Taxpayer Funded Contraception Given To Thousands Of Girls Under 14

In the past five years over 33,000 girls under the age of consent have been given long-lasting contraceptive treatment by the National Health Service (NHS), without the need for parental permission.

Socialised medicine provided by the NHS is paying for more than 8,000 girls a year, who cannot legally have sex, to receive powerful hormone altering implants and injections. 2,500 of the girls are 14 and under, and in January it was revealed that some as young as 10 have been given such contraception funded by the British taxpayer.

The number of girls using the long-term contraceptive treatments is nearly as high as those who use the pill now. Furthermore, one in ten emergency contraceptive or “morning after” pills, which abort a pregnancy in its very early stages, were given to girls under 16 last year, without the need for parents to even know.

Charities and other groups have raised concerns about the practice putting vulnerable girls at increased risk of abuse. Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, told The Express:

“Not only are these community contraceptive clinics condoning unlawful sexual activity and undermining parents, but they are also placing young teenagers at risk of sexually transmitted infections, emotional harm and abuse.”

Doctors have previously expressed fears about the long-term effects of the powerful hormones on pre-teen girls who had not yet reached puberty. Proponents of the move say it is a question of measuring risks versus benefits.

Some girls may be given implants simply because they intend to be sexually active and doctors believe it was the best way to protect them. Younger examples sometimes involve those already considered vulnerable to sexual exploitation, in some cases because of learning disabilities.

The figurers were released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. They also reveal that nine out of ten people using “sexual and reproductive health services” are women. Females aged between 18 and 19 were most likely to used the service and overall one in five of the population (22 per cent) in this age group have contact with the service every year.