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Underage pregnancy hotspot to get the jab
TEENAGE girls in Peterborough could be offered a controversial contraceptive jab under new Government health plans.
TEENAGE girls in Peterborough could be offered a controversial contraceptive jab under new Government health plans.It has been revealed that health bosses at NHS Peterborough have received a letter from ministers encouraging them to get school girls to have the injections or implants in a bid to curb the rate.
The move comes after Peterborough was identified as one of 21 teenage pregnancy hotspots in the country with the highest rate of young motherhood in the eastern region.
Figures show that some 58 under 18s per 1,000 become pregnant in the city, compared to a national average of 41 in the UK.
Local authorities with particularly high rates of teenage pregnancy were told it was "essential" to increase the uptake of LARC (long-acting reversible contraception) among young girls.
But city MP Stewart Jackson said: "This is a truly shocking and arrogant approach by the Government.
"The answer is always more sex education and contraception. What about relationships and family support?
"It is a completely inappropriate and misguided strategy and I hope the city council and the primary care trust tell the Government so."
Under the plans, the Government wants school-based clinics in the city to administer the jabs, which can make girls infertile for up to three months and the plans mean that teenagers could receive the injections or implants without their parents' knowledge.
Health ministers claim using long-lasting injections and implants rather than daily pills will make it easier for teenagers to control their fertility.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said teenage girls would not be forced into having the injections and the Government's main concern was to ensure young people had access to effective birth control.
A spokeswoman for NHS Peterborough said that young people were always spoken to individually about their sexual health and were provided with advice and support about the most appropriate contraception.
She said: "The contraceptive injection or implants, also known as LARC, are offered as part of a range of contraceptive methods available to women in Peterborough wanting to use birth control."
Cllr Frances Benton, who represents Fletton and is on Peterborough City Council's health committee, said jabs should not be seen as a quick fix.
She said: "I think there should be more relationship teaching, but something has to be done to stop these young girls getting pregnant.
"It's a lot better for young girls to have injections than to have an unwanted pregnancy."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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