JOHN SMEATON, DIRECTOR OF SPUC: Children and parents betrayed by British birth control policies

Monday, 17 August 2015

Children and parents betrayed by British birth control policies

Under the headline "GPs put 1 in 20 under-aged girls on the Pill" the Mail is reporting that one in twenty schoolgirls, some as young as twelve, are being prescribed the contraceptive pill by GPs without their parents’ knowledge.

Giving birth-control pills to under-age girls is uncaring towards children, undermines parents and exploits an uninformed public. It is uncaring towards children, because it ignores the fact that sexually-transmitted infections among teenagers have risen at the same time as increased provision of contraceptives. It undermines parents by denying them their right and responsibility to govern their children's behaviour. It exploits an uninformed public, because no-one is told that, according to the manufacturers, the ordinary birth-control pill can kill newly-conceived embryos.

In short, schoolchildren and parents are being betrayed by the birth control policies at work in Britain.

If you're a parent worried about what's going on in your children's school - and that includes Catholic schools - that is, you're worried about your children being given access to contraception and or abortion, SPUC's Safe at School is here to help you. Contact Safe at School on 020 8407 3463.

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About Me

I became involved in SPUC after graduating, when I established a branch in south London in 1974. I have worked full-time for SPUC for 42 years. I became chief executive of SPUC in the UK in 1996, having been general secretary since 1978. I was elected vice-president of International Right to Life Federation in 2005. At UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul and Rome, I helped coordinate more than 150 pro-life/pro-family groups resulting in pro-life victories in Cairo, Istanbul and Rome. I was educated at Salesian College, London, before going to Oxford where I graduated in English Language and Literature. I qualified as a teacher, becoming head of English at a secondary school. I am married to Josephine. We have a grown-up family and we live in north London.