Pregnancy Notification Policy Alarms Some Health Experts

“A revised regulation that directs Howard County school officials to notify parents when students reveal they are pregnant has drawn criticism from health experts who say it violates a young woman’s right to privacy and jeopardizes health care.”

My two cents? Children are guaranteed no right to privacy with regard to their parents or legal guardians. Parental rights trump the personal privacy rights of children. Here’s where things get ugly, though:

“Under Howard’s regulations, approved last month by the Board of Education, any school employee who learns that a student is or might be pregnant is to notify the school counselor or nurse. If the pregnancy is confirmed and the parents don’t know, the counselor or nurse helps the student tell them.”

Public school employees, as representatives of the federal and state governments, have no right to invade a child’s privacy like that. If they must tell anyone, they should tell the parents – directly.