SPUC has condemned giving "morning-after pills" to children from 13 upwards, as sanctioned by the European Medicines Agency yesterday. Previously pharmacists were not allowed to give under-16s the drug without a doctor’s prescription. 

Commenting on the decision, Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said:

"This move is likely to mean that more early abortions will occur and more teenagers will be exploited while the pharmaceutical companies will profit.  The manufacturers of morning after pills have admitted that they can cause early abortions before pregnancy can be detected by usual tests, as well as preventing conception in some cases.

"Today’s decision makes it easier for men to exploit vulnerable young teenagers for sex, as well as making it likely that more street-wise 13-15 year olds will engage in casual sex.  The condition that unlawful sex should only involve men close in age to the girl involved is impossible to monitor.

"It is a further step in eroding the law on the age of consent, which has been under attack for many years.  Efforts to normalise child sex have intensified in the past ten years through the Childrens’ Act 2004 and other measures.  

"Teenage pregnancies and abortions have declined in the past 7 years, but the drop cannot be explained either by either contraception or post-coital abortion drugs.  Studies show that the morning after pill has no impact in reducing the overall number of pregnancies.  That may be because most women who take it are not pregnant, or because it often fails to work. In addition making it available means more girls/women will have sex and consequently conceptions will rise.  So the reasons are not clear, but despite the loss of early embryos caused by this drug, it does not lead to a decline in the rate of registered abortions.

"There are serious safety concerns for women taking morning-after pills: they provides no protection against sexually transmitted infections; those who have ongoing pregnancies are more likely to have a dangerous ectopic pregnancy; and there may be unknown long-term effects of the drugs - which contain up to 50 times the dose of progestogens in daily ‘mini-pills’ - which themselves have long-term risks."

Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, can be contacted on 07939 178719 or 020 7820 3127. SPUC's communications department can be contacted on:

• Mobile: 07939 177683
• Direct dial landline: 020 7820 3129
• Email: paultully@spuc.org.uk
• Twitter: @spucprolife