Should girls and boys be tested equally for steroids?

In case you missed it, in Sunday's paper we took a look at some gender bias issues lingering around the state legislature's attempt at implementing a steroid testing program in conjunction with the FHSAA.

The three sports the legislation calls for testing are 94 percent male. In addition to raising some legal issues -- couldn't male athletes claim they are being discriminated against based on their gender -- the apparent singling out of male sports assumes also begs the question: are girls doing steroids too? While survey data suggests that boys are more likely to be using steroids than girls, the Center for Disease control recently estimated that 3.5 percent of high school girls in Hillsborough County had tried the stuff at least once in their lifetime.

Have 3.5 percent of high school girls really tried steroids? Should girls be tested as equally as guys?

Here's the article:

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/06/17/Sports/Gender_bias_a_concern.shtml

--DAVID MURPHY

dmurphy@sptimes.com

Comments

Yes, they should also be tested. Time for real gender equality.....if you are going to have Title IX in effect...then testing should be done across the board.