Mother says Ballard High School health clinic facilitated abortion

Geeky Swedes Ballard

The mother of a 15 year-old Ballard High School student tells KOMO that the Ballard Teen Health Center at the school facilitated her daughter’s abortion, and kept the information private.

According to the report, the mother signed a consent form, which she assumed was to allow her daughter to visit the clinic. Abortion, she says, isn’t mentioned in the paperwork. The mother tells KOMO that she later found out that staff at the clinic, which is run by Swedish Medical Center, put her daughter in a taxi during school hours to have an abortion.”We had no idea this was being facilitated on campus,” the mother told the news channel. “They just told her that if she concealed it from her family, that it would be free of charge and no financial responsibility.”

KOMO spoke with T.J. Cosgrove of the King County Health Department who says that females of any age in our state can consent to a termination of pregnancy, and the parents don’t necessarily have to be notified.

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

244 thoughts to “Mother says Ballard High School health clinic facilitated abortion”

  1. wow.
    Yeah, I'd be outraged…which is a bit of an understatement…I'm searching for words.
    And public schools claim to be lacking parental input, involvement? hmmmm…
    so, I hope that we passed the bonds to ensure funding for this manner of instruction in the future.

  2. Good for her (the daughter, that is.) They aren't required to inform the parents, no one broke any rules, and mom needs back the hell off.

  3. If she was able to consent to termination, then I don't see why the parents should need to be notified by the school? Besides, why should the school intervene with a such a personal matter? It's for the girl to tell her parents, not the school.

    If she's old enough, and responsible enough to get pregnant and make decisions about a termination – then surely she should also be the one to inform her parents, not the school. Sounds to me like the girl and her mother should have just talked about it instead of talking to KOMO news??

  4. Seems to me their might be some twisting of the truth from the daughter to the mother. Can you imagine that? I highly doubt they told the girl “just concela it from your family and it will be free” Looks like little janie doe might be stretching the truth. Either way its a non story

  6. I don't feel there is enough information here.

    What if the mother was anti-abortion? Should a girl have to go through a pregnancy and potentially raising a child that she doesn't want just to suit her family's wishes? That sounds along the lines or arranged marriage and female augmentation to me….

    I think the issue is more between the communication in the family. Why did the girl not feel comfortable enough to talk to her mother about it in the first place?

  7. They broke the feeling of trust that a parent should have for the well-being of their child at school. Do they require parental permission for your child to have aspirin? Damn right! This is just appalling.

    This leftist societal standard has run off the rails, even in this lefty state.
    15 years old. Sorry, there's just no excuse to assume the role of caregiver if you care that little about the family.

  8. I'm am sure there are a lot of details that have been left out of the story thus far, but there will be a lot of people that think they know the whole story. We could, just for the moment, believe that the girl made the decision that was right for her in this situation.

  10. The school's primary concern should be with the student, not the parent. The same goes for health services (luckily, this state doesn't require health services employees to break their privacy policy.) The situation is different from case to case (her parents could get violent, could attempt to restrain her to prevent the procedure until it was too late, could throw her out. They can't know that ahead of time) , but not informing the parents unless asked to by the patient is a huge and important aspect of patient safety.

  12. There are other states where the law requires parental consent and/or notification for abortions for minors. If you want that to be the law here, talk to lawmakers. I'm interested to hear both sides of that argument because I don't know if those laws were implemented to protect teenagers' mental health, physical health, or both.

  13. The mother was anti-abortion (pro-life advocated). Which is probably why the girl felt she couldn't tell her mom in the first place. Sad.

    The school broke no laws and is in the right. This girl clearly requested an abortion. All people have the right to advocate for themselves. Her health is her business, not her mother's.

    Instead of attacking the school I question this mother's parenting skills. What does it say about her relationship with her daughter if the girl clearly felt she had to go behind her mother's back? Sad.

  15. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the mother signed a consent form. If she didn't read it fully in order to understand its implications that is her own fault.

  17. ..derfullone,

    Did you read the last paragraph?

    “KOMO spoke with T.J. Cosgrove of the King County Health Department who says that females of any age in our state can consent to a termination of pregnancy, and the parents don’t necessarily have to be notified.”

    Don't take my guns away…it's my legal right!!! But if a woman wants a legal abortion it's the end of the world. Odd.

  18. Funny how she (mom) named off reasons (KOMO article) she (child) might be going to the Health Center including… “birth control”.

    Sounds like the parent needs to be more of a parent and talk to her daughter. She should have questioned why the child needed to go to the Health Center to begin with.

  19. Maybe the clinic/BHS should turn around and report the mother to Child Protective Services for allowing her child to get pregnant.

    …must…. point… finger…. at… anyone….. but…. myself…

  20. If the daughter is 14 or over she has a RIGHT to privacy in that matter. She doean't have tell her mother. The school did exactly the right thing.

  21. From the KOMO article…
    “Jill says her daughter, a pro-life advocate, was given a pass, put in a taxi and sent off to have an abortion during school hours all without her family knowing.”

    Jill may be a little out of touch with what a “pro-life advocate” is?

  22. Sounds like Mama should take a critical look at herself. She obviously doesn't have an open relationship with her daughter, otherwise there would have been discussion about this issue prior to the daughter taking action.

    I am tired of parents being upset with the school, church, and other organizations for their own failures. I guess it is easier to blame the school then to admit she failed her daughter.

  23. As far as the article reads, this is a non-issue. If the girl didn't think she could raise the kid (or whatever reason), then I am glad she had the guts to go through with it. I don't want to see her life ruined due to poor sex-ed (either from the school or the parent). No matter what I think the mom is in the wrong. The kid has the right to keep this private from her. The mom and the school should have taught her safe sex and what can happen. I am glad she made the decision and went through with it. It is a grown-up decision and I hope she is happy she made the choice.

  25. “Females of any age in our state can consent to a termination of pregnancy, and the parents don’t necessarily have to be notified.”

    Good for Ballard HIgh School. They upheld the law.

    Maybe Mom should have put her daughter on birth control….hopefully she will now.

  26. I'm 100% pro-choice, and I'm glad the girl had the option of an abortion available to her. However, it's a little odd to me that the school helped her to (presumably) skip class to get this procedure done in the middle of a school day. Usually you need a signed note from your parent to excuse you from class – and aren't parents notified if their kid misses class? So the school had to actively hide the fact she missed class from her parents. As a parent, I think THAT is what I would have an issue with. The whole sneaky/lying aspect from the school.

  27. The part that irks me is not that the school “gave permission” to this girl to have an abortion. Legally she is allowed to consent to her own abortion, so they really didn't give her permission. What they did give her permission (and the resources) to do was to leave school during school hours and go get that abortion. Now if I remember correctly, leaving school during anything but the 30 minutes alloted for lunch was a big no-no, unless we were taking a field trip in which a permission slip signed by the parent was required. I can't imagine that personally giving money to a student to take a cab anywhere during school hours is allowed. Where is this money coming from? Do they have a certain amount set aside just to send kids on taxis to get abortions? Or was it out of the pocket of one of the employees of the health center? There is definitely not enough information in this story.

  30. I would consider revising that headline. It implies that Ballard High did something wrong, when in fact they were just following WA state law. Also, I find it disturbing that the mother (and now the media) is violating the girl's privacy by disclosing she had an abortion. No wonder the girl didn't want to tell her mom.

  31. I suspect there is much more to this than any of us know, or ever will. In the end, it is not our business. With respect to the school, it feels like someone is trying to air their laundry in public in an effort to push buttons to get others to feel their sense of outrage. With respect to the mother and daughter, surely this kind of event would try the bonds and diminish trust between parents and children with the best of relationships. Beyond that I'll keep my emotions to myself and simply observe that this is unfortunate and sad and say nothing more.

  32. Well, it's obvious why the girl decided not to tell her parents. The kind of parent that initiates a story like this rather than consider the effect it may have on her child should be ashamed of herself. I applaud the school for supporting a young woman's right to choose despite overbearing parents.

  34. As disconcerting as it may be for this mother to know that her daughter had an abortion without her knowing, I feel that the school did the right thing here. Their focus needs to be on the well-being of the student and as the law points out, she is of legal age for privacy in this matter. I believe that if communication was already intact between the mother and child, the daughter may have spoken to her mother about the circumstance she was in. The fact that she didn't go to her mother, seems telling. We as readers can't really know the whole story, but based on the limited information available I commend the high school for taking responsibility and providing support to their student.

  35. As disconcerting as it may be for this mother to know that her daughter had an abortion without her knowing, I feel that the school did the right thing here. Their focus needs to be on the well-being of the student and as the law points out, she is of legal age for privacy in this matter. I believe that if communication was already intact between the mother and child, the daughter may have spoken to her mother about the circumstance she was in. The fact that she didn't go to her mother, seems telling. We as readers can't really know the whole story, but based on the limited information available I commend the high school for taking responsibility and providing support to their student.

  36. I'm thinking Jill is the pro-life advocate. The daughter must not share her mother's views, thought it would surprise mama to hear that.

  37. It does seem interesting/odd that the mother was more interested in furthering her goals (by going to the media) rather than protecting her child's interest/privacy/emotions. But as I said earlier, maybe there is more to the story. I am sure that every kid at BHS knows who the girl is now.

  38. I don't see how this should be *news* to us. Why KOMO ever was involved is beyond me. This is way too personal for my taste. Now if BHS was doing something illegal or going around soliciting abortions, that would be a story. But it's not.

  39. Good for her. One less baby having a baby. I'm going to jump to the conclusion that the daughter doesn't share her mother's views on abortion, and had no choice but do it this way. Otherwise, she may have been forced to have a chid she knew she wasn't ready for. BHS didn't do anything wrong, IMO. In fact they may have just kept this girl from having to drop out.

  41. Man, I couldn't agree more with the posters who spoke to the lack of an open relationship between the Mother and Daughter possibly being the real problem here. Trying to blame the school for her shortcomings as a parent is really inappropriate.

    Would also be interested to know if that fabulous plan of “Abstinence Only” sex ed was required to be taught at Ballard High. Anyone know?

    It's much easier to be anti-abortion when you're not in the desperate position of needing one.

    Realistically though, she could have had a great relationship with her Mom, been on the pill, had great sex ed, and accidents do still happen. I applaud her for making what will likely be the most difficult choice of her life. Now she has a much better shot at continuing her education, and becoming a mother when she's emotionally and financially ready to do so.

  42. As a parent of 2 teenage girls, I am horrified that any medical procedure was performed without parental consent. Depression and bipolar disorders often appear during and right after puberty. Previously “normal” kids can start engaging in high risk behaviors (teenage sex is one of them). Some of the medications given to these kids can have adverse reactions and cause the behavior to escalate. Parents dealing with these issues need all the information they can get in order to help their teen. The teen will probably be perceived as rebelling against the parents by school officials as they only hear the student's side of the issue. It is naive to say that because a child doesn't confide in their parent it is the parent's fault. Frankly, this law puts a divide between parents and their teens. Anyone who thinks a 14-16 year old is responsible for making this kind of decision alone obviously hasn't spent much time with teenagers.

  43. yeah, it's now a national story.
    I pleased that some think it's a matter of some importance.

    …anything to win the child over to the state…lol, run Dori run.

  44. the school is right, the population is out of control. what they need to do is round up all babies under the age of two and shoot them or stab them. heck why stop at the age of two ?

  45. “KOMO spoke with T.J. Cosgrove of the King County Health Department who says that females of any age in our state can consent to a termination of pregnancy, and the parents don’t necessarily have to be notified.”

    I'd like to put the debate about abortion aside for a moment.

    If the procedure that took place was legal and not paid for with public funds. And this whole thing has a negligible impact on the community of Ballard, if it has any at all This is a story here why? Oh, right. Because abortion is a hot topic that increases traffic to a site. It's really too bad you chose to run this story. I think it degrades the quality of your site and makes me question your news-gathering ethics.

  46. Interesting. From the article the mom is quoted as saying, “Makes me feel like my rights were completely stripped away.” Given that her daughter has a legal right to get an abortion in this state without parental consent or knowledge, it's not clear to me what rights she thinks were taken from her.

  47. sounds good to me. no laws were broken and someone made a choice (yay!)

    funny how those decrying this act because the girl was “too young” are the same people that want to treat juvenile criminals as adults.

    which is it then?

  48. But if she skips school her mother is responsible? Tell me the logic. We have a legal definition of “adult” in this country for a reason.

  53. I think you both have a great point.

    The fact is that people (not just in the US, but all over the world) are not at a point where they will agree on abortion. This is why I reluctantly support legal abortion despite the fact that in *my heart* I believe it to be deeply wrong.

    This situation, however, is about something else entirely, in my mind. The disconnect between parental rights & responsibilities and children's rights & responsibilities. Children MUST (and often aren't) be protected from bad parents, but good parents also must be allowed to properly parent their children. My child will be an adult soon enough.

    Taking away my ability to know what's going on in my child's life by choosing when I'm supposed to know about my child and be responsible for my child's behavior is unproductive. I'm supposed to be responsible for her being in class, but if someone at the school decides that she can be out of class for something they deem to be worthy, I'm suddenly not even told?

    Some folks here even mention that the mother should have known that the child was pregnant. That she wasn't being a good mother because her daughter didn't tell, or that she was even responsible for her daughter engaging in unprotected sex… What is it folks??? Is the mother responsible or not???

  54. Her RIGHT TO PARENT. Her child has the legal right to an abortion. Her mother has a right to parent without interference.

    Try it sometime.

  56. The daughter, the school, the clinic and to a degree the mother all now have blood on their hands and are guilty of homicide. It may be legal homicide, but it is homicide and the girl knows it in her heart no matter what phrases one wishes to use. If the father knew of the procedure before hand and did nothing then he is guilty as well.

    I am assuming the clinic ate the cost, or, as I suspect, it will be passed on to the taxpayers.

    If this kid thinks her problems are over she is in for a rude shock.

    Perhaps we should find all fetuses guilty and sentenced to death in this state; they'd live forever!

  57. Sorry… Wasn't thinking of how my comment would fit in the lineup. My lack of respect is directed solely at the person who thinks that the parent of a teenager should “back off”.

    That idea shows a stunning lack of understanding of parenting.

    Just stunning.

  58. Really, one less baby having a BABY. If you agree it's a BABY, then abortion KILLS it, if you kill a BABY you commit MURDER. I wonder how many of these people have teenage daughters and how many will drive them to the clinic for their abortions.

    Pregnancy is a result of a behavior that 14 yr old children should not be engaging in but our society makes all this acceptable to susceptible children…no matter how much we try to contradict this at home, they are exposed at every turn with how “natural” it is to have sex, well, natural it is but only when you have the maturity and responsibility to deal with the possible consequences. It's not all about feeling good people, it's about having to make a decision like having an abortion, giving a child up for adoption or trying to raise a child when you're a child yourself.

    I don't cut the mom any slack for being disconnected, but the law sucks. If my child lives with me, I pay her bills, I clothe and feed her and am responsible for her health and welfare in other areas, then when does it stop? Should I now emancipate her because she got pregnant? I am her MOTHER and take that responsibility seriously. Why does my concern stop at her sexual health? It's ridiculous.

  62. If its true that Faux News covered this story already, than this thread is going to get out of hand with unregistered wingnuts and tea baggers. If you thought Myballard threads could get negative before, hold on to your seats!

  63. According to some, it seems, we should feed, clothe, educate, and love our children, but let them do whatever the heck they want… Because they have oh so many “rights”.

    Funny how there's a disconnect that with rights come responsibility.

    I take my rights and responsibilities very seriously and I'm doing my best to make sure my daughter does too. I truly hope I'm successful, but she's her own person and will make her own choices.

    But heck, maybe I should just accept that as soon as my child turns 13 or 14 (or whatever the “crowd” deems appropriate) I've suddenly lost all right to parent without interference. After all, it's “normal” to have sex as a young teenager, it's worthy of a “good for her!” to abort a child when the pregnancy is unplanned… That's a great idea… I'll just stop parenting at 13. And if my child grows up to be a person who “congregates” at the library and engages in “anti-social” behavior, the so be it. They'll just be happy to run her out of Ballard.

  66. It is an interesting debate and I think you are on to something. Pregnancy can be the result of consensual sex, rape or incest. Depending on those circumstances, or the relationship between parent and child, I imagine a gal may not want to ask permission to have a legal and safe procedure done.

  68. Her child had the right to deny her Mother parenting in this particular circumstance. The school did not interfere, they follwed the law.

    She wanted an abortion. Do you think the girl knew her Mom was anti-choice? She made her choice and didn't want her Mother to interfere with her choice.

  69. Again, the school did not interfere, the child did. She didn't want Mom to know. Sounds like your relationship is different than theirs. Keep it up.

  70. Yeah, the poor thing got her courage up to tell her Mom and then Mom talks to the press. I can't imagine she'll tell Mom much after this.

    I hope the school is now stepping in to provide some counseling….

  71. Hm… I wonder if you also would not consider her a woman if she gave birth.
    Getting pregnant will make a girl a woman – it certainly comes with womanly responsibilities and decision-making. I used to take care of young female persons who got pregnant as young as 12. Believe you me – they grew up fast once reality hit.

  73. My child cannot bring ibuprofen to school without my consent or the schools knowledge. If she does, she is violating the drug free policy and could be suspended/expelled. Did the state run clinic, which operates on school grounds notify the school? As a mother of a 15 year old girl I am horrified that this could happen. This is not a decision to be taken lightly no matter what your stand on the issue of abortion is. Complications to a surgery like this are not unheard of–she actually could have died–all because the parents were not notified. I work in medicine and I've seen things go very wrong for a lesser procedure. Additionally the actions taken undermine parents rights to parent and a childs right to be parented by a parent. How the pregnancy came to be has no bearing on this–that is another issue entirely. This 15 year old girl will have to live with a relative strangers decision–someone who probably doesn't know her very well–made on her behalf the rest of her life.

  75. For once I agree with you onederfullone – the girl's a child for crying out loud. I am wondering at which age will everyone be really outraged.

    14 years? 11 years? 10 years?

  76. Jolene, this is not a “state run” clinic. It is a Swedish Medical Center-run clinic, staffed by hospital employees.

    That poor girl. If my Mom pulled this kind of garbage, I'd be furious. I hope that she has other family or friends that she can move in with.

  77. Who says a stranger made her decision? The girl made a decsaion to have an abortion and to shield it from her parents, for whatever reason. That is her right, she chose not to be “parented” in her decision.

  78. When I took health there, they acknowledged that they knew the “abstinence-only” curriculum was stupid … instead, they showed us videos of the birthing process (worst memory being the c-section). And birth control.

  79. The school followed the law in that they didn't tell her parents that she went to get an abortion. I don't think the law states that the school must give her cab fare and a get-out-of-class free card to go and get the procedure done, however.

  82. How in the hell did she get pregnant in the first place without the parents knowing. I don't think she was a child when she became sexually active.

  83. I'm beginning to lean more on the creator of this 'form'. It was designed to be as vague as possible, and hardly shows clear intent to consent to what occurred.

  88. Well, first of all, newspapers (and by extension sites like this one) are a form of public service actually. Yes, they are businesses, but they serve the public interest by reporting the news. This is the historic role of newspapers.
    But that is beside my point. My point is more that we, the readers of this site, come here for a specific type of news and that this story strays from this mission, in my opinion and degrades the value of the site.
    I support this site making a profit some day, but would prefer it does so honestly and doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator as so many other news outlets do. Makes it more valuable in my eyes and I hope, in the eyes of many other readers.

  89. Operative word…”might” go to the clinic…lots of possibilities are listed as to why the daughter “might” visit the Health Center. On the other hand, seems pretty clear that the daughter did NOT go to the clinic for birth control…

  92. One of those classic struggles that parents have to battle.
    Full accountability of their child's actions and choices,
    yet no authority to mitigate said liability granted by the state.
    nada.

    If this girl (yes, dammit, GIRL) was hanging at her BF's house, (say his AKA is pimp daddy for life) and the parents wanted to intervene, forget about it, the state would say screw you, she's free to pop out his progeny, and while he's in jail, we get to feed and clothe her and the kid(s).
    The state just wants another life to control, or extinguish, whatever.

    No, this is just dead wrong, families deserve a better shot. This state doesn't care about the long term consequence, just the statistic.

  94. yeah, well, that kind of like is the recent tsunami warning on Hawaii…
    There are far fewer nutjobs per million over there, than right here.

    But have your fear, cling tightly…

  95. That a child was killed because kids decided to play “adult”, and that the real adults did not take the child's life into consideration in trying to “solve” this “problem”?

    Got that.

    Tell me what else I do not understand….I'm listening!

  96. “My point is more that we, the readers of this site, come here for a specific type of news”

    OOooooohhhhhhhh…I see…

    Ooops, once again, the Swedes didn't 'clear' this story ahead of time with those 'we' a-holes, who decide what we come here to read…
    I don't know how to forgive them…

    The 'type' of news, is 'local' news, and if you don't get that, you are the troll here. IMHO

  97. So who will pick up the bill?
    I did not know Swedish gave free abortions?
    I'm sure they would love the free publicity!

    Perhaps the kid will pay for it?

    Yeah, right.

  98. Funny, if a school employee had asked her a religious question, all hell would break lose.

    But stick her in a cab for a quick lunchtime abortion and you get a medal.

  99. I don't decide what is news (here. I actually do in my day job) but I do have an opinion that I think is a valid one for this site and on this public forum so I expressed it. If you have a different opinion, why don't you try explaining it and engaging in a discussion about it instead of making pointless comments that don't move the discussion forward at all?

    Name may not be a troll in the traditional sense of the word, but with a comment like that, I was being baited into a fight by some no-name, no-identity troll. Your comment is equally as pointless but at least you have the decency to register and have an identity here so I thought you might be willing to actually discuss my point of view and share yours. Here's hoping!

  100. wow. angry much?

    They don't need to “clear” news with the readers, but as a “community” news site, they do need to report the news that matters specifically to the community it serves and not stray from that objective. That's what community news is. How, pray tell, does this affect Ballard specifically?

    This story would work for an outlet that has a broader perspective. Like, I dunno, KOMO? I don't turn to community news sites for arguments over abortion.

    You do. fair enough.

    And I am hardly a troll. I expressed an opinion that I back up with a registered identity on this site. And I know how to spell and proofread.

  101. I don't think it's quite this simple. There are very good reasons for protecting teenagers from there parents. I work in the mental health field and we see many cases of abuse.

    Extending this protection to medical issues is clearly a no-brainer as well because it isn't the parent who will be carrying a child to term thus giving the carryer full decision making control is quite obvious, whether she be 14 or 40. The school made the right call in accordance with our laws.

  102. The looney left's school agenda explained:

    Student A: I'm 18 and I'd like to do an instrumental version of 'Ave Maria' at high school graduation.

    School: Hell no. Do that and you're suspended.

    Student B: I'm 15 and I want to get an abortion.

    School: Here's $20 for the cab, don't tell your parents, get back by recess.

  103. To conceal this from the parents is irresposible. I am pro-life, but since abortion is legal, it is legally a womans right to choose. But let me ask this. What about the after care?? This girl didn't get a boo-boo bandaged. She got a child, whom was attached to her uterus, extracted surgically. Even if they had given her RU-486, this is traumatic on the body. Even if they gave the girl pain medication and anti-biotics afterwards, there is a risk for after procedure complications. What happens then? Who is responsible for that? the school clinic that basically sponsored the abortion? Regardless of a persons' stance on abortion, this is irresponsible. I had a friend nearly die due to a post-surgical complication after an abortion at a reputable clinic. There is always risk after ANY medical procedure, and not notifying the parents of this girl so they can provide a girl (who made an irresposible choice by getting pregnant as a teen anyway) proper aftercare is totally irresponsible. I was a teen mother, and getting pregnant when I did was irresponsible, but I owned up to it, finished school, AND had a job. I supported myself and my child without anyones' help or government aid. Maybe that wasn't the right choice for this girl, but not telling her parents could have placed her life in jeopardy, which was just another irresponsible choice on her part, and the part of the clinicians who encouraged her to do it. They basically just told her that sleeping around, getting pregnant, and lying to your parents is okay.

  104. Oh, if there's one thing I do it's share my views. (ask around)
    You have shared that spelling is more important than life, and that what happens locally, that some have serious issues with, isn't what you care to read or debate, fair enough, but not what I come here to read. touche.

  105. Duh, Swedish does not “give free” abortions. But it's possible that she may have qualified for charity care, although I think they'd vigorously pursued payment through other means first.

    Actually, I don't think the cost for a pregnancy termination have gone up in quite a long time. It would be much easier to raise the cash than it would have been back in 1992.

  107. Jill should have used all the years to build trust with her daughter. Apparently she failed, because her daughter didn't trust her mother enough to go to her for help. End result: it is none of Jill's business.

  108. Um, neither Swedish or Planned Parenthood are publicly funded. Who cares who's picking up the bill, it's not you, so why don't you shut up about it?

  109. This issue has *NOTHING* to do with the school, *NOTHING* to do with a clinic, *NOTHING* to do with the law – and *EVERYTHING* to do with a poor relationship between a mother and a daughter. This isn't a news worthy issue but a therapist worthy issue.

  111. Hey, that's how the law is. Separation of church and state federally, no required consent in our state. Try and change it if you want, it ain't going to happen.

  112. What a sad story for so many reasons: a young woman in crisis, with no family to support her; an odd intervention on her behalf initiated by someone at the school; the fact that there are enough sexually active teens to merit “onsite” birth control services and counseling at the school; a public outing by her own mother…could it get any more awful?

    I sincerely hope that the girl can resume her education with as much dignity as possible so she can find her way in the world.

    I am still in shock that KOMO would jump on this in such a sensationalist fashion and be complicit in the humiliation of this girl. Shameful.

  113. I can't really comment on what else you don't understand but let me see if I can break this discussion down a little for you.

    The question the story brings to light is whether a student of her age should be able to make this kind of decision without parental involvement as Washington State law currently allows her to do. The story is not a pro-choice/pro-life discussion, that's the part you missed. You obviously have a strong opinion on her choice but it does not appear that any federal, state, county or City of Seattle laws were broken nor were any Seattle School District policies.

  114. What are you talking about? Do you even attend any Ballard events? The last two musical events contained “religious” music, and not one rotten tomato was thrown. So try another form of logic.

  115. I agree with the fact that pregnancy termination is is traumatic to the body, but she didn't have a child, she was pregnant with a fetus inside her. I too wonder about her condition upon release. How did Swedish know about all her potential conditions that might negate going ahead with the procedure? Did they have her complete medical history right in front of them?

  116. This story has aready made the national media.

    Hopefully it will focus the world's attention on Ballard High School, Washington State and the whole abortion-on-demand industry.

  117. Mom had to go to the media…really??? Guess what? Now your daughter's pain will become public in the halls of her school. What a pathetic thing for a parent to do. You are angry that your daughter got pregnant at 15 and that she kept you out of the loop. Aim your outrage at yourself, not the school. They did their job, and you failed yours.

  118. Because I do not want taxpayer money, some of my money, going to fund abortions in any way shape or form. THAT is why.

    She was given a pregnancy test at the clinic within BHS and I assume BHS paid for the cab fare. Where did BHS get the funds? Tuition?

    If she wishes to exercise her right to commit legal homicide then let her pay for it herself.

    Shut up? Perhaps after you renounce your citizenship and move to North Korea or Angola I'll think about it….perhaps not.

  121. Why don't you move to North Korea if you want to live in a state that controls basic human rights?

    Why do you automatically assume that the gov't paid for this? You kinda missed my point about Planned Parenthood and Swedish being private.

    You “assume BHS paid for the cab fare,” where are the facts backing this up? They didn't pay for the procedure, how do you know they paid the fare?

  122. Where did you go to school? fetuses become viable humans upon birth. I'm all for the sanctity of life once the life is able to be sustained outside the mother's body.

  124. Why would a Mom tell the papers about this and now everyone knows who had the abortion. She just ruined privacy for all the young girls that go to Ballard. Does she want her daughter to be known as the one who had the abortion?

  126. I think the daughter said that so she had a reason not to tell her MOM. I really don't think that they would tell her she had to pay if she confessed.

  127. The school didn't give permission the Health Clinic by Ballard at the school did different. I would worry more about the money to pay for the baby a cab fare is cheaper and is funded through the Swedish Clinc not the High School. I agree though sucky story and no research.

  128. The fact the girl could not tell her Mom says it all. The fact that you are projecting your experience on this young woman is really irresponsible. You do not walk in her shoes as none of us does. It is bad enough having this tramatic experience and to think it encourages some one to sleep around does not coincide with the facts. The statistics show that teen mothers who have children in their teens usually become pregnant again soon after and/or they most likely can end up on drugs and impoverished.

    Your assumption that they just sleep around after the abortion is not factual.

  129. I would hope that I would have a better relationship with my daughter or granddaughter. Remember this can only happen to girls. That is why there is a law that protects their rights.

  135. I highly doubt the folks at Swedish just shoved her out the door ten minutes later with no intentions of providing any additional follow up care or giving her some clear instructions for what to do afterwards. This isn't some back-alley operation (THANKFULLY! ) that the young woman was utilizing. Perhaps that is what people need to consider, if a young woman is determined to terminate an unplanned pregnancy wouldn't you rather have her able to be in a safe situation in an established medical facility, instead of a desperate situation with a questionable provider?

    How could she have died *because* the parents weren't notified? That makes no sense. She could have died from complications with her mother right there… She could have gone through with a pregnancy and died from toxemia/preeclampsia (as young women are much more prone to than older women).

    Who is the stranger that made this decision for her? I don't think she unwillingly had this abortion.

  136. Right, hence my “gave permission” in quotation marks. The student doesn't need permission in Washington state. Again, the money to pay for the procedure is an entirely different issue in itself. I just think the act of facilitating the student's departure from school during school hours specifically to have this procedure crosses the line of the teacher/health care provider-student/patient relationship if that makes any sense.

  138. I'm with you, Wal. I feel so bad for this girl, now that everyone must have figured out who she is. How can you move on past this when everyone is gossiping about this very private matter?

  140. Capitals and punctuation actually.

    I am glad my parents sent me to private schools.

    Why has no one attacked the father for not using a condom?
    I am shocked that Progressives are not scolding the young man for not getting a free “sheath” at the clinic within BHS.

  142. As stated above the no laws were broken. If true and if a fetus is, as is claimed, not a new, developing human life then I see no problem with the media knowing that the “right to choose” was exercised by a young girl.

    Now all the young girls at Ballard will know that if they get knocked up by their boyfriends or some guy they met ten minutes ago that the consent form signed by their parents at the start of the academic year allows them a way to get their “problem” taken care of in an afternoon with a little taxi cab ride thrown in for fun.

  143. Um, not according to every legitimate medical book published in the past 50 years. It's tissue that MIGHT develop into a baby. I know science is scary to you right-wing folks, but you might want to consider looking into it sometime.

  144. What protection does she require?

    She has broken no law as I am told so there is no need for her to have legal counsel.

    Was the father old enough that we have a statutory rape case to deal with?

    Was the procedure botched so a malpractice suit is required?

    Has she been named in the media? Even so is that illegal? Is her mother going to the media illegal?

    She has exercised her right to choose.
    She now needs to live with it.
    She will need quite a lot of help.

  145. My mistake–t bean is right–it is not state run–but it has government ties. Swedish runs the school clinic but it's the King County Health Department who oversees it's operation. It is true that if a child were sick the school would call to have the parent pick the child up (I know–I've been called). If they don't think a child can deal with the flu alone why do they think it is ok to have an invasive surgical procedure? On another note–there is much talk in the medical community these days about the formation of the adolescent brain–it is generally agreed that the “consequence” part of the brain isn't fully formed until around 20. Perhaps we need to step back and align some of what we know with science–the consequences of something like this are life altering. Time to change a state law or two or three….

  146. Slow news day? This is such a trumped up non-story. The headline should read “Publicity-hound Mom shocked that High School obeys state law”. Yawn.

  147. I will qualify my remarks by saying that I am not a lock-step liberal, nor am I a conservative. But the unvarnished truth is that there is a huge problem if the schools believe they can fulfill a vision to be all things to all people. Maybe Fred Meyer can do it, but unlikely in an educational setting. The mission of the school can't become so diluted that education is sandwiched in between pregnancy tests…that are conducted down the hall.

    This idea of organizations earnestly trying to expand on their original mission reminds me of an episode a few years ago at the Ballard Pool, when I returned the day after a swim session to look for our son's swim trunks in the lost and found and was told “they were given to a homeless child” who was part of a group of homeless kids that came in to swim. That's great; my child doesn't have swim trunks now because the pool has decided to clothe the patrons, too? No one is “against” homeless kids without swimwear – just as no one is against 15 year olds in crisis – but let's keep the boundaries clear. Swedish is less than a mile down the street; why the urgency to set up shop on school property? Is the school district getting rental income from Swedish?

    The school now will have no choice but to defend the existence of the healthcare center – and I'm sure many students that have up to this point received valuable care will be affected by the fallout. Unfortunately, the fact that the counselors in the center are empowered to authorize students to leave campus will become the center's undoing. The contradiction is obvious: as a parent, if you need to contact your student during school hours (gramma died! your brother needs a ride to soccer! dad's been in a car accident!) and the school cannot/will not/is prohibited by HIPPA (!) from disclosing your child's whereabouts, well…that's not okay. The health center crossed the line when they interfered with the student's school day; the poor girl should have been given advice as to what her options were, and perhaps been given some prompts that would help her initiate this difficult conversation with a family member or trusted friend.

    The poor girl. Everyone failed her.

  148. Well then you are clearly retarded, but I already came to that conclusion after attempting to decipher your incoherent, punctuation-lacking run-on sentence above.

  149. “How, pray tell, does this affect Ballard specifically?”

    Um, didn't this happen at Ballard High School? Don't you think kids that attend there are talking about this? If you were a parent of one of those kids, wouldn't you want to hear about it so you could have a conversation with your kid about it? Wouldn't you prefer to have more info/perspective than what is barfed up on FOX?

    I certainly would. I think it's exactly what should be on this site.

  150. “the real adults did not take the child's life into consideration in trying to “solve” this “problem”?”

    Of course they did. What about the life of the “child” that was pregnant? Doesn't her quality of life or future have any value? Why should she be forced to sacrifice that for an accidental mistake?

  152. I don't. But I do know that no one on this thread has bothered to ask so I thought I would start that ball rolling.
    After all, they are there for the taking are they not and they are much cheaper than any procedures she had done and they are 97% effective if used properly.

    Don't stick it in her if you don't want her knocked up; that works 100%.

  153. And that development STARTS at the moment of conception. The fertilized egg may terminate naturally, develop naturally, or be terminated by outside influences (aborted). All these possible pathways BEGIN at conception. So which medical texts are you referring to exactly? I probably have them on my shelf.

  154. I am confused. First you state that girls who get knocked up while still teens will get pregnant again because they will sleep around. I'll give you that. How does this set correlate to girls who get knocked up while teenagers and get an abortion? Your data show teens who get pregnant and keep the kid sleep around afterward. It says nothing about the bed hopping activities of those who abort. Your facts are for a different set of young girls than those under discussion.

    Get your facts straight before posting.

  155. Let me guess…..no daddy in this family. Hmmm… I am guessing that mom had a kid at a young age too.

    Thank the system for saving us more money in welfare for this kid and a potential kid.

  156. You are a geat debater – especially when the only fall back response you have is belittling. Sarah Palin has really set a high bar for you.

  157. The facts are that teen girls who have gone through the traumatic experience of having an abortion are less likely to get pregnant in their teens vs. the teen girls who have children. Does that clarify it for you now or do you want me to spell out the correlation?

  159. A few important facts for the record. The mother is pro-choice. The mother has reported this anonymously so we don’t know who the daughter or the mother is so the daughter’s privacy rights were not violated. The daughter did not go to get healthcare for an abortion but for something else and was given a pregnancy test. She wasn’t counciled on her options.

    Although I am pro-choice I think it is odd that a decision to get a procedure like an abortion would have to be concealed from the family. A procedure to remove a wart would be discussed with the parents.

  160. I just knew the partnership between MyBallard and Seattle Times would result in this kind of gossip being published here under the guise of local news. Really, the headline should at least read ‘Mother and local media rips BHS for following WA state privacy in healthcare laws.’

  161. What would be really wrong is the mother forcing her 15-year-old to proceed with a pregnancy she clearly did not want and probably make her keep the baby too.

  162. I just knew the partnership between MyBallard and Seattle Times would result in this kind of gossip being published here under the guise of local news. Really, the headline should at least read ‘Mother and local media rip BHS for following WA state privacy in healthcare laws.’

  164. @ danishbydesign: very well said.

    As I continue to read comments, I am puzzled by those who keep talking about the relationship of the mother and daughter, whether or not there is a father in the picture, the fact that sex happened, welfare etc… these have little to do with the issue at hand and that is this: The nurse/counselor at the clinic (on school property) crossed a line.

  166. Had you stated this in your earlier post then we would not be doing this.
    Whether your facts are correct or not I have not checked.

  168. Zipper:

    HUH???? DOUBLE STANDARD!

    “Maybe Mom should have put her daughter on birth control….hopefully she will now.”

    I thought you were saying mom should stay out of it and good for the school etc….. but now you want mom to put her on birth control?

  171. I wonder if the identity of the daughter was revealed as a result of the mother's actions. Schools (and the world in general) are gossip mills, so I suspect the 15-year old is having a hard time returning to a normal life. If so, the mother has let her emotions and beliefs rule her judgment at the expense of her daughter's privacy.

  172. I never said the phrase, “stay out of it” or “good for the school”. You are making a leap.

    I do think that it's a shame that Mom finally gives a rat's patoot about her daughter's sexual health only after her daughter had an abortion. Yeah, I do think the time for Mom to butt in happened back when she should have known her daughter was sexually active. She should have brought her to Planned Parenthood for birth control, not to mention a lesson in how to put on a condom and how to protect herself from STDs.

    Too little, too late. Mom wants to feel righteously indignant at the expense of her daughter's privacy.

    My Rx: Family counseling, and lots of it…

  173. I can still remember your first comments, which were removed. You have a lot of nerve policing who says what punk.
    And where's that name tag?
    I dare ya.

  175. The school did not intervene. The Teen Center is not run by the school, it is run by Swedish and there is a reason the consent form needs to be signed by a parent. Read the whole form before signing and if you know anything about anything these days, read between the lines & ask questions prior to signing such a form. Those forms are not just for asprin.

  176. The health clinic is NOT run by the school. It is run by the health department.
    By Washington State law a person of ANY age may consent to abortion services. There is no parental notification law, it is solely in the hands of the person getting the abortion whether or not to tell the parents.
    In short, nobody broke any laws in facilitating an abortion, although I'm not quite clear on how she was able to do this during school hours. Is Ballard High an “open campus”?
    If you don't like the laws, lobby to change them, but don't blame the Health Department for following them!

  177. Camay, you dont think some students at Ballard High, aren't thinking, Hey I saw “whoever” get into a cab the other day, it must be her. And there is goes, privacy out the window.

  178. It affects the community in that it's a huge hot-button issue that occurred over at Ballard H.S. It's news because people care about it – no matter what you think on the issue it has generated a lot of discussion on this board alone so I think it's def. something people want to know about regardless of their views on the topic. Also, it's a community issue because it's incidents like this that may galvanize people to change current laws – and everyone should be concerned about that.

  181. No one, mother included, has revealed the kid's name.
    Medical personnel cannot and have not as far as I know.
    From the post below and the posts above all was legal.

    Gossip is just that, gossip.

    The kid's privacy is intact.

    Come on Libs, have we not been celebrating her choices and their consequences:

    1) Choice: sleep around. Consequence: she and her partner are sluts.
    2) Choice: protection not used. Consequence: they are not-too-bright-sluts.
    (if protection was used but failed then that falls under the heading: betting the odds and loosing!)
    3) Choice: kill the child growing inside her. Consequence: living with the knowledge that you had your baby killed regardless of the words used to describe the child within her womb.
    4) Choice not taken: bringing the kid to term and raising it or placing it up for
    adoption. Consequences: we will never know.

    The right to choose comes with the requirement to live with the consequences of those choices. That last part is never mentioned for some reason; budget cuts maybe.

  182. Once again, BHS did NOT pay for the cab, Swedish Hospital did. Also The Clinic is not run by BHS. BHS did not give her a pregnancy test, the Clinic did.

    Do you even know where your taxpaying money goes?

  183. so what the 15 year old sluts only pro life until it comes to her own babies life? why is a school paying for a girls abortion anyway? the termination itsself was free but somebody had to pay for that taxi, and that somebody is johnny tax payer. our tax dollars go to running those clinics and paying all those personel. so pro-choice or not we were all just forced to pay for some dumb teenager to kill a child

  184. I find it disturbing that the only way people think they can have a dialogue on this subject is by either threatening people or calling them derogatory names. Especially, the young girl that is the topic of the convesation. If you want to have a discussion then clean up your act especially when speaking about the young girl. Your arguement for or against just loses credibility.

  185. is this really even news? I would rather hear about what's happening with three girl's bakery down the street instead a normal medical procedure.

    Sad the mom decided to get involved in her daughter's real life too late.
    Sad the girl let some idiot talk her into a ten second long regret.
    Sad a potential kid was not to be.
    Sad this is will be another reason for lunatic pro-lifers to get upset about the realities of the world.

    Just plain sad.

    Shouldn't we all go back to arguing about lame condos and how many restaurants you can fit on market street?

  187. What a bunch of hot air! The mom has porr parenting skills because the daughter is a sneaky slut?! Unbelievable.

    Umm, duuuhh, she didn't tell her mom because she was (rightfully) scared that she'd get in trouble. Or is getting knocked up at 14 now something to embrace and be proud of?

  188. “Educators” are the last people that I want advising my kid. They should teach, set a good example with their comportment, and shut up about their value judgements as much as possible. Most of these people have not had a private sector job and don't have a true idea about jobs that must turn a profit. Secondary educators cry for raises when they are pulling in $70Kyr for nine months……..JUST TEACH!

  193. if one needs to read between the lines, the form sounds deceptive. it should be clear from the onset so that an adult and minor doesn't have to *read between the lines*

  195. The law protects our privacy in health matters. Courts have ruled time and again that this privacy extends to teens and young adults. It's not deceptive. It's the law.

  196. jen b-

    no, not any age. here's what aclu states:

    Abortion is not the only area where state law allows a minor to be treated without parental consent. For example, minors over the age of 13 years can obtain outpatient treatment without parental consent for drug and alcohol dependency, mental health problems, and sexually transmitted diseases.

  197. Jill had 14 years to parent. Her daughter still got pregnant and she wasn't even aware. Jill failed. I think Jill has had enough opportunity to screw up.

    But this isn't about Jill. Jill is being incredibly self-centered here, whining about her rights. What about her daughter's right to live a normal teenage-hood? Teenagers are not children, and they are not adults. They are in an horribly grey zone where they are quickly blooming. The law recognizes many aspects of this, and grants teenagers certain rights freedoms. You may not like that, but many modern parents have a difficult time accepting that their teens are not children anymore. That's your problem, not anyone else's.

  198. And 20% of the time women miscarry. 1 out of every 5 pregnancies never come to term. Should we be intervening to prevent these miscarriages? If we don't, are we also guilty of murder for failing to save the potential life?

    20% of pregnancies are terminated by God. Think on that for a while.

  201. Abstinence. Yeah, that's a fresh suggestion. It hasn't worked for the thousands of years churches have been harping about it. What makes you think that you'll do any better?

  204. Ohhhhhhhhh man. If that were my daughter she'd be hand-delivered to school and escorted home every day until her 18th birthday. And grounded from any non-family activity until then. The thought of my 4 year old even KISSING someone makes me ill, much less them sexually active at 15 and pregnant. Reading this nearly makes me nauseated.

    I say this as a previous 15 year old…FIFTEEN YEAR OLDS ARE ALL NOT NEARLY AS SMART/WISE/CONSCIOUS AS THEY THINK THEY ARE. They still need the guidance and consent of their parents. I really really really hope they pass some laws prohibiting this kind of stuff very soon. 15 year olds should not have the authority do make decisions that large.

  209. I think the issue here was the KOMO article, not whether or not a bunch of teenagers were speculating and gossiping. In that regard, I agree that someone may have indeed witnessed the cab ride.

  210. So when I have a kid, and they are a minor, thus my responsibility until they are 18 years of age. That BHS can make the decisions for me when it comes for major medical procedures and that if I say anything, everyone in this nice community will simply tell me to back off and that it's none of my business. The school without talking to me will judge me unfit to raise my child based upon inuendo and if my kid is pissed off at me for not letting them have a cellphone that week. That's just great.

    Because if I do my job as a parent, I will be scorned, and if I don't, I will be scorned. I do believe there is a organization called Child Protective Services involved. And any of you cheering the school on, if you have kids, just think about if that situation comes to your door!

    So parenting now means, feed and house a child, but don't dare say anything, because the school will do it for you, and if you do, everyone in the community will say back off.

    If you believe the mother is that much in the wrong, then call Child Protective Services right now on her. Her mother has right to a fair trial, and if judged, her child will be placed elsewhere.

  211. That really worked for Bristol Palin – Once again you should go and check out what the statistics are on teaching kids abstinence.

  216. You're right, if i was a parent of a pregnant teen i would do my job as a parent and drive her to the abortionist.
    lets see you try to stop a teenager from doing what they want.

  219. who was murdered?
    i thought she just had a growth removed from her.
    didn't know any conscious human beings were killed in the process, did someone slip in the operating room?

  221. oh no, now a baby wont be born into poverty without the mothers supervision for most of its early life.
    its not like she could just wait until she is 25 with a house, income, and partner and bring a child into this world the PROPER way or anything.

    naw lets just rush this and force a 15 year old (likely freshman) to give birth, and go to college with a 4 year old.

  223. What if something had happened to the daughter during the “procedure?” Who would have been responsible then? This is craziness — I expect this law will not remain as written for long. I imagine many who think it's not an issue are not parents. Perspective is everything — and most kids don't have it at 15 (or even 18).

  224. You said it yourself: “The stupidity of teenagers can't be prevented.” That's why parents are concerned about this but, you're probably a teenager and don't get it.

  225. I go to Ballard High, and here in Washington State the school only funds part of the Teen Health Center, anything vaguely relating to Reproductive Health is immediately sealed off from the schools general files. Washington state's reproductive health law pays for anyone to consult and receive Reproductive Health services without anyone else knowing. Without this Reproductive Health services without anyone else knowing. Without this law, teens like myself would make decisions like the decision to have an abortion with their parents who are usually heavily distraught after learning of the pregnancy. Would you want to talk to an angry parent about YOUR HEALTH? I wouldn't. This Teen after her consultation with the staff at the Teen Health Center was able to choose what she wanted to do with HER body.

  226. I'm sure mom would have been happier to force her daughter to have the baby. The daughter then could drop out of high school and forego college so she could responsibly take care of her baby. This would set her up to be forever dependent on mom and she'd likely live a life of impoverishment the rest of her life.

    That sure would teach her a lesson for being so irresponsible and having “unsafe” sex.

    Mom needs to come to terms that her daughter is free to have her own opinions and it's her body, her choice. I think she made the right decision!

  227. Good Point! Some very good questions that should be answered. The school should have strict rules and guidelines for this organization. Even though they are privet they are working on school property are they not? Therefore the parents should have been notified so they could give permission for their child to take a “field trip”.

  228. As a mother of two teenage girls (one of whom attends BHS and one who will next year) I am so saddened that this girl's personal choice and body is now open for discussion apparently nationally now. The mom is putting such a huge canyon between herself and her daughter by making a legal and media issue of this. What this girl needs is compassion from her mom and her classmates. Being one who speaks from experience it was probably one of the first major decisions (besides having sex in the first place) that this girl has had to make on her own and she was probably scared and could've used the support from a loving parent(s) to get through this. Instead now she has to try to stay anonymous despite her mother pursuing a lawsuit and it could get ugly. You should see what the students are already saying on Facebook about this issue! They are more afraid of the school's reputation than this poor girl.

    On a positive note, this week has been a good opportunity to talk again about sex and choices and what ifs in our home. Just wish it wasn't at the expense of someone's else's suffering.

  229. Slim?! Have you checked failure rates lately? And it's not all up to her — if the couple used condoms, there are lots of ways they can be used incorrectly or fail.

  232. It seems odd to me that so many things teenagers aren't allowed to do to their bodies without parental consent (piercings, tattoos, scarification, elective surgeries, etc.) and yet they have the choice to have an abortion without parental consent? What's the rub? Where is the line between what is okay for a teen to decide about their body and what is something the parents have to consent to?

  233. I have 2 kids currently at BHS & one graduated. Believe me: THERE IS NO STIGMA. Also, the teen health center cruised lunch time last year inviting girls in to get the HPV vaccine – again without the parent's knowledge. It's like the teen center makes the parents out to be the “enemy” and pushes their liberal agenda on everyone. My only way to combat my government enforced lack of authority is to threaten my kids with a boot out the door if they break home rules – like having nonmarital sex.

  234. A pregnancy test then straight off to the abortion clinic?!!! You would think they get a kickback for every child they refer. If I was that mother I would be beyond furious and do my best to shut down the school and Swedish for going behind my back and 'parenting' my child by helping her kill her baby. 'If you don't tell your mom it will be free'. Unreal!!!

  235. I'm a parent of a student who attended BHS and have friends who are parents of current students of BHS. And have for many years received and reviewed and signed that tons of paperwork the students bring home at the beginning of each year. It's a task to go through all the paperwork. Some of the stuff can be missed, but the medical paperwork as well as the parent consent forms have to be read & re-read before signing.

  236. HeatherHeather you got that right. The one thing that most people really don't get and never talk about is the emotional attachment that happens when a young girl, or woman for that matter, has sex. Do they ever talk about that in Sex Ed I bet not it's just all fun and games until someone get pregnant.

  237. Wow, $70K, really? I wondering which teacher actually makes that kind of $$ at Ballard. And what do the rest of the teachers do the other three months of the year, just go into a trance waiting for the next school year??

  238. The mom got her facts wrong. I go to the teen health center all the time. There is NO way the staff would have ever told her to keep it from her mom. Never. It was the girl's choice. This girl should not be crucified because she didn't want her life ruined. All you people talking about this are assuming that she did something stupid and got herself pregnant. It could have easily been the boy in the situation; he could have poked holes in the condoms, or they could have broken and he could have not told her. The girl is smart enough to know that if she knew something went wrong she could have gone to the THC the next school day and they would have given her Plan B, free of charge.

    Don't announce that you would try to shut down an entire SCHOOL because of your bigotry. It's disgusting.

  239. Plenty of woman have abortions and have zero regrets.

    Agreed the girl will need help. Help because her Mother is not a balanced woman. Taking her daughter's private decision and making a public spectacle of it is quite bad. Their relationship is in dire trouble.

  241. I am both the mother of a high school girl and a recipient of abuse from my parents as a young person when I was in need of their help most. I unhesitatingly signed the clinic health form for my daughter at her high school and made sure she knows where my curiosity ends and her privacy begins, as well as her legal rights.

    When young people are in serious crisis, they deserve and should be able to expect their parents to set aside their own prejudices, societal, cultural, and religious views, no matter how dearly held, and stand ready to provide useful loving help to their child in whatever way is best for that child. When a child's health, happiness and future are at risk and at stake is when most parents find out what their true worth as human beings lies.

    This mother failed the test, with an egregious invasion of her daughter's privacy by contacting the media. No matter how furious she was, she should never have done it. Setting aside any other considerations (and there are plenty here), this act was in no way directed at her child's welfare and personal growth, and will resound down the years in it's cruelty.

    I hope all us parents will learn from this, and control our worse impulses during the inevitable crisis with our struggling young people as they are desperately trying to make sense of their lives.
    My thoughts go out to this young woman.

  244. i get it, and i also get how annoying parents can be.
    most of the time when you try to make us do things, or “force” us to do things, we just lie and continue doing whatever we want to.
    why? because its easy and you will never find out.
    thats what everyone does.

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