School board delays vote on opening Planned Parenthood at high school after parents protest
Southern California's Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District announced this week that the school board has postponed a discussion and vote on a plan to open a Planned Parenthood clinic at John Glenn High School.
The announcement came as over 100 people attended a meeting Monday where board members were scheduled to vote on the plan, WRC reports. A group of counter-protesters in favor of the Planned Parenthood clinic demonstrated across the street.
The Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.
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The school district's proposed contract with Planned Parenthood is available on the school district's website.
Although Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion provider, it doesn't appear that abortions or hormone drugs for trans-identified students will be offered at the high school clinic. However, clinic staff may make referrals to other Planned Parenthood facilities "for services not offered" at the school.
The proposed facility would be able to write prescriptions and dispense drugs related to reproductive health — contraceptives, antibiotics — and insert non-surgical long-acting reversible contraceptives, including IUDs. Physical examinations could also be conducted for sexually transmitted diseases.
The proposal states that the clinic "will encourage students to involve their families in decision making" regarding reproductive health services. But it also states that minors can consent to those services without parental consent or notification under California law.
The contract is intended to last five years, requiring board approval every five years to continue.
"Families and taxpayers should be horrified that the Norwalk-La Mirada USD is considering a partnership with Planned Parenthood," Nicole Neily, the president and founder of Parents Defending Education, said in a statement to Fox News.
Neily said called the move "appalling" and said the clinic will likely refer students for abortion and gender identity services.
"Other Planned Parenthood clinics do provide gender-affirming hormone therapy, so there is a very real possibility students will be referred off-campus to receive this treatment – again, with zero parental notification," she continued.
"To add insult to injury, there is no way for parents to EVER obtain this information, as the contract asserts that all medical records are to be maintained by Planned Parenthood ('neither District staff nor a Student's parents or guardians may access the Student's medical records maintained by Provider without the written approval of the Student.')."
Neily contends that parents — not schools — should have "primary decision-making authority," particularly when it comes to medical care. She believes the school board should be "ashamed" for considering such a contract and be "mindful of their significant legal exposure should it be ratified."
In 2019, Assembly Member Jesse Gabriel of San Fernando Valley introduced Assembly Bill 624, the "Pupil and Student Health" bill. The legislation would require all middle schools, high schools, colleges, and even Christian schools to include the number of reproductive healthcare clinics on all school ID cards.
Tony Perkins, president of the Christian conservative advocacy group Family Research Council, said the bill would require schools to promote the abortion industry.
Gabriel called accusations that the bill was an effort to advertise for abortion providers "offensive, misleading, and flat out wrong." The assembly member was endorsed by Planned Parenthood Los Angeles and received a $4,400 campaign donation in June 2018.
Last February, a Planned Parenthood employee spoke out against the corporation's practice of dispensing cross-sex hormones in an interview with journalist Abigail Shrier. The employee claimed she only saw them deny one patient cross-sex hormones.
Helena Kerschner, a formerly trans-identifying woman, said in May that a nurse at Planned Parenthood prescribed her a high dosage of testosterone when she was 18 after an hour-long appointment and paying $200.
As a result of taking the testosterone, Kerschner said that she started experiencing a "wide spectrum of emotions." She said transitioning did not ease the psychological issues and "definitely just derailed my life."
