[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E179-E180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TITLE X PARENTAL NOTIFICATION ACT OF 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 12, 1998

  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, Good morning. I stand before you today to 
plead the case of a young girl and her parents from Crystal Lake, 
Illinois, whose lives were changed forever by an intrusive, overbearing 
federal government.
  She was 13 years old when her 37-year-old teacher began having sex 
with her. A few months into the affair, the teacher--tired of using 
condoms--brought her to a place where he knew the young girl could get 
birth control products without anyone finding out: the county health 
department. This teacher knew that federal Title X rules prohibited 
clinics from notifying parents when issuing birth control drugs to 
minors.
  When the young girl arrived at the health department, the clinic 
nurse gave her a shot of a powerful birth control drug that would last 
three months. This hormonal drug, Depo-Provera, poses severe side 
effects including excessive bleeding and bone loss. In fact, the ACLU 
protested its use in chemically castrating male sex offenders in 
California because of the ``cruel and unusual punishment'' the side 
effects constitute to the criminals. But yet, it is safe and 
appropriate for little girls. And its use is widespread. In Illinois 
alone, health clinics injected Depo-Provera into the veins of young 
girls more than 6,500 times over a two-year period, despite the minimal 
testing of the drug on adolescents.
  The little girl from Crystal Lake received at least two more shots of 
Depo-Provera from the county health clinic. And her teacher continued 
molesting her--all behind her parents' backs. The crime was finally 
uncovered 18 months later when the girl broke down and told her 
parents. The teacher was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison. 
The young girl spent five days a week in therapy and is recovering from 
effects of anorexia nervosa.
  I told this little girl's story to the United States Congress last 
year when Congressman Istook and I were trying to attach a parental 
notification amendment to the Title X program. I spoke of how her pain 
continued because the federal government had rules in place which 
shielded the teacher's crime. I spoke of how irate and helpless her 
parents felt when they learned that the federal government had cut them 
out of the discussion of their young daughter's sexuality. But in the 
end, parents lost again. The House's 220-201 vote for a toothless, 
alternative bill killed the Istook-Manzullo amendment and sent another 
message that parents are irrelevant in our society.
  Shortly after our loss last September, I vowed to continue this 
battle to bring sanity and parental responsibility to this flawed 
program. And today, I come before you to announce that I have 
introduced two free-standing bills to give parents more protection and 
knowledge when their children seek birth control drugs from federally 
funded clinics.
  The ``Title X Parental Notification Act of 1998'' would require 
clinics receiving Title X money to notify parents or legal guardians 
before providing minors with prescriptive birth control products, 
including birth control pills, IUDs, Norplant and Depo-Provera. The 
clinic would have to give actual written notice to parents or guardians 
at least five days before issuing the drugs to the girls. In addition, 
the bill would require the clinics to follow any state mandated 
criminal reporting requirements for signs of child abuse, child 
molestation, sexual abuse, rape or incest in their clients.
  The second bill, known as the ``Title X Child Abuse, Rape, 
Molestation and Incest Reporting Act,'' deals solely with the provision 
requiring Title X clinics to follow any state reporting requirements.
  Any clinic that violates the provisions in either of the bills would 
lose its Title X funding.
  The general argument for providing young girls with birth control 
products behind their parents' backs is cloaked in double standards. On 
one hand, we make laws to protect children from the dangers of drugs, 
alcohol and tobacco. But then we open them to the dangers of AIDS and 
other diseases by giving them the tools to have sex. We make laws 
requiring children to get their parents' permission for an aspirin at 
school, an earring or a tattoo. But then we give them confidential 
injections of powerful birth control drugs that carry tremendous side 
effects. We make laws saying parents are legally responsible for their 
childrens' actions until the children become adults. But then we rip 
parents from the equation when it comes to something as critical and 
potentially dangerous as sexuality. This doesn't make sense.
  In addition to notifying parents, clinic workers must get more 
vigilant in protecting our

[[Page E180]]

children and reporting cases of child molestation. According to my 
amendment, clinic workers who have any suspicions that a patient is 
being physically or sexually abused would have to follow the state's 
procedures for reporting those suspicions to police. This is especially 
critical considering that young girls are having sex with older and 
older men, according to an Alan Guttmacher Institute study. In fact, 
the study shows that half of the babies born to mothers between 15 and 
17 years old were fathered by men 20 years or older. That is statutory 
rape, and that should be reported and prosecuted.
  These are very straightforward, simple pieces of legislation that I 
bring before you today. They demand the answer to one question: Who is 
in charge of raising our children, parents or the United States 
Congress? I still have faith in the parents of our great country. They 
deserve a chance. The parents of a traumatized little girl in Crystal 
Lake, Illinois deserved a chance. Thank you.

                          ____________________