Let schools give out 'abortion' pill says parent-teacher group

AT least one girl a week aged between 13 and 15 is falling pregnant in Edinburgh according to new Scottish Government figures.

Now the Scottish Parent Teacher Council wants youngsters who have had sex the night before to be able to request the morning-after pill in between lessons.

Edinburgh has the fourth highest rate of pregnancies among girls aged 13 to 15 north of the border, new Scottish Government figures have revealed.

Between 2004 and 2006, 191 girls in this age group fell pregnant in the Capital.

The rate has climbed significantly since 2000 – despite the best efforts of school and health leaders – and parent representatives want the authorities to take off the kid gloves.

Judith Gillespie, development manager at the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: "There needs to be easier access to the morning-after pill. It needs to be available somewhere youngsters go, not just over the counter at a clinic.

"I'm talking about making them available in schools, as long as it's done by a nurse, and not handed out like sweets.

"This would enable the nurse to note if some youngsters were coming back more frequently. Unless we are prepared to do that, we won't change the figures. If anything, they will go up."

She added: " Children are being given a lot of information but not being told what they need to know.

"When you give advice to youngsters you have got to be more explicit. If we are serious about tackling teenage pregnancy, everyone has to be very grown up and able to talk openly about the risks, what happens, and how to avoid it."

Condoms are available through 70 C-Card outlets around the city, including some in places young people are likely to go to seek advice on sex, such as Crew 2000.

Mike Massaro-Mallinson, strategic programme manager for sexual health at NHS Lothian, said: "The rate of pregnancy involving people under the age of 16 remains low at eight pregnancies per every thousand girls.

"The number of pregnancies for under-16s has not increased in the past year and we know the number involving women under 18 has dropped by 60 in Lothian, an equivalent of ten per cent."

A spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said: "These are depressing statistics which highlight the need for a more values-based approach to sex education which highlights the importance of delaying sexual activity by promoting self-esteem."

The Scottish Government said it was not convinced over the calls to provide the morning-after pills in schools.

Shona Robison, Minister for Public Health, said: "We expect all schools to teach sex and relationships education and we expect them to consult parents about the content of sex and relationships education programmes.

"Any sex and relationship education needs to be appropriate to the age and stage of the pupils involved.

"We are not persuaded of the need to provide emergency contraception on school premises but do want to ensure that such services are available and are accessible in other local facilities."

Edinburgh education leader Councillor Marilyne MacLaren said all Edinburgh schools provided "age appropriate" sex education.