Scotland | Update 1 | Morning after pill in schools

Scottish Update Issue 1- The Newsletter of the Christian Institute (Scotland) - July 2001

Morning after pill in schools

Scottish schoolchildren could get the morning after pill from the school nurse under plans being introduced by the Executive.

The plans to expand massively the role of school nurses were revealed in March.
A £5.5 million training programme will include training nurses to 'tackle sexual health'.(1)

At the moment no school nurse is able to hand out the morning-after pill in Scotland because no local NHS Trust has given them permission.(2)

But the Trusts have the legal power to do so (3) and one Health Board has admitted "this situation may change in the near future".(4)

Already some Trusts in England have begun to act. By January this year, four had done so, with three more known to be considering the move.(5)

In Oxfordshire, England, programmes had begun at seven schools, with five more soon to follow.(6)

Already the Executive has praised a controversial scheme at Boots in Glasgow which hands out the morning-after pill to girls below 16 and the Executive has admitted that in principle there is no lower age limit for prescribing it.(7)

The morning-after pill can be given to girls under 16 without any parental knowledge or consent.(8)

Seyi Hotonu, Medical Researcher at The Christian Institute, said: "Christians must watch this situation closely. We must be on our guard."

1 Press Release SE0606/2001, Scottish Executive, 12 March 2001
2 Written Answer S1W-15785, Scottish Parliament, 11 June 2001
3 Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Amendment Order 2000, 17 July 2000 and Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Amendment (No.3) Order 2000, 8 December 2000 [from Westminster]
4 Letter to Gil Paterson MSP from Highland Health Board, 17 April 2001
5 The Sunday Times, 7 January 2001
6 Oxford Times, 12 January 2001
7 Press Release SE 1544/1999, Scottish Executive, 2 December 1998; The Herald, 3 December 1998; Scotsman, 4 December 1998, and; Written Answer S1W-15786, Scottish Parliament, 18 June 2001
8 Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991 s.2 (4), reinforced by Children (Scotland) Act 1995 s. 15 (5), cited by McLean S, Consent and the Law, consultation document for UK Health Ministers, 1997, page 16

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