Let teens store the morning after pill at home

Emergency contraception is relatively cheap compared with abortions and better provision will save so much more in terms of personal and social costs

Miriam Stoppard

Posted On Sunday, May 30, 2010   

Advice that will allow teenagers and young women to keep the morning-after pill at home for emergencies has caused a storm of protest from the nation's self-styled moral guardians. They say the recommendation from Government health watchdog NICE will give the green light to promiscuity and irresponsible behaviour.

NICE - the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence - argues that easier access to contraception will help reduce unwanted pregnancies.

We already have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in western Europe and the highest abortion rate, too. Roughly 40,000 under-18s in England and Wales become pregnant each year and just under half have abortions. The peak abortion age group is 19 to 21. I hardly think these depressing statistics will get worse with better provision of the morning-after pill - or emergency contraceptive pill as it's more accurately known.

The emergency pill's effectiveness falls from 95% in the first 24 hours to 58% after 72 hours. Having to visit a pharmacist, clinic or doctor causes delay. If a girl or woman already has it to hand, it can be used immediately with maximum chance of success.

I've read lots of emotive references to "stockpiling" this pill, conjuring up images of sex-crazed teens rapidly working their way through multiple packs. But what the NICE guidance says is that doctors, nurses and pharmacies should "ensure all young women are able to obtain free emergency hormonal contraception, including advance provision". This doesn't mean they'll be given out like Smarties.

Providing the pills in advance is just part of a proposed initiative to give young people better, faster access to contraception and advice. It recommends that young women should be offered a range of contraception choices, including long-acting reversible methods such as jabs, as well as information on the limits of the emergency pill and why it's not suitable as a primary method. It also recommends providing free condoms, with advice on using them properly, to prevent sexually transmitted infections - all sensible and responsible suggestions.

Most clinical trials show that making emergency contraception available in advance doesn't change the amount of sex young people have, nor does it reduce use of other contraceptive methods. But, if used properly, it will reduce risk of unwanted pregnancies.

Anyone who's still against this can't have seen the trauma of a young person dealing with an unwanted pregnancy and the painful, life-changing decisions it demands. Choosing whether or not to have an abortion is a traumatic decision. Emergency contraception is relatively cheap compared with abortions and better provision will save so much more in terms of personal and social costs.

Source: Daily Mirror



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