The Portland Republican Party wants to oust three city school committee members who voted to allow birth control at one of the middle schools.

Party members delivered more than 500 signatures to the city clerk Monday for the recall of committee members Sarah Thompson, Rebecca Minnick and Robert O’Brien. The rest of the members were ineligible for recall, either because they are too new to the board, or their term is expiring too soon. The city must now collect 3,000 signatures to move forward.

For at least one of the members targeted, the recall effort hasn’t made her think twice about her vote to allow birth control.

In October, the committee decided to make prescription birth control available to King Middle School students, without parental consent or notification. It was approved 7 to 2, and came after an outbreak of youth pregnancies. The story got national attention and sparked controversy in the community over parental rights.

Thompson, a mother of two students in the district, said the decision to allow birth control received widespread support, and the negative press came from a “vocal minority”.

Even with all the attention the committee received, she continues to support birth control at the middle school.

“If I am recalled, I will still stand by my decision,” Thompson said.

Thompson has served on the board for one year. She said the decision to allow birth control at the middle school came after much thought, and was geared toward a small minority of children.

“We didn’t go into making a decision to allow birth control because we wanted to pass it out like candy,” Thompson said.

PolitickerME has contacted other committee members and will update with any further comments.

City GOP Chairman Nick McGee has led the recall effort, working with a group called the Maine Coalition of Concerned Families, which is focused on combating birth control in schools on a statewide level.

After the city clerk’s office verifies the signatures, the city will organize a formal petition process. If they can collect 3,000 signatures, a recall election will be held in the spring.

McGee said he researched the labeling of birth control pills, and said there weren’t any clinical studies done on children younger than 15.

“Are they starting to turn our children into medical guinea pigs?” McGee said.

McGee said the most common argument he heard in support of birth control is that someone needs to watch out for the children with bad parents, or those who say, “I don’t care to know what’s going on socially or sexually with my child.”

“Regardless of parental involvement, however, the government does not have the right, nor should it be involved in the administration of drugs to children without parental knowledge or consent,” McGee wrote in a press release.

McGee said he is confident in the city’s ability to gather 3,000 signatures, and move the issue forward.

“What I’ve accomplished is giving Portland a voice back that the school committee took away,” McGee said.

The Portland Democratic Party supports the school committee. Chairwoman Sadhbh “Sive” Neilan said the recall effort won’t make it far.

“In their recent actions, the Republicans are using this issue to try and gain some political traction…” Neilan said. “Medical care of children should not be used for political advantage.”

Neilan said there is little chance the city can gather 3,000 signatures, and is wasting city resources in the process.

“I think this battle is going to go nowhere,” Neilan said. “They’re just creating a huge expense for Portland.”