Media credit to Beverly Congdon. King Middle School in Portland, Maine gives birth control to students.

It shall come as no surprise to anyone living in the twenty-first century that the United States is said to have “regressed” in the promotion of moral values since even the early 1900s. No, I’m not saying that our society in general has failed to instill a least a teeny bit of ethical value within this present generation of teenagers. But it has to be admitted that moral values are definitely beginning to become a second priority in comparison to academics, athletics, and social life in general. Such an example of this comes to us from King Middle School in Portland, Maine, where the school board has approved that contraceptives be handed out to all students who wish to have them. No parent permission is required.

After hearing these facts, my jaw was compelled to drop to the ground and I was forced to stare at my computer screen in total shock. How on earth can a junior high – a school filled with 11, 12, and 13 year olds – be advocating sexual relationships?

For an educational facility to become a proponent to what many families consider to be an immoral activity before marriage is highly unethical and not appropriate for a student of any age, and especially not a pupil as young as 11-years-old. It is also incredibly insulting for a school to somehow unofficially take over the job of the parent to dictate whether premarital sex is acceptable or not.

The United States being statistically defined as a predominantly Protestant and Catholic nation would appear to define a sexual relationship as one that occurs between a husband and wife (and that meaning after the wedding ceremony, NOT before). But these imaginary numbers belie the actual sentiments that are being lived out everyday by the American people. No numerical value is needed to prove that more and more pregnancies, particularly those of teenagers, are occurring outside of marriage.

It is for this reason stated above that the Maine junior high school decided to offer their students protection, just in case they should find themselves in EXTREMELY close quarters with an individual of the opposite sex.Though the school administration may have good intentions behind their actions, their decision was exceedingly faulty. By making contraceptives available to students, the idea of “waiting” is suddenly labeled as taboo. It appears that not even the older generation of parents and teachers sees premarital sex as wrong, or even in bad taste. Almost unknowingly, this panel of respected elders has given the OK for many students to defy their parent’s wishes of abstinence. And obviously, disobedience of a child toward his or her parents is not something that is greatly respected in society.

The media plays a large enough role in influencing today’s teenage generation to disregard former traditions of sexual purity. And for a school to become an advocate of such activities only further influences the youth of ourworld to think that once immoral pursuits are now ethically acceptable.

It is completely improper for educators to play mommy and daddy to their class. Though it is the job of teachers to have a positive influence on their pupils, they are not mandated to set standards of propriety for students outside of the class. It is the job of the parent and not the instructor to establish rules and regulations for children.

“But kids will have sex anyway,” many may say. “Teenagers never obey their parent’s rules.”

Perhaps it is naïve of me, but I refuse to believe that all teenagers are rebellious beings concentrating on resisting all moral traditions. If it is not advocated or even proposed in the first place, teens are not going to become involved in sexual activity before marriage. It is not something that our grandparents or even our parents were taught was socially acceptable.

When we fail to ground ourselves in ethics our entire foundation for living starts slipping away. Moral values do not bind us, they tie us to a base that allows us to live doing what is right.

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