Minister quizzed on teen pregnancy

Mar 5 2013

MSPs investigating if strategies aimed at reducing the teenage pregnancy rate are working are to question Public Health Minister Michael Matheson.

Holyrood's Health Committee has been carrying out an inquiry into the problem.

It comes after figures last year showed a key Scottish Government target for reducing pregnancies among under-16s was missed.

Ministers hoped to cut the pregnancy rate in this age group to 6.8 pregnancies per 1,000 girls by 2010. But the pregnancy rate for that year was 7.1 per 1,000, the same as in 2009.

Christian organisation CARE for Scotland told MSPs last week that pupils, as part of their sex education classes, should be encouraged to abstain from sex.

Approaches which focus on harm reduction through contraception and preventing sexually transmitted disease "do not seem to be working", the charity said. Instead, these could be "inadvertently encouraging" teenagers to have sex, according to CARE for Scotland education officer Dr Alastair Noble.

But health professionals urge the Scottish Government to consider making the morning-after pill available in schools. School nurses could dispense condoms and emergency contraception, which would help reduce teenage pregnancy rates, the Scottish Sexual Health Lead Clinicians Group has suggested.

In a written submission to the inquiry, the clinicians group asked: "Why is emergency contraception not available in schools? Why are condoms and contraception not accessible? Vaccination against a sexually transmitted infection (HPV) is given in schools, why can't pregnancy and other STIs be prevented?

"The Scottish Government is prepared to make a stand on controversial subjects like gay marriage, why does it run scared of its critics on the subject of making emergency contraception available in schools?

"The Scottish Government should give consideration to the availability of certain interventions in schools, particularly in rural areas and areas with higher teenage pregnancies, including the availability of emergency hormonal contraception in schools."