Morning-after pill by text for 11 year-old schoolgirls
source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5043560/Schoolgirls-as-young-as-11-to-ask-for-m...
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- richjm
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The tablets will be available at weekends and during holidays, with no limits on how often a girl can have them, and complete confidentiality means parents won't know. The only way mum and dad will find out is if school authorities suspect the girl has suffered sexual abuse.
Hilary Pannack of teenage pregnancy charity Straight Talking said: "It's an excellent idea."
Others aren't so happy. Father John Saward of Banbury, Oxon, added: "Children need to be taught sex education in a safe environment. This will encourage them to have sex recklessly."
Personally, I think the teen pregnancy rates rising show it's obvious young girls are having sex so the best thing to do is support them and make the help they need as easy as possible to obtain, not ignore it or vilify them. At the same time, girls having sex at 11-years-old does seem depressingly young. What happened to kids playing with toys and sneakily trying smoking?
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- groups:
- Community, Sex and Love
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- tags:
- News, Sex and Love, Education, Texting, 3 more
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Alex2112
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11? I would hope that would not be neccisary at that age....
- 3 years ago
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Alex2112
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find_the_facts
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First of all, the title "Morning-after pill by text for 11 year-old schoolgirls" is incorrect. they are available in only 6 schools as a trial, if any girl, or boy for that matter, between the age of 11-13 tries to get the pill then someone within the school intervenes. The first half of richjm's artical is very reasonable, but his worries in the last half arnt needed.
- 3 years ago
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find_the_facts
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thekraftylady
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I think that's awful - I totally believe in contraception and education, but giving children that young the means to protect themselves is also going to potentially increase their sexual awareness too early in life. Contraception can't stop pregnancy altogether, and giving it to children as young as 11 will just make them more inerested in trying sex and will make them try it at a younger age. Education, education, education... that's what's important. And have they even tested the pill on people this young? It could have adverse effects on their body when they are older and mess with their developement.
- 3 years ago
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thekraftylady
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ClareW
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I think this is a good idea, the confidentiality and unlimited supply will encourage safe sex, not promiscuity. This is a good step and I think the emphasis on 11 year old girls texting for the pill is somewhat down to media hype.
- 3 years ago
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ClareW
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lj111
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good idea.
- 3 years ago
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lj111
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abbym0308
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This won't encourage young girls to have reckless sex. That reasoning is completely backwards. Giving girls an option, should they need it, is a much better way to tackle teen pregnancies. I fully support this initiative.
- 3 years ago
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abbym0308
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swizzylions
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I was still running round thinking I was a horse when I was 11...
I'm teaching 11/12 year old children Drama at the moment, and the biggest complaint I get from them is they don't want to work with the other boys/girls, so how on earth they are needing the morning after pill is beyond me?! Maybe the rumours were right - you can get pregnant through sitting next to a boy. Eeeek!
- 3 years ago
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swizzylions
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cyberpixie
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It would be better to teach them about contraception from the get-go rather than take retrospective action. I can't imagine an 11 year old being proactive enough to text to do this.
- 3 years ago
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cyberpixie
