Teenage girls have been fitted with a contraceptive device at school without the knowledge or consent of their parents. Naturally, parents are in uproar over the fitting of these implants which also involved minor surgery to fit and are effective for years. The NHS says that this has led to a 22% decrease in the number of teenage pregnancies but is this really the way to go about it?
Recent figures suggest that around 5,000 school-going girls, who were not yet at the age of consent, were fitted with the contraceptive device. 5 years ago this figure was 800.
It is suggested that this is down to government plans to stamp out the ever rising rate of teen pregnancy. 2,500 thirteen and fourteen year old girls were given the implant or injection last year owing to the fact that councillors in Southampton gave orders 3 years ago to have such devices offered at schools. 9 schools are said to have complied.
According to the parents of these young girls, all that was required of the children was a brief medical questionnaire and no follow-up visits were arranged.
It feels like we are skipping a huge step by not prioritising the sexual health education of these girls. By fitting them with a device for precaution sake and not teaching them about safe sex first, we are asking for a nationwide increase in sexually transmitted infections.