In June, figures showed that the government missed their target for reducing pregnancies among under-16s, and according to the SSHLCG, the Scottish government is ‘scared of its critics’ on the issue. In a written submission to the Scottish parliament’s Health and Sport Committee inquiry into teenage pregnancy, the SSHLCG asked, ‘Why is emergency contraception not available in schools? Why are condoms and contraception not accessible? Vaccination against a sexually transmitted infection (HPV) is given in schools, why can’t pregnancy and other STIs be prevented?’
They noted that while this is a controversial issue, Scotland has a higher rate of teenage pregnancy than most other western European countries and as ‘the Scottish government is prepared to make a stand on controversial subjects like gay marriage, why does it run scared of its critics on the subject of making emergency contraception available in schools?’
A Scottish government spokesman responded by saying, ‘It is not policy that emergency contraception should be provided in schools, but young people can receive advice and be directed to other places where emergency contraception may be available if appropriate.’ Parliamentary officer for the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, John Deighan, added ‘Sexual behaviour is something that’s for adults. Children deserve to have a childhood. Making emergency contraception available to children is a green light really that that’s the sort of behaviour they should be involved in, and I think…you’re really leaving them without the help and support they need.’
However, according to the SSHLCG, Scotland has ‘entrenched structural and cultural barriers to positive changes’ which were contributing to the high rate of teenage pregnancy. They noted that, ‘too often’, health workers ‘find barriers in the personal opinions of senior staff, e.g. senior managers will not allow condom distribution by local authority youth workers’.
According to Patrick Harvie, co-convener of the Scottish Green Party, ‘Many school nurses would like to be able to provide more services. Teenage pregnancies have been declining, slowly but declining, for a good few years now and that’s achieved through high quality accessible services. Improving those services, building on them, and making sure they’re available in schools would be one more step in the right direction.’