King Middle School in Portland, Maine recently joined the small group of middle schools that distribute birth control pills to their students. Most Americans aren’t impressed. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 71% of American adults think it's a bad idea.

Just 19% of Americans nationwide say that middle schools should make the birth control pills available to students.

A middle school may include grades six through eight or seven through nine, depending on the district. The students are usually pre-teens and young teens.

Republicans (85%) are more likely to oppose the King Middle School policy than Democrats (62%).

Twenty-nine percent (29%) of pro-choice voters support Middle School distribution of the pills. Only 7% of pro-life voters agree.

If birth control pills are being given out in a school, 68% say parental notification should be required while 23% disagree. Eighty-one percent (81%) of GOP voters say the notification should be required. That view is shared by 59% of Democrats and 65% of unaffiliated voters. Sixty-three percent (63%) of pro-choice voters and 79% of pro-life voters agree that parental approval should be required.

When asked who should be responsible for teaching children about birth control, 81% of all voters say parents should have the responsibility, including 91% of conservatives and 91% of pro-life respondents. Twelve percent (12%) of all voters say the schools should be responsible.

The story from Maine certainly caught the public’s attention--72% of voters have read, seen, or heard some news on the topic.

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