Here’s a fundamental principle: Unless parents have legally lost parental control or children are emancipated legally, they should decide on the medical treatment received by their children. But there is a war against such parental control, particularly in areas touching on sexuality and mental health. Thus, in many states girls can obtain birth control and abortions without parental permission, or even notification, sometimes even psychotropics. I think the idea is to liberate teenagers—particularly girls—from the “oppression” of religious parents.
These issues have potentially very serious health ramifications for children, particularly if abortions go wrong and parents have no idea surgery was performed on their own child. Activists also wanted the morning after birth control pill available to girls without a prescription—meaning no doctor involvement either—just as it is for women. But HHS Secretary Sebelius made a rare (perhaps politically motivated) decision that respects parents and treats minors as the children they are. From The Hill story:
In a decision steeped in 2012 politics, President Obama’s top health official on Wednesday overruled government scientists to block wider access to the so-called “morning-after pill.” The decision to leave in place a requirement that women younger than 17 get a prescription for the drug was a huge surprise to liberal groups and advocates for the Plan B contraceptive, some of whom said they were left “speechless” by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’s involvement.
See, that shows the game that is afoot right there. Minors under seventeen aren’t women. They are girls. Because they are not women, they can’t sign contracts, get their ears pierced, or engage in other adult only activities.
Sebelius understands (or, perhaps better stated, pretends to, he said cynically):
In quashing the decision, Sebelius acted quickly in a letter to the FDA Wednesday morning that said she was not convinced about the evidence supported expanding over-the-counter access to Plan B. “It is commonly understood that there are significant cognitive and behavioral differences between older adolescent girls and the youngest girls of reproductive age, which I believe are relevant to making this determination as to non-prescription availability of this product for all ages,” Sebelius wrote.
It is hard being a parent these days. The Left thinks they know best about how to raise children, and push toward state or non profit advocacy group vetos over parental prerogatives and moral teaching. Sebelius chose the right course that, I predict, will last until at least the day after next year’s presidential election.
