Doubts

Perhaps it comes from reading the Daily Mail the other day, but I find myself disturbed by this report.

"A woman whose 14-year-old daughter had an abortion on the advice of a school health worker but without her knowledge launched a furious attack on the system after being left out of the decision-making process."

What disturbs me is the thoroughly modern assumption behind this that parents cannot be trusted to have their children's best interests at heart, but that professionals - any professionals - are always right.

We are told that:

"A spokesman for the school said that they had issued a letter to all parents in September to make them aware that community child health workers could be speaking to children."

Do you know what a "community child health worker" is? What training he or she will have? How you become one? What research there is to show whether or not they do a good job?

Me neither. But they must know best because they are professionals. Mustn't they?