EDINBURGH — As many as four hundred girls, some as young as 14, have been sterilized by doctors in Scotland at public expense, without their parents' knowledge. The program was part of an effort by public health officials to stem the growing number of teenage pregnancies. The method used was a contraceptive implant, Implanon, that releases hormones into the blood stream, similar to Norplant, a favorite tool of groups working to sterilize populations in the developing world through United Nations-sponsored programs.
David Davidson, the Tory health spokesman in the Scottish parliament, has heavily criticized the action saying that he opposes the sterilization of young girls without parental knowledge or consent. He called modern sex education programs “how-to” instruction without emphasis on “responsibility and respect for each other.” He said, “It's about time we educated our young children to take responsibility and understand they take tremendous risks when they take part in sexual activity. Casual sex, particularly with under-age drinking, is leading to a huge explosion in the transfer of diseases, not to mention pregnancy.”
Implanon works by releasing progesterone into the bloodstream for up to three years. It is not known what long-term effect this has on adolescent girls. Implanon's website obliquely warns women who “have recently had a thrombosis (blood clot) in the leg or the lung should discuss this method with their doctor before use.” Blood clots related to a birth control “patch” were cited as the cause of death of Zakiya Kennedy in early April.
Dr. Trevor Stammers, of the Family Education Trust, said: “I do not believe a doctor who does this to an under-16-year-old girl without her parents' knowledge is acting in an ethically acceptable way. Doctors are giving carte blanche to men to have sex with under-age girls.”
See also:
Doctors Sterilise up to 400 Teenage Girls
(This update courtesy of LifeSiteNews.com.)
