Mom Says Her Rights Were Violated When Her Teen Got Birth Control Implant During School Trip
(Screenshot / WFTV9 Interview)
As parents, we all have a responsibility to teach our children proper and safe sex education, and to help them obtain appropriate birth control if and when necessary. But how would you feel if your teen took matters into their own hands without consulting you? And what if they school helped them out with this? That’s just what happened with one teen in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and now her mom is outraged.
WFTV 9 in Tulsa, Oklahoma reports that a 16-year-old girl recently went on a trip to a clinic during school hours, and came home with a birth control implant. The teen, who attends Langston Hughes Academy, was present at a sex education lecture at her school put on by Youth Services of Tulsa. After she and many other teen girls expressed an interest in learning more about their options, the school arranged for Youth Services to pick up the students for a visit to a clinic of their choice. And while all that may be a bit surprising, it’s all perfectly legal.
But that’s not stopping her mom, Miracle Foster, from expressing her anger at the situation.
“I just feel like my rights as a parent were violated. I feel like the school is responsible. I think they should’ve gave us more information, because like I said, I thought she was going to get information and educated. So therefore, she could come back home and we could discuss what was best for my child.”
The school’s principal, Rodney L. Clark, says that he did call Foster and the other parents to obtain permission for trip to take place. However, the details beyond obtaining information were left out, mostly because under Title X federal guidelines, what occurs once the minor is at the clinic is a protected, private matter. Kids as young as 12 are allowed to obtain birth control and other services from clinics under the law.
The reason such protections exist is because many parents will not allow their children to obtain birth control if it’s requested, which can result in unintended teen pregnancies and an uptick in STDs. Still, it can be difficult for any parent to find out that their child has opted to get hormonal birth control, or birth control that is of a long-term nature such as an arm implant or IUD.
“My child went on a field trip and she came back with this in her arm. I was not aware that she was gonna be getting this done. Had I known that this field trip was for her to get that done, I would not have allowed her to go. I think that’s something that a mother and daughter should discuss,” said Foster.
Regardless, parents should have conversations about sex, STD prevention, and birth control early and often in order to avoid surprises like these.
