines "Birth control device" or "contraceptive" as meaning "any drug, medical preparation, medical procedure, medical device, rhythm chart, or any related product whose primary function is to prevent impregnation during sexual activity."
Apparently Loudermilk and his fellow Lost Boys of the self-professed "moral majority" are so uninformed as not to know that even that sweeping definition actually leaves out of a few ways in which sex can be engaged without a risk of "impregnation" - but let's let that one slide, this being a family newspaper.
What's disturbing is that Loudermilk appears to believe that public-health departments have long lines of virgins and those who have taken the abstinence pledge in line outside their doors. The reality is that public-health personnel at teen clinics and the like almost never see such clients.
What they see are what Loudermilk calls "children" who are already actively engaged in sexual activity. Moreover, they are often constantly and promiscuously so engaged and the role of public health is, indeed, to provide them with ways to keep their decision from getting even worse - and spreading the ill effects through-out the population.
Just for the record, Georgia among all the states already ranks as:
No. 50 in per capita public-health spending; No. 45 in overall health; No. 8 for HIV infections; No. 6 for teen-age births; No. 5 for repeat teen births; No. 3 for gonorrhea cases; No. 3 for chlamydia cases; No. 1 for hepatitis B cases; No. 1 for syphilis cases.
Let's hope that the General Assembly doesn't add No. 1 for stupidly dangerous legislation to that list.
March 8, 2005
A maculate conception
State Rep. Barry Loudermilk appears to fancy himself a swashbuckling Peter Pan defending morality from the Captain Hooks of the world. How else to explain that the Cassville Republican, who represents the eastern side of Floyd County, seems to live in a Never-Never Land.
It is a place where never will teen-agers have sex and never would it be wise for them to practice birth control or disease protection while doing so.
One supposes that is the intent of Loudermilk's House Bill 566, which would require parents or guardians to give consent before the Department of Human Resources or local health depart-ments can provide contraceptives to anyone under 18. And not just written consent, either, but in-person consent for it demands: " ... Such minor is accompanied by a parent or guardian who shows proper identification and states that such parent or guardian is the lawful parent or guardian of such minor and that such parent or guardian has been notified that such service or device has been requested by such minor."
In addition, it defines "Birth control device" or "contraceptive" as meaning "any drug, medical preparation, medical procedure, medical device, rhythm chart, or any related product whose primary function is to prevent impregnation during sexual activity."
Apparently Loudermilk and his fellow Lost Boys of the self-professed "moral majority" are so uninformed as not to know that even that sweeping definition actually leaves out of a few ways in which sex can be engaged without a risk of "impregnation" - but let's let that one slide, this being a family newspaper.
What's disturbing is that Loudermilk appears to believe that public-health departments have long lines of virgins and those who have taken the abstinence pledge in line outside their doors. The reality is that public-health personnel at teen clinics and the like almost never see such clients.
What they see are what Loudermilk calls "children" who are already actively engaged in sexual activity. Moreover, they are often constantly and promiscuously so engaged and the role of public health is, indeed, to provide them with ways to keep their decision from getting even worse - and spreading the ill effects through-out the population.
Just for the record, Georgia among all the states already ranks as:
No. 50 in per capita public-health spending; No. 45 in overall health; No. 8 for HIV infections; No. 6 for teen-age births; No. 5 for repeat teen births; No. 3 for gonorrhea cases; No. 3 for chlamydia cases; No. 1 for hepatitis B cases; No. 1 for syphilis cases.
Let's hope that the General Assembly doesn't add No. 1 for stupidly dangerous legislation to that list.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 6:06 AM
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