NHS to offer Teens drugs for DIY Abortions..

It is well documented that teenage pregnancy rates are lower in countries where sexual education is taught from a young age. In these countries, the average age of first intercourse is generally higher than it is in countries where the message is that sex itself is negative.

I feel that the apparently oversexualized cultures often have an underlying attitude to sex that is oddly prudish, or unable to communicate honestly and directly about human sexuality and its myriad expressions. Many examples of this commercial sexuality are very aggressive and misogynistic. Something else going on there...?

Anyway. I believe that easy availability of contraception, morning after pill, and in case of unwanted pregancy, abortion, is always a good thing.

However, letting a child of 12 experience drug-induced abortion at home is insane!! Adults do it, fine, but surely a child would need medical supervision?

No 12-year-old is old enough to have sex, even though they sure have sexual feelings. I think only a profoundly neglected 12-year-old with no feeling of security in her life would crave attention so much as to become vulnerable to someone wishing to take advantage of her.

Older teenagers - some will start earlier than others, but all should have access to contraception and the self-respect not to do anything with it if they don't feel ready - and that's where their whole upbringing comes in.

Avoid sex...that's it. I think teenagers are not familiar with IVF & ICSI to get pregnant without sex... :)

" AN END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS"

its a well known fact that a teenager's brain is not fully developed so how can u ask them to take a decision n be responsible for its consequence if so then let them get married as earlier as 9 years...

i feel the root of the problem is the deteriorating family structure around the world....

There are so many programs for troubled teenagers running in the country to treat the behavioral and emotional problems of teenagers. Few of the programs for teenagers are summer camps, boarding schools, drug and alcohol rehab centers and lots more.

http://www.troubledteensguide.com/

There are wide varieties of treatment programs are running successfully by various treatment centers to heal the teenage girls. They offer highly effective teen girls program to fight with any kind of mental and physical problem of girls.

http://www.restoreteens.com/Search/0/Residential-Treatment-Center/index.html

But Brit these parents will never accept the responsibility, and it's the children that will suffer. It's not a perfect system to have the government step in everytime to rescue these unwanted children, but it's better then the alternative. In fact I think the government should take more responsibility, as this behaviour is the result of cuts to education and poverty.

Well, abortions aren't that easy to get, unless one has a spare 600 quid to get it done in a private clinic. I think if these kids continue with an unwanted pregnancy what life will the child have ?( I mean the baby ) , it doesn't bear thinking about!

I agree with yours and Scarlett's sentiments.

However, shouldn't there be a point where parents or the individual themselves is made to accept responsibility for their actions, rather than society in general?

We seem to be just condoning "rape" as Scarlett put it, for the sake of political correctness and liberalism.

i totally agree to make abortion more difficult

these teenagers must be careful of doing such if they don't want to be pregnant.

let them suffer and feel the consequences of deciding to have an abortion

Scarlett.....very true. the interesting thing is that Holland has the lowest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe and the sex trade is quite open there for all to see. i don't see a solution to the problem at all so we have to help these kids should they find themselves in trouble.

yes its true..they are maturing much earlier nowdays...but a major part of the problem is that the media is teaching young girls that boys don't like you unless you dress like a prostitute, smoke, drink, and act like you are 25 years old. children now aren't allowed to be children. Think back...what were you doing when you were 12? I was still climbing trees, skinning my knees from falling down skating and boys were just a major annoyance.

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.

the American aspect of sex education being VERY lacking in our high schools...why?? be cause of the parents that are so narrowminded that they think if you teach a teen about sex, that it encourages them to HAVE sex...go figure..

You asked if I as a parent of a girl, would be upset if she was given the morning after pill. Yes, but not that the doctor gave it to her...that she was irresponsible enough to go and have sex when she knew better. NOW that being said...sex under the age of 17 is rape...IF my child had been raped, after I found and castrated the rapist, I would have been the one running her to the police and then the doctor for the pill.

What I've always found to be funny is that those kids whose folks that ONLY teach abstinance were usually the ones that ran the most rampant sexually. Kids are not stupid, but at that age, they think that it can't happen to THEM...it happens to others...but they have to have the option to not be judged if it does occur, for the reasons I stated in one of my earlier posts.

What needs to be taught is responsiblity for actions. You try and abstain until you find the one that you love enough to marry...if that falls through, then for goodness sake, USE A CONTRACEPTIVE!!

There are always exceptions to every rule and this falls under that. Yes, abstinance is best, but in the real world sometimes it doesn't happen...sh*t does...then you need to deal with it and forcing a 12 year old child to have a baby isn't the way to go about it.

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.

I think that as a species we are reproducing earlier...girls are reaching puberty earlier and therefore hormones are kicking in earlier than people think is reasonable. With that the culture of drink and drugs and peer pressure exacerbates what some believe to be a problem...maybe this is just nature taking its course!

Stop them indulging in sex eh, so we should bring back metal chastity belts???

Brit sadly I think even the best parents end up with sons and daughters who engage in unprotected sex, I really do think peer pressure has more to do with it.

Arien....ahhh..the real world.....unfortunately this isn't!

Teach your kids whats wrong and whats right and stop em indulging in sex before they mentally get matured..Instead you are trying to teach themt wher they get the contraceptive, thats as good as telling them its ok to go and get screwd by any.... duh

Sex below 18 is a rape.

The problem is that people see Jeremy Kyle and belive that its normal practice to behave like this.

This is why I say that parents of these morons should be held financially responsible for the upbringing of the offspring..

Why should the taxpayer subsidize these idiots..

I think that in the UK it is a lifestyle choice as much as an accident. Watch Jeremy Kyle on Granada UKTV. I am not being flippant either, I mean it. You grow up without any love from rubbish parents, you think that having a baby to love is the answer. Some even know who the father is. I think on balance that offering these services to 12 year olds is morally above Jeremy Kyle allowing a 16 year old on his show with 5 guys who may be the father to have a DNA test. With a picture of the baby on the screen behind them, he reveals the father. If I was the head of social services, I would ban it. Sorry to digress but I think that also reflects the belief that if you are 13 and want a baby, why not?

Sorry Brit, I have to disagree, I guess I've just spent too much time dealing with the worlds unwanted children, but making abortions more difficult won't solve the problem, neither will stopping state handouts, it will just make things worse, because the people who are stupid enough to get knocked up at 14 are still going to be stupid, state handouts or abortions or no.

The only thing that will stop the problem is enforced sterlization, or this, making the Morning After pill more readily available.

My honest opinion..

Make abortion more difficult.

Decrease state handouts.

Make parents fully responsible for the upkeep of their children who get pregnant..

Might be too simpistic, but will yield results in the long run..

So letting the "kids" take care of their unwanted pregnancies themselves which could have deadly consequences for the expectant mother is a better "recipe"?

Allowing the kids to have access to these pills is LESS of a "recipe for disaster". It is the best of 2 evils. .

Well Brit, my experience with people who got pregnant as teenagers is this:

16 or younger: baby number 1

18 - 20: baby number 2

20-25: babies number 3 and 4

I don't see where the responsibility of accountability is coming in there.

The problem is that it also can have the effect that it does not teach them about responsibility and accountability..

This in turn does not prepare them for adulthood..

To be honest, I don't really know what the answer is.. I just belive that we have spent a lot of time, money and effort on sex education etc and we still have the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world..

So, the solution must lie elsewhere !!!

I agree with you. I have been proactive when it comes to teaching kids about birth control, but more importantly about waiting until they are older to be able to handle the responsibilities of raising a child.

It's wild, but true...with all my years of teaching experience and talking with teens, marriage isn't even an option. They would rather let the grandmother take care of the child if they decide to continue the pregnancy.

Well....actually I think a good dose of the morning after pill would be enough to scare them off unprotected sex for a long time. It's not a pleasant experience. But that's just my two cents.

Taking the discussion back on track.. because it wasn't about marriage..

You use the word "kids" in your last posting.. This was my whole point.. These females are just kids.. and allowing them to have the morning after pill so readily vaialable seems a recipe for disaster..

I guess I was triggered by the use of the word "marry"

in your comment. I agree with you whole heartedly other wise.

I was simply trying to say I would rather teach kids to use birth control or the morning after pill then have them believe that marriage is the right alternative.

Did you actually read what I said cynbob, cause it doesn't appear that you did.

Hey Facist Feminist...you really think "daddy" is going to step up to the plate and marry the pregnant girlfried? I think not...as a high school teacher, I had many pregnant teenage students. The teenage "dad" was around for awhile, but then the going gets tough and I don't know of any that MARRIED!

But let's get back to the beginning of the vicious cycle. My teenaged pregnant students were daughters to moms that were teenagers themselves when they got pregnant and gave birth. And the beat goes on...

As far as education, in the 70's, I would drive my Volkswagon station wagon with a huge plastic uterus in the back. TARGET AUDIENCE: male and female teens. I would drive from one location to another giving lessons on female birth control. My male counterpart carried his "rubber" tree and did his part teaching lessons on male birth control. (and yes, we preached abstinance)

Education is and has been out there. It is not that these kids are stupid. They are careless. They do not think beyond the "here and now". Consequences? What consequences?

Back to the abortion/morning after pill...these pregnancies are UNWANTED. Like I stated before, if there is not a safe means for these people to get rid of the unwanted pregnancies, they will find their own way of terminating the pregnancy. The days of back alley abortions should remain a distant memory, but never forgotten.

Keepin' it "Riyal" in Doha

I would rather have my 17 year old daughter receive the message that the morning after pill is available and useable then the message that it's acceptable for a knocked up 17 year old to marry her 17 year old baby daddy a la Bristol Palin.

Well said.. Agree with you wholeheartedly..

I am still a bit wary of allowing the morning after pill to be used "so freely".. Surely , it sends the wrong message to the teenagers..

Yup, cause teenagers are soooo good at discipling themselves.

i think that is it. whatever the gvt or any other institution in UK or elsewhere, it will not work unless these teenagers will discipline themselves!

Lets get one thing straight......UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe! There is sex education coming out of their ears! They know more about it than their bloody parents! This isn't about remebering to use something! These kids have diminshed responsibilty usually due to drink and drugs and alot of negative peer pressure. There is more to it than contraception! It just isn't working!

precaution is always better than cure... need to give more awareness on this issue...

Kids in the UK do alot of things without their parents knowing! If they are getting themselves up the duff at that age and don't feel they are able to tell their parents then the parental responsibilties are probably nil from the start! Meaning that the parents probably don't give a toss what their kids are up to! I've worked in sexual health clinics aimed at teenagers and these girls are bascially running riot and their parents are nowhere to be seen!

If they were to inform the parents that would mean at least 50% of these girls if not more wouldn't go to get the pills and instead opt for more dangerous means of aborting, like coat hangers.

I would rather this then 12 year olds having children. It's not ideal by any means, but very little in this world is, and especially as the world enters what is now being called a 2nd Depression, funding for social and educational programs to teach children about safe sex are going to be cut even more. I think the UK is making the right choice.

this would anger me. the least they can do is at least inform us (parents if ever) if they have decided to do such thing...

As a female and a "mother" , would you be happy if your twelve year old daughter was prescribed the morning after pill without your knowledge.

I used to work in a Planned Parenthood facility..one that is famous across America for its radical protestors. I worked as a counselor, escort( the loonies outside were considered so dangerous we had to wear bullet proof vests, but they were only "praying"..yeah right) and also have attended procedures.

Trust me when I say its dealt with as a LOT more than just a tooth removal process.Being nonjudgemental is extremely important as if someone starts to pass judgement on these girls/women, they might just go do something dangerous to save what life they do have. It is not only a physically painful process, its scary, and emotionally scarring. But then again..forcing a 12 year old to have a baby that her body isn't physically ready to produce and deliver is many times, worse than the alternative.

I feel that the only way to prevent this becoming more and more prevalent is education. Education as to what is acceptable within a relationship of family members, education as in how the body works, education in how to say no and have enough self respect for themselves to SAY no...If parents aren't going to step up and teach their own children how to grow up with self respect and knowledge then someone has to. Allow this to be taught in schools by trained professionals who actually DO care. Knowledge isn't the enemy, ignorance is.

Bottom line is though..if these young women are forced to report taking the morning after pill, then we will end up with a LOT more deaths with them trying to find a way to deal with the issue. Remember back before abortion was legal, the number of back alley abortion related deaths and multiply it times the number that the female population has grown in the last 30 years. It will be mind boggling.

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.

I agree with everything you say, women must have a choice and in some cases be protected. The Health Centre I worked in was in Dorset, an affluent area and the young people have a dedicated clinic, school nurses, family planning clinic and a drop in centre, all of whom provide contraception to all ages as long as they are considered able to consent. I also agree that if these methods fail, or even if they are careless, of course they must be given a choice and treated in the strictest of confidence.

The rate of teenage pregnancy and STI was high in my area, despite all of these services. I don't know what the answer is, women should not be demonised, nor feel isolated under any circumstances. I feel that a balance, however, is necessary to help girls make an informed decision and be able to see the consequences. I think that there are many women in their 30s who are still coming to terms with an earlier abortion in the UK, partly down to the way that this is offered. I did a one day placement at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the clinics where the procedure is done,(only in the ward, I couldn't face the theatre)and it is made so non judgemental and caring, it is easy for people to believe that they are having nothing more complicated than a tooth extraction.

Personally I am not so worried about the physical aspect, but very sad for the emotional wellbeing of women who have to live with a decision that they didn't think about at the time.

That said, your points does make me realise that going the other way could also cause terrible hardship and danger to those same girls. What is the answer?

it needs to be kept legal for many reasons.

Now that being said...has anyone ever stopped to think of the young girl who might have been raped by her step father, uncle, cousin, whatever...and telling someone she is pregnant due to that would result in her being beaten or even killed? Those cases are difficult to prove since whoever did the raping obviously isn't going to confess...but to that young girl who was the victim , this might be her only chance to get help. Also..in some countries, being pregnant when not married is a death sentence...no matter HOW you got that way.

I do disagree with abortion being used as a form of birth control, but as was earlier pointed out...those that have had abortions know its not a simple decision or an easy one. And yes, all forms of birth control CAN and DO fail at times.

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Terminating an unwanted pregnancy is not a new concept.

Women, through the ages, have ended unwanted pregnancies by any means possible. They have been known to throw themselves down stairwells, take an overdose of potions, travel by underground rails to seek the services of seedy, unsterile facilities where the operation can be executed.

The legality of the abortion laws have came about to SAVE lives. The lives of females that are determined to have these procedures no matter what.

Just because someone is PRO CHOICE does mean they are PRO Abortion...it simply means that women should have a CHOICE in the matter. Whether they were raped or had consented intercourse...keeping the laws safe and legal and making provisions around that concept should be the focus.

Keepin' it "Riyal" in Doha

we cannot stop every teens doing such and would result to pregnancy. to lessen such abortion, parents / institutions must make their children / students realize how it will bring them, most especially doing it without any adult present or anyone in that matter. we don't know how worst it will cause or the result.

it's one thing to supply teens with birth control but it's a whole another thing to supply abortions easily to teens.

People's morals have just down the toilet.

Aaaaawwwwww! What was his QAWS name and what's his name now? (Sorry, sorry, hijacking again.)

Mandi

Hes a cute ( like moi ) Saluki! Apparently he is up for training so I thought I would start off by getting him to fill the ice trays yah!

OK, totally off the subject, what kind of puppy did you get, Marhabtain?

Mandi

Got myself a Rotweller with attitude! He's great amongst cats and kiddies too! Woof Woof!

Agreed..

Lets not get into the religious aspects.. The issue is the age of the "women" concerned and the carrying out of abortions without medical support present..

This has nothing to do with pro-life or pro-choice, whether abortion is right or not is not the point here. This is about making abortion look like an easy thing to go through, which most normal people who have been through it would agree is not true.

to any part of the world, abortion should not be legalized as we all know that this is a SIN. any government must not allow this kind of treatment.

Someone in the UK government needs a crack on the head...

If legally underage kids should not be involved in sexual activities, but they do any way. They should not legally drink but they do so.

If they are minor and considered underage then they should be advised in the presence of a member of the family at least..

-----------------

HE WHO DARES WINS

Well put.. It seems that the PC brigade are more intent on the privacy aspect and less on respecting the rights of parents / guardians.

well-said!when it comes to issues like this,the 'line' as u mentioned is very faint.

Keep smiling!

Saggi!

Of course not. I have been a nurse prescriber and have many times had to issue contraception to children as young as 12 in the UK. I am legally obliged to do so unless I believe them to be at risk. I left the NHS because I can no longer respect an organisation that puts trendy "rights" before protecting the most vulnerable members of society. I strongly believe in a womens right to choose and also in the childrens' right to privacy but where do you draw the line?

huh?!.. DIY? what will happen if they suffer from blood loss... and why this? first, they need to prioritize "doing IT (S) safely" to avoid this abortion option.. jeezzzzz...

[img_assist|nid=12867|link=none|align=left|width=|height=0]Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.