Press Release
MP Backs Parental Rights As Teenage Pregnancy Increases
Local MP Tom Clarke is at the forefront of a campaign to ensure that Patients are provided with information and informed of abortion and contraception advice to young people aged 15 and under.
Mr Clarke said:
“I want to make it absolutely clear that I am on the side of Parents and I will fight for their right to know what is happening to their children. In this country 40 per cent of young people of fifteen and below are sexually active – well above any other country in Western Europe. So it is hardly surprising that we also have by far the highest numbers of teenage conceptions, abortions, and cases of sexually transmitted diseases of anywhere in Western Europe. It is time something was done to protect young people from those who exploit them and from those promoting abortion and the ales of contraceptives.
“As a first step I am backing the Contraception and Abortion (Parental Information) Bill”, a Private Members initiative, which requires practitioners to inform parents before giving contraceptives or abortions. I am also supporting an Early Day Motion tabled in the House of Commons. It calls on the Government to do far more to involve parents and to require schools and others involved in sex education and contraceptive provision to encourage young people to withstand peer pressure and to understand the dangers of early sexual activity”.
“The present situation is really quite tragic. The numbers of conceptions in young girls of fifteen and under from the year 2004 to 2005 has shown an increase. I am sure that parents will be horrified, as I am, to learn that there are cases of young girls aged between 13 to 15 years who have syphilis”.
The MP concluded:
“There are many more cases where the girls do not recognise the symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease and are unaware that they could leave them crippled for life. This issue is far too important to be left with teenagers still at school.
In the background the graph entitled ‘Progress of Teenage Pregnancy Strategy’ shows the enormous increase in teenage sexually transmitted infections since the launch of the government’s teenage pregnancy strategy.
Featured in the photograph on the left is Professor David Paton, Nottingham University Business School and on the right is Tom Clarke MP for Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill