Parents beware: You can’t trust doctors with your kids

by Patrick B. Craine

NEW YORK, August 17, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Parents beware: A survey of ob/gyns conducted earlier this year found that 94 percent would provide contraceptives to a minor without notifying her parents.

The study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University and the University of Chicago, is based on a survey of 1,800 ob/gyns, with a 66% response rate.  It was published in the journal Contraception in January.

The doctors were presented with a hypothetical case of a 17-year-old college freshman who asks them for contraceptive pills but does not want her parents to know.

Only 47% said they would encourage the minor to inform a parent, and only 54% would encourage the minor to remain abstinent until she is older.

The study found that doctors with religious affiliations were much more likely to advise abstinence, and to recommend parental involvement.  For example, 76% of Evangelical Protestant doctors would advise abstinence compared with 31% of doctors without religious affiliation.  Fifty-seven percent of doctors who described religion as the most important part of their life said they would recommend parental involvement compared to 38% of non-religious doctors.

The dispensing of contraceptives without parental involvement could become even more of a problem for Americans as the Department of Health and Human Services plans to require health plans to cover contraceptives without co-pays.

The Christus Medicus Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting Christ-centered health care, argues that the mandatory contraception coverage will make it even easier for teens to access these harmful drugs without parental involvement.

“This is the biggest threat to the family, morality and freedom since Roe V. Wade,” said Michael O’Dea, Founder & Executive Director of the Christus Medicus Foundation. “In particular, this mandate denies parents’ rights to be the primary caregivers and educators of their children.”

“Including contraception and sterilization in health plans at no cost virtually ensures that minor girls will have access to products and procedures that are harmful to their physical and emotional health – without parental knowledge or consent,” he added.