Cities, Counties In Md., N.M, N.Y. Take Actions On Women's Health Policies

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Pregnancy / Obstetrics;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 06 Feb 2008 - 12:00 PDT

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The following highlights local actions on women's health.

• Howard County, Md.: Some health experts recently criticized a new county Board of Education regulation that directs school officials to notify parents when students reveal they are pregnant, saying it violates girls' right to privacy and will reduce their willingness to seek other health care services, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, the Maryland State Department of Education does not provide clear mandates on parental notification, so rules vary in each school system. State law does not require teens to inform parents to receive health services, including pregnancy tests, contraceptive prescriptions and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Howard's regulations, which were approved last month, will require any school employee who learns that a student is or might be pregnant to notify the school counselor or nurse. If the pregnancy is confirmed and the parents are not aware of it, the counselor or nurse must help the student tell them. The rules do not specify when students need to inform their parents, but education board Chair Frank Aquino said it probably would occur "in a matter of a few days." The rules take effect July 1, the Post reports. County Health Officer Peter Beilenson said, "There's no question this will have a chilling effect on kids coming forward" about their pregnancies, adding, "It's going to slow down health care." Howard school board members said the decision formalized what has been an unofficial practice for years. "We wanted to make it clear: If the student does not tell the parents, the school system will advise the parents," Aquino said, adding, "Parents have a right to that information." Tina Cheng, chief of general pediatrics and adolescent medicine at Johns Hopkins University, said research has shown that significant numbers of sexually active adolescents said they would stop using health care services if there was a mandatory parental notification (DeFord, Washington Post, 2/3).
  
  
• Las, Cruces, N.M.: High schools in Las Cruces, N.M., have been forced to stop providing family planning services to students -- including counseling, medical screening and contraceptives -- because of a policy adopted in April 2007 by the Las Cruces Board of Education that allows parents to opt out of the school-based family planning services on behalf of their children, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports. The school board's policy was in conflict with the confidentiality requirement of the federal Title X family planning program, which funded the services. New Mexico Department of Health spokesperson Chris Minnick said the opt-out clause went "against ... the intent of the funding" by allowing parents to restrict their children's access to such services. School board member Leonel Briseno, who introduced the amendment, said that clinics were taking away their parental rights. Briseno said he is aware that the policy conflicted with Title X policies and state laws that allow students to access family planning services without parental consent. The health department plans to establish a referral service to direct students to its clinic sites where they can receive confidential services at no cost. In addition, the department will extend its hours at its Las Cruces offices to 6:30 p.m. and give priority to high school students so they do not have to wait in line, the Sun-News reports. Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendant Stan Rounds said that district lawyers are reviewing the situation ahead of a school board meeting scheduled for Tuesday (Meeks, Las Cruces Sun-News, 2/1).
  
  
• Montgomery County, Md.: Circuit Court Judge William Rowan ruled on January 31 that middle and high schools in Montgomery County may continue teaching a new sex education curriculum which teaches students that sexual orientation is innate and includes a condom demonstration video for 10th graders, the Washington Post reports (De Vise, Washington Post, 2/2). Parental consent is required to participate. The groups Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, Family Leader Network and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays in February 2007 filed a petition against implementation of the curriculum with the Maryland State Board of Education. The state education board approved the curriculum in a closed session in June 2007. The state board declined to "second guess the appropriateness" of the curriculum and said it could reverse the county board's action only if it violated the law (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 9/6/07). Rowan on Thursday affirmed the state school board's decision, emphasizing the role of "contemporary community standards" in shaping school curricula. He also said the school board's use of the term "innate" was defensible, noting that it was implied in a broader definition of factors that determine sexual orientation. John Garza, president of CRC, said the group has 30 days to consider whether to appeal the ruling (Washington Post, 2/2).
  
  
• New York City: Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday during his weekly radio show that the city would spend $22 million to expand the Nurse Family Partnership program to all boroughs, the New York Post reports. The program places experienced nurses with women in Jamaica, Harlem, the South Bronx and parts of Brooklyn who are pregnant for the first time. The nurses work with the women from pregnancy until the child is two years old. The program's nurses offer women guidance on breastfeeding, parenting skills, preventive health practices and sometimes help make economic decisions. One thousand women have been served by the program so far, and the new money will expand the program to 2,600 families over the next three years (Edozien, New York Post, 2/4).

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