Just two weeks after Waldo County Hospital closed its maternity and birthing unit citing declining birth rates, on Monday Rep. Jan Dodge (D-Belfast) testified before the legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee on her bill to mandate that Maine high schools expand a condom giveaway program statewide.
“My students were grateful for the availability of condoms in the nurse’s office,” Rep. Dodge told the committee, quoting an area educator in support of her bill LD 217. Dodge’s proposal, she said, is based on a program in Vermont and she initiated it at the request of a local, retired school nurse.
An amendment that Dodge added to her bill in Monday’s session would expand distribution points with the school for the condoms from the nurse’s office to other “locations authorized by the school nurse.”
When asked by a committee member Rep. Barbara Bagshaw (R-Windham) how much her bill would cost taxpayers, Dodge was not immediately able to answer, but the fiscal note associated with it suggest it would run about $20,000 a year.
Citing prospective cuts to Maine’s education budget stemming from Governor Janet Mills’ administration’s insistence on defying President Donald Trump’s executive order banning biological males from participating in school sports, Rep. Bagshaw also asked whether Dodge thought this was “the best use of taxpayer dollars at this time.”
“Considering what’s coming out of Washington, DC, yes,” Dodge responded, alluding to anticipated efforts by the Trump administration to restrict access to birth control. Prior to Bagshaw’s question, Dodge also offered this projection as a justification for her bill in her testimony before the committee.
According to the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey, more than half (52 percent) of teens are sexually active by senior year in high school, retired nurse Janice Hogan — the constituent Dodge cited as the impetus for her bill — testified. 8.5 of 1,000 students on average experience accidental pregnancies, she said.
Committee member Rep. Kimberly Haggen (R-Hampden) asked one of the three advocates of the measure who testified after Dodge whether abstinence was being taught in high school sex education classes as one reliable method of birth control, but the witness was unable to provide an immediate answer.
Following the de facto admission by MaineHealth by Waldo Hospital’s becoming the first in Maine to stop providing obstetric care that procreation in Waldo County is on the decline, a taxpayer-funded condom giveaway seems oddly-timed.
The committee will now take up the bill for more detailed consideration at a yet-to-be scheduled work session.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="37975 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=37975">9 Comments
Cultural Affairs = Free Condoms .
We must be right at home here in Maine . They don’t want more “ birthing units “ in Maine,m they want more planned parenthood offices . Democrats are happy to address the projected future population slump with more Angolans and Somalis .
Do you want those brainwashed morons reproducing? Probably not but let’s turn this into a win with warning labels on the wrappers like “Having sex with a underage partner could lead to arrest and prison” “ 75% of juveniles who have consensual sex will clam rape later” “Being placed on the sex offender list is for a lifetime and will limit job opportunities and where you can live” “With the money you saved on condoms just buy the hooker provided by governor mills and the democrats”
Talk about unbridled entitlement. Rep. Dodge is essentially giving a middle finger to every conservative household in the State of Maine. Your money is my money and I can spend it any way I want. Your opinion is unnecessary, all I need is the opinion of 1 retired school nurse to make a decision for the entire State of Maine. Legislating is easy with “other people’s money”.
If the dont know where else to dispence condoms, consider this.
Right in the boys bathroom beside the tampon dispensary!
Following the de facto admission by MaineHealth by Waldo Hospital’s becoming the first in Maine to stop providing obstetric care that procreation in Waldo County is on the decline, a taxpayer-funded condom giveaway seems oddly-timed.
That is the most obtuse thing I’ve seen in print in a long time.
Question: How many (if any) high school pregnancies don’t become abortions?
The real figure to look at is the number of abortions in Waldo County, particularly the number of high school students getting abortions…
That said, I don’t think high school students should be having sex — although if they can’t walk to the nurse’s office, well I think that is a good compromise.
Why not a cigarette give-away too because they’ll want to have a relaxing smoke after doing the deed??? Is she insane? Is she a democrat? (kind of answered my own question).
Well if that fails they can always perform abortions at the schools Health Centers, Mom and Dad will never even know. They can do it during study hall or lunch no need to miss any classes.
Rep. Jan Dodge has absolutely no moral compass and is devoid of redemptive traits.
If this saves one high school girl from an unwanted pregnancy,abortion or sexually transmitted disease, it’s worth every dime.