Dear Mr. St. Clair,

A few things. First of all, you have got to be the most arrogant, self-loving man I have ever had the pleasure of not meeting. Every week you try to write about the world’s problems and your brilliant solutions, but all I ever find in your column is a description of people you’d probably love to burn at the stake if the Inquisition ever regained popularity. Apparently you believe yourself to be “he who is without sin” because you sure do love throwing stones — especially at parents who have lost their children to a natural disaster.

Secondly, as many have already pointed out, you suck at researching your topics. This is something I haven’t felt justified to complain about before, because in most of the areas you discuss, I’m honestly no expert. But this week’s column (“The Maine point: The pill for middle schoolers is a bad plan,” Oct. 23, p. 5) delves into a controversial issue with which I have had a fair amount of experience. You see, when I was 11 years old, I almost died because my body wasn’t too thrilled with the fact that I was becoming a woman. I spent time in the hospital after nearly bleeding to death from an unpredictable internal reaction to my own hormones, and then spent a good chunk of fifth grade confined to my bed. The only reason I was able to recover and restore harmony to my body was because my doctor put me on the pill. Dramatic as it sounds, my life actually depends on the regulated doses of hormones I get from Ortho-Tri-Cyclen.

In your column, you harp on the fact that young girls are unaware of the negative ways oral contraceptives will affect their health. The way you say it, I am led to believe that any young Maine lass who receives the pill at school is automatically doomed to fall ill. Now, I know you’re not a woman, and that women probably don’t allow you to see or touch their naughty parts, but you could have at least taken the time to investigate the matter further.  The pill won’t kill you, no matter what Republicans say — and I highly doubt that the school board in Portland is passing out packs of Seasonale without first explaining proper use and possible side effects to the students.

Take whatever stand you want on contraception; I really don’t care. But as someone whose life was saved by the lovely people at Ortho-McNeil, I simply implore you to check all the facts before you go spreading bad rumors about the things and people you don’t like.

Samantha Barbosa

COM ’10