Stifled Squeal

Parents may not have to know

The so-called squeal rule was effectively muzzled last week. Two federal district judges, in New York and Washington, D.C., issued temporary injunctions blocking the Department of Health and Human Services from requiring, as of Feb. 25, that some 5,000 federally funded family-planning clinics notify parents within ten working days of the time that their children (age 17 or under) receive prescription contraceptives. In New York, U.S. District Court Judge Henry F. Werker called the Government's arguments defending the rule "fatuous" and "mere sophistry." He asserted that the proposed regulation "contradicts and subverts the intent of Congress,"...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!