BEFORE THE PILLS

A Portland middle school has been the focus of news stories for more than a week because a health center there received permission from school officials to offer birth-control prescriptions. But the focus on that action misses the more important story, which is the process by which children end up seeking or being pressured into sex when they are years away from being emotionally ready.

The fact that an overwhelming number of 12- and 13-year-olds do not engage in sexual intercourse suggests that the small minority who do have lives that are anything but normal. There are many possible reasons for this: Perhaps a child is facing abandonment or near abandonment by parents who have substance abuse problems. Perhaps a child is suffering from mental health problems or substance abuse problems. The first question the public should ask of school officials is not whether birth control for sexually active students is available, but what kinds of counseling services and other help are being offered for children who are clearly in need of support.

It’s worth noting, too, that the school-based clinic is not offering anything that many private doctor’s offices do not already offer. Physicians may urge young women to seek the permission from their parents before obtaining the pill, but that doesn’t mean they always will. When they do not, denying them birth control doesn’t mean they will stop being sexually active. Gov. John Baldacci expressed the concern of many parents recently when he said of the situation, “I appreciate local officials trying to address a need in a medically appropriate way. But these are children, and an appropriate balance must be struck between addressing the troubling situation that a small number of students find themselves in and recognizing the important role that parents and other family should play.”

Clearly, the need to offer birth control to children is a sign of failure – for the child and for family, school and community. According to The Associated Press, the three middle schools in Portland reported 17 pregnancies during the last four years. But that’s not counting miscarriages or terminated pregnancies not reported to the school nurse. It’s fair to assume the number is higher and, of course, hardly restricted to Portland.

But the failure came before the need for birth control arrived. If Maine is disturbed by the idea that a small percentage of its middle-school children are having sex, it should be eager to understand why. Chances are excellent that the reason will turn out to be far more than mere hormones.