A trial scheme supplying free Morning-After Pills (MAP) to teenagers in Wales has not succeeded in reducing .jpg)
teenage pregnancy, according to research commissioned by the National Health Service.
The trial scheme was being run in Bridgend, and the research, which was shown to BBC Wales, said that the scheme did not have the intended impact on teen pregnancies.
The findings are consistent with research from England showing that wider availability of the (MAP) was not effective in curbing the number of teenagers getting pregnant.
The most recent research, written by a specialty registrar working for NHS Trust Public Health Wales, said: “Despite the increased uptake of EHC [morning-after pill] in Bridgend… the trend in conceptions for Bridgend was not significantly different to the rest of Wales.”
It concluded: “As a public health initiative to tackle unwanted teenage pregnancy, consideration must be given to whether this is an appropriate use of NHS resources.”
Critics say that distributing the MAP free to teenagers sent the wrong message to young people.
Professor David Paton, of Nottingham University, who has conducted numerous studies on policies intended to reduce teen pregnancies, described the approach of wide distribution of the MAP as “absolutely disastrous”.
Prof Paton said Government schemes in which teenagers can get the morning after pill or other forms of family planning at school or clinics can lead to an increase in risky sexual behaviour amongst some young people.
His research into the subject has repeatedly shown that the policy of making it easier to access the MAP does not lead to a significant reduction in the rate of teen conceptions.
According to his findings, recently published in the Journal of Health Economics, areas operating a pharmacy Morning-After-Pill scheme saw an overall increase of five percent in the rate of STIs among teenagers — 12 per cent in the under-16s age group.
The schemes may actually be associated with a small increase in the number of teens falling pregnant, Prof Paton’s study also said.
Monsignor Robert Reardon, of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff, said he was concerned about the of supplying the morning-after pill to girls under 16 and without telling their parents.
“The Morning-After-Pill demonstrates the separation of sexuality and… responsibility,” he said.
“You’re left with something that is devoid of its intention – a recreational activity, almost.”
The Welsh Government said emergency contraception was not part of its strategy to reduce teenage pregnancy.
Following a rolling programme started in 2001, the Morning-After-Pill has been available free from pharmacies throughout Wales since April.
In Ireland, pharmacies were recently given the go-ahead to sell the MAP over the counter without a prescription.
The programme says providing free Morning-After-Pills through pharmacies, when fully rolled out, will cost up to £300,000 a year, money that will be found from existing NHS budgets.
A spokesman for the Welsh Government said the availability of emergency contraception through pharmacies was “an important aspect of a comprehensive sexual health service but not part of our strategy to reduce teenage conceptions”.