Teenagers offered implants to stop pregnancy for years

Teenagers offered implants to stop pregnancy for years
By DANIEL MARTIN - More by this author »

Last updated at 22:30pm on 6th February 2008

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=512573&in_page_id=1770

Teenage girls will be steered towards long-term contraceptives in the battle to reduce the number of underage pregnancies.

Many fail to take the traditional Pill regularly and cannot use condoms properly, ministers say.

These methods are having little impact on the teenage pregnancy rate, which remains the highest in Western Europe.

The alternatives - such as contraceptive jabs and implants, and intrauterine coils - do not need to be topped up every day and last between three months and five years.

Ministers say the policy, backed with a £26.8million cash injection to the Health Service, could lead to a dramatic fall in the estimated 400,000 unwanted pregnancies each year.

But family rights campaigners warned that the move would encourage promiscuity and could fuel the rise in sexually-transmitted infections such as chlamydia.

Others expressed fears about side effects associated with the long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs).

The plan was unveiled yesterday by public health minister Dawn Primarolo at the launch of a new charity, the Association for Young People's Health.

She said: "There is increasing evidence of the key role contraception plays in preventing teenage pregnancy. We need to use this evidence and improve access to the full range of methods of contraception."

Although Britain's rate of teenage pregnancies has fallen from the peak years of the late 1990s, it is still the second highest in the Western world after the U.S. In 2005, there were 39,804 conceptions by under-18s in England - a rate of 41.3 per thousand.

The Department of Health said it wants to see greater use of LARCs because the success of condoms and contraceptive pills depends on "correct and consistent use".

It estimates that £100million a year could be saved by tackling the level of teenage conception.

At the moment, only 14 per cent of women use LARCs. But family planning clinics will be encouraged to use them rather than simply dishing out condoms and the Pill.


Britain still worst in western Europe for teenage pregnancies despite a decade of wasted efforts

Doctors would probably be able to give underage girls the injections without consent from the parent, as they can the Pill.

Contraceptive injections can last between three months and five years
Mrs Primarolo said £12.8million would be handed to health authorities to be spent on initiatives to promote "the full range of methods of contraception" to women of all ages.

And £14million is earmarked for "innovative new ways" of helping young people get access to sexual health advice and contraception.

The ten regional health authorities will be asked to come up with proposals to promote contraception to young people and could be granted funding to run pilot projects.

Julie Bentley, chief executive of the Family Planning Association, said that LARCs are among the most effective contraceptive methods.

She said: "Once fitted, women don't need to think about using them and, with the exception of the injection, a woman's fertility returns straight away Primarolo at the launch of a new charity, the Association for Young People's Health.

She said: "There is increasing evidence of the key role contraception plays in preventing teenage pregnancy. We need to use this evidence and improve access to the full range of methods of contraception."

Although Britain's rate of teenage pregnancies has fallen from the peak saved by tackling the level of teenage conception.

At the moment, only 14 per cent of women use LARCs. But family planning clinics will be encouraged to use them rather than simply dishing out condoms and the Pill.

Doctors would probably be able to give underage girls the injections without consent from the parent, as they can the Pill.

Mrs Primarolo said £12.8million would be handed to health authorities to be spent on initiatives to promote "the full range of methods of contraception" to women of all ages.

And £14million is earmarked for "innovative new ways" of helping young people get access to sexual health advice and contraception.

The ten regional health authorities will be asked to come up with proposals to promote contraception to young people and could be granted funding to run pilot projects.

Julie Bentley, chief executive of the Family Planning Association, said that LARCs are among the most effective contraceptive methods.

She said: "Once fitted, women don't need to think about using them and, with the exception of the injection, a woman's fertility returns straight away once they're removed. Because LARCs are so effective, they also offer real cost savings to women and the NHS because there is less unplanned pregnancy and abortion."

However, possible side-effects of the implant include irregular periods, acne, weight gain, headaches and abdominal pain.

Wider choice: Women are to be offered contraceptive jabs rather than just the Pill
Some women suffer excessive bleeding. And concerns have been raised that the jab can lead to brittle bones. Also, some coils can make periods very heavy and carry a risk of infection.

Jackie Fletcher, of the anti-vaccine group Jabs, warned: "Any injection can potentially lead to damaging adverse reactions."

Norman Wells, from Family and Youth Concern, said that encouraging young girls to move away from condom use could further fuel rises in sexually-transmitted diseases.

At least one in ten underage girls has the sexually-transmitted HPV virus, which can cause cervical cancer.

Rates of chlamydia, which can make women infertile, are rising.

Mr Wells said: "The only way to avoid being infected with an STI is to keep sex within a lifelong mutually faithful marriage."

Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley said Labour had been complacent about teenage conception rates, and had had ten years to deliver change.

"And not only have primary care trusts already received half of this money from the Government, but we know on past form that money allocated for public health is not spent on public health."

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I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

this comment is interesting.


Maybe I've missed something, but aren't pro-life campaigners against abortion? They should be welcoming this move not complaining about it; if it cuts the number of unwanted pregnancies, it will therefore cut the number of abortions. Or do they have another agenda?

- Colin, London

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I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

"But family rights campaigners warned that the move would encourage promiscuity and could fuel the rise in sexually-transmitted infections such as chlamydia."

Don't those 400,000 unplanned pregnancies prove that teens are being promiscuous and having un-safe sex even without the LARCs? At least this way they won't be having kids they can't pay for or raise properly.

What is with these "famblee rights" assholes, anyway? Exactly what RIGHTS of the FAMBLEE are being violated? Seems to me that famblees get everything in the way of tax breaks, government aid, etc., so what's the problem?

Exactly what rights are they fighting for? Seems to be that this inocuous name is merely a front to force breeding values on everyone in the country.

And the whole campaign about not allowing BC impants for teen girls is all about punishment. You have sex, you deserve to be punished. What a crock of shit. Why can't these people let others make THEIR OWN decisions?

KidFreeLuvnLife Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is with these "famblee rights" assholes,
> anyway? Exactly what RIGHTS of the FAMBLEE are
> being violated? Seems to me that famblees get
> everything in the way of tax breaks, government
> aid, etc., so what's the problem?

Even in American society, the daughters are still considered property by The Family. That is what all of this Famblee Rights shit is about: ownership over women's bodies and punishing them for enjoying their sexuality. If this issue was for adolescent boys, no one would be screaming over "family rights" now would they? The famblee would make sure Junior was protected as it is his right to fuck any woman he wants while his sister better remain a virgin until her wedding night and still not enjoy it then or there would be an American version of an "honour killing".

Frankly I would like to see them implant the immigrant brood sows they keep importing.
Second: one of the rewards of promiscuity is infertility so we might kill two birds with one stone by encouraging it with implants.

Stephanie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "But family rights campaigners warned that the
> move would encourage promiscuity and could fuel
> the rise in sexually-transmitted infections such
> as chlamydia."
>
Chlamydia is curable. Children are incurable (unless you "accidentally" leave them in a car in summer)
And well, the prolifers don't actually care about STD's. They're doG's punishment for having sex.

BTW, Promiscuity does not cause infertility, untreated STD's do.

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me