State House
King Middle School bill delayed by Council
By Mike Heath
Dec 21, 2007 - 4:55:00 AM

Senator Douglas M. Smith

On December 6th the Associated Press reported on over four hundred bills that the Legislature is taking up.  One important bill is not on the list.  Senator Douglas M. Smith, R-Dover Foxcroft, wants parents of children younger than 14 years of age to know when educators are giving their youngsters contraceptives. 

The bill is a response to the King Middle School debacle in Portland that is ongoing.  The bill has languished on the Legislative Council table for weeks, stuck in legislative limbo.  A Legislative Council meeting took place Thursday, December 21st.  The Council decides whether bills will be assigned to a committee, and proceed to public hearing.

I talked with Senator Smith on Tuesday by phone for the first time.  He told me that he was going to attend the meeting, and that his bill was on the agenda.  I started to pray about attending the meeting myself to urge support for allowing the bill to proceed to public hearing.  Additionally, I made some phone calls to pastors who minister in areas represented by senators and representatives who serve on the Legislative Council.  I asked them to call their legislator who serves on the Legislative Council.  On Wednesday I received a phone call from a pastor who indicated that the Council would not consider Senator Smith's request until January.

The legislative session begins January 2nd.  The shorter session will end in April.  The longer the Council waits to consider the bill, the worse its chances for passage.  It is likely that a majority of the Council is opposed to the bill.

Portland has responded to the public outcry against providing contraceptives to children by writing new parental consent forms.  According to League attorney Steve Whiting the form is one page long.  The form undercuts legal action that was being contemplated by Jay Sekulow because it does notify parents about birth control access.  While unlikely, a lawsuit hasn't been ruled out.  Finding plaintiffs for the lawsuit was not an easy task.  Many parents in Portland support contraceptive use by children.

Parents in Portland who sign the consent form will not be told that their child has been given contraceptives.  Parents surrender their parental authority over the sexual development of their children by signing the form.  They don't, however, surrender their responsibility.  While they may not know what is going on, they will most likely have to pay for the consequences in more ways than they anticipate.

Taxpayers are the other group who pay for the premature onset of sexual activity, and all the heartbreak and pain that it causes.  The doctors and social workers who attempt to reassemble the broken shards of a decimated emotional and romantic life are often well compensated.  They belong to powerful unions who maintain a constant vigil in the Maine State House.

Additionally, Maine's very liberal abortion laws enable children to obtain abortions without the knowledge of ther parents.  All that is required is "adult involvement."