Contraception for girls under 16

[subrosablonde]

I'm a 64-year-old blogger and not yet a grandmother, although I live in hope!

This morning I wrote about the Isle of Wight's Primary Healthcare Trust deciding to offer girls, from the age of 13 to 25, the Pill without a doctor's prescription.

This really does concern me because other areas of the UK may decide to roll this out and I feel that we're letting our female children down badly by taking this action.

If you'd like to read my post it's here: subrosa-blonde.blogspot.com/2010/09/sinking-to-new-low.html

It would be super if some of you allowed me to publish your opinions but I certainly won't do it without your written permission. My readership is from far and wide although the majority is 45+ and male. You will see from some of the comments that men are angry too but they see this as a woman's problem.

Thanks so much for reading this.

ShirleyKnot, sorry I meant 4/5th year in secondary.

Stands up and cheers Expat's every post.

Kathyjelly . You poor thing.

Highlandspringerdog, 30+ years ago it did take some courage to discuss sex with your children. Possibly my generation were the first who realised how important it was rather than have them glean a mixture of truth and myth from their friends.

Fortunately I had access to good material and also to make it fun. One of mine came back from school one day saying she'd surprised everyone in the sex lesson with her knowledge of how far a condom can stretch and how much water it can contain. Yes I know these details aren't serious, but they were icebreakers.

Sidge, I know there are many professionals like yourself, but the Isle of Wight intend to do away with prescriptions. That was part of my concern that the Pill will be taken without medical supervision. I doubt if pharmacists will be spending the same amount of time you do with each young person.

Kathyjelly, you're assuming I sit in an armchair all day and I'm soon to be a grandmother. How wrong you are. But that aside, you're right that this type of abuse you experienced will continue, sadly. Society has changed quite radically in the past 30+ years because families no longer live close to each other in many instances. I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong, but you're saying it's only girls from backgrounds similar to yours who will go to a pharmacy for the Pill.

I'm certainly not unsympathetic to the pressures the young have on them these days, but I've yet to see evidence that sec education in schools and the ready availability has reduced unplanned pregnancies.

Your blog says that these chemists are going to be offering one month of the Pill, to girls who have come in for the morning after pill.

So - these are girls who are already having unprotected sex.

Instead of just giving them the MAP, they are going to suggest that they take the pill for a month. So reducing the chances of them ending up in exactly the same situation again, with an unwanted pregnancy.

I think this initiative should be applauded as a means to encourage girls and young women to take responsibility for their bodies and their contraception, instead of crossing their fingers they wont get pregnant, which is what often happens at the moment.

For thoise who'd like more details about the scheme - here's a link I found it quite easily on Google.

Personally, I think it sounds like a very positive initiative, and hope they roll it out more widely.

I personally believe that unplanned pregnancy in young girls has very little, if anything to do with sex education or a lack thereof.

I believe that the vast majority of teen pregnancies (ie under 18) occur as a result of social factors rather than health or education deficits.

'My sons and I would imagine mums of daughters would agree that their daughters are worth far more than a 5 minute fumble in the park.'

I've had 5 minute fumbles in parks and enjoyed them. I like sex. My sense of self-worth is not tied to the number of people I've had sex with or where I've had sex with them.

What about men or boys who say 'yes' straightaway and are participating in these so-called fumbles?

Or is it just girls who deserve to slagged off?

Thanks, AMuminScotland! Great posts. I couldn't agree more.

Subrosablonde, no I wasn't saying it's only girls "like me" whatever that means. I was saying that since I cannot know someone's circumstances, I cannot know what measures the healthcare professionals and social workers need to protect other people. That is why I am happy to leave it to the professionals and not interfere.

Societal shift had nothing to do with it. My parents lived together, my granparents were dead, uncles and aunts were around but would never have interfered. Look at other Mumsnet threads on how people react to family interference in parenting.

I note you do not suggest what would have been the correct course of action if your changes were implemented and one of us had fallen pregnant. At the time it seemed there was only one option, without resorting to violence against ourselves or him, and that was to run.

Is that what you advocate? Because that is what would happen.

When I grew up in Sweden some 30 years ago, contraception was freely available and none of us were told that sex was dirty or that girls who slept with several men were less worthy of respect. We just didn't know about those ideas at all. On the other hand, we didn't know much about teenage pregnancy either: the only girl I ever heard of who got pregnant was the daughter of the Baptist pastor who got knocked up during a year in America. Presumably she was the only one of us who had been told more about the virtues of virginity than about contraception...

On the other hand, I cannot see that my friends' early experiences have made them any less family minded: as far as I can see, Sweden is one of the most family orientated societies around and my contemporaries are no exception.

expat, you always manage to say exactly what I've been struggling to find words for.

Also, going back to what Kathyjelly said about her upbringing - if only one young woman is spared a beating or being made homeless then surely giving prescription contraceptives to minors is worth it? I knew people at school (left in 2004) who would have been in danger had they fallen pregnant. It definitely still goes on and the safety of these young women is far more important than the 'right' of a parent to know that their offspring is sexually active.

You know when scientists come out of their laboratories after decades of research and say: "Look what we've achieved! We have found a way to prevent one of the most devastating and degrading illnesses known to man!" and a bunch of snooty protestors start waving their banners about how it goes against the natural order of things, and how God wants us all to get ill and die painful deaths and so why are we trying to get in the way of that?

You're one of those people. You have some principles that you think are true, and whether they are or not, you would like to force them on other people.

You make some arguments based on false premises. "As we all know..." No, we don't all know. And if a girl wants to gamble her health by not using a condom and only using the pill, then that's her call and I don't honestly think not giving her the pill is going to make her think any differently, or result in anything but MORE unplanned pregnancies and STIs/STDs. Sure, it's an irresponsible decision, but that's the way some people are.

But anyway, what's the big deal? You know, girls don't go to the doctor to ask for the pill and get told "no". I went when I was fourteen, and the doctor expressed some moral opinions to me about sex before marriage and celibacy etc., but he still gave me the pill, despite evidently having a bit of an issue with it. And I didn't need to get my mum to sign a consent form. I didn't need to take an exam about how well I understand the ins and outs of practicing responsible sex. There's a different place for a girl to get contraception, SO WHAT? If anything you should be glad that she's just walking up to the counter and buying them than wasting 10 minutes of a doctor's time asking for something she'll definitely walk out with a prescription for anyway, while a seven month old baby sits in the waiting area with a high temperature.

I just find it all really silly.

"Also I would be insisting that I should be informed any time my child requested contraception advice."

Oh dear. While you're at it, make sure you read their diaries, take their bedroom door off, frequently check their Facebook page and text messages in case they are speaking to a boy who you haven't arranged for her to marry... you catch my drift. I begin to wonder, with your disregard for female rights and privacy, what kind of a person you are and what kind of an upbringing you must have had. In fact, if I'm being entirely honest, some of your writing technique and the views expressed aren't far different from a blog I read recently by a very sexist man.