when they had to call an ambulance for the kid who passed out having an asthma attack because he'd followed the rules and his inhaler was locked in the nurse's office and they couldn't find the nurse or a key..

Wow. This sounds like it would be lawsuit city.

But if a 17 year old gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby, there's not a thing her parents or anyone else can do to stop it, regardless of the maturity level, legal aspects, etc.

You mean like force an abortion against the minor's will?

when they had to call an ambulance for the kid who passed out having an asthma attack because he'd followed the rules and his inhaler was locked in the nurse's office and they couldn't find the nurse or a key..

Good lord.

So, someone I don't know just came in and asked if she could use the phone in "my" office, so of course I said yes, but now I feel that I should seem much more work-like and type-y.

I suppose I could actually work, but where's the fun in that?

I hate the fact that girls have to face these issues while the boys who helped conceive the child can go on their merry way. I think that's another reason why I support the no parental piece. Girls will automatically have the emotional fall out of a pregnancy and abortion. Must they also face the fall out of sharing this information if they don't want to? The boys have none of the above unless they choose to (and, yes, I know some do).

I'm not sure a "right to parent" is at issue here-- it seems to be a "right to stop your child's abortion."

Right to weigh in, right to guide, right to encourage, right to support, right to discuss, right to parent. Right to stop? I wouldn't support that.

But you of course have those rights, and they're simply not at issue here-- this is not a law that hinders good parenting, or somehow prevents you from parenting. The positive obligation is on telling a parent whose child does not want guidance, encouragement, support, discussion-- all the way to forcing the issue with a court order.

You mean like force an abortion against the minor's will?

Yes, that or force an adoption.

I truly believe the harm for those teens who are at the mercy of horrible parents, parents who do NOT have their best interests at heart--outweighs the (very real) needs of good parents at this point in history. I hope that things progress so that is no longer the case, as I agree that teenagers would benefit from having support from concerned and caring parents.

Although now I'm entertained by the mental image of a teacher trying to confiscate my Midol.

As long as your Midol was in your bag and you didn't, e.g., pop it into your mouth while looking straight in a teacher's eyes and saying "I dare you to punish me," you'd probably be fine.

I think it's meant to deter both dealing and possible lawsuits if a kid had an allergic reaction or the like. Stupid rule, but most zero-tolerance stuff is.

In this case, it's statutory rape and covered under those laws.

But would Planned Parenthood (or whoever) report that to the authorities?

If they knew about, they are legally obligated to report the abuse.

Oh yeah, healthcare providers are mandatory reporters of abuse of all kinds.