In today's Washington Times, Deborah Simmons slams Democratic Reps. John Dingell (MI) and Lois Capps (CA) for their support for federal funding for the 2,000 or so school-based health clinics nationwide that Simmons herself acknowledges “often provide vital services.”

Simmons' rationale for this attack is that in a state neither of the members represent, a mother has alleged that her daughter took a pregnancy test at a school-based clinic and was subsequently excused from school and allowed to go to a separate clinic where she received an abortion without parental consent or notification. Simmons herself acknowledges that "[n]o apparent laws were broken by clinic workers."

According to Simmons, this legal event calls into question the health care reform legislation's $200 million appropriation for school-based clinics as well as future appropriations.

It seems that government by anecdote has reached a new low.

Simmons writes:

Health care playmakers in Washington are trying to make suckers out of parents who support school-based clinics. While these clinics often provide vital services, they do have a dark side.

Reps. John D. Dingell, Michigan Democrat, and Lois Capps, California Democrat, were feted in October by the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care. At the time of his honor, Mr. Dingell said, “Parents can take comfort in the fact that their children are receiving excellent health care while in school.” Where are “tea partiers” when parents need them?

These advocates are just the sort to take on the congressman from the great state of Michigan and urge him to have a face-to-face explanation session with “Jill,” a mom in Seattle who is irate as all get out that her daughter's school-based clinic put her 15-year-old into a taxicab and shipped her off to have an abortion without parental knowledge or consent.

No apparent laws were broken by clinic workers because Washington state law allows 1) health care services for minors without parental consent; 2) abortions and abortion-related services at any age without the consent of a parent, a guardian or the father of the child; and 3) testing of children as young as 13 for sexually transmitted diseases, inpatient and outpatient mental health care, and prenatal care without parental consent.

Dingell and Capps have responded in the following press release obtained by Media Matters:

“School based health clinics provide comprehensive and easily accessible preventive and primary health care services to thousands of students in the United States. They help ensure our children are healthy and ready to learn. Inclusion of funding for school based health centers in health insurance reform is yet another example of how this law is making investments in the long term health of our country, particularly its children.

The op-ed in today's Washington Times is yet another transparent attempt by opponents of health care reform to spread lies about this legislation. It uses one unfortunate example to make ridiculous assumptions about the more than 2,000 school based health clinics nationwide in an attempt to detract from the outstanding work that these facilities do each and every day. And the clinics do this work with leadership and support from responsible adults within the community: parents, doctors, school administrators, and other experts. The services provided are supported by the communities in which they are based. Those of us in the federal government should not be in the business of federally mandating what services are best in local school-based health centers. Republicans and Democrats alike have supported the work done by these clinics and the valuable services they provide our children.

In the Senate legislation which is now law, a school based health center is explicitly defined as a facility that does not provide abortions, and no federal funding awarded to a school based health center can pay for an abortion. It is clearly written in the law that school based heath centers that receive federal funds cannot provide services to an individual without consent from a parent or guardian and must comply with all federal, state, and local laws.”