San Diego Vote on School Clinic

I am writing in regard to the recent vote by the San Diego school trustees on the health clinic issue. The trustees voted down the proposal made by a task force that a health clinic be built in a city school. The health clinic would provide mental health care, physical examinations, nutritional advice, immunizations, and it would dispense contraceptives to students.

Speaking as a woman, not much more than four years out of high school, I am very disappointed with the decision made by the board. The opponents of the health clinic claim that the dispensing of contraceptives would promote promiscuity and undermine parental authority. I believe that a health clinic with good and accurate information on birth control is exactly what schools need. What is a school for, if not to educate its students. Teen-age pregnancy statistics are horrifying and the way to decrease the number of young girls getting pregnant is not to deny them this much-needed information.

This health center would not only provide birth control but would also provide mental care for boys and girls who are having to deal with their sexuality. The board chose to make the dispensing of contraceptives the overriding issue. The way I see it, they had a perfect opportunity to do something constructive about teen-age pregnancy and instead decided to continue closing their eyes.

Kay Davis, a trustee who voted against the issue said, “We must keep a narrower focus and keep in our vision the type of educational program we want to offer our children.” Keeping a narrow focus is not educating the students. It is about time we woke up and faced some facts.

In today’s world kids are sexually active at an early age. We can take steps to try and stop that. By being caring parents who are open and honest with kids about sex is a start. Kids today are faced with so much in the media about sex. Movies, advertising, TV, books, magazines--you name it, it’s there--and we can’t deny that teen-agers are going to be curious and explore.

By keeping a “narrower focus” we are only adding fuel to the fire. A health center would be a big step in the right direction. I hope that this issue comes up again and that this time the board will make the smartest move for the student and approve the health clinic.

If what is really best for the student is in question, then if and when this issue is proposed again, there will be only one solution.

LAURA SEMANS

San Diego