Teen sex decisions appal parent

A petition against schools organising birth control and abortions for girls under 16 without parental consent garnered 30 signatures in 90 minutes.

‘‘Every person who signed the petition was not aware of this,’’ concerned Timaru parent Rachel Tomkinson said.

‘‘All the parents that I met love their kids and want to be involved.’’

Tomkinson hit Timaru’s streets with her petition Pro Parents Choice for the first time on Thursday, appalled that she did not know girls could secretly get contraceptive medication or an abortion through their school until her daughter Renee, 15, got the Depo Provera injection. Renee felt driven to tell her mother about the shot after her period lasted two weeks, and wanted her story to accompany the petition, Tomkinson said. ‘‘They injected the wrong child and I’m not afraid to show my face.’’ Tomkinson wanted the law to change so it was mandatory for schools to contact parents before a child could get this type of aid.

‘‘You have to get consent to get on the bus but not for an abortion.’’

For girls with an unhappy home life and fearful of their parents’ reaction, a school could act as a mediator but that was where its input should end, she said. Tomkinson, who has contacted Opposition leader Simon Bridges and Health Minister David Clark and is awaiting a response, aims to collect at least 1000 signatures and to send a reminder to the Government for every 200 recorded.

Ministry of Education sector enablement and support deputy secretary Katrina Casey said school boards were ‘‘responsible for providing a safe physical and emotional environments for their students’’ and supported a young person’s right to confidentiality under the Health Act and the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act of 1977’’. Casey said secondary schools gave young people the tools to make decisions about their sexual health through the health and physical education curriculum.