In a bid to cut the growing number of unwanted teen pregnancies in the United Kingdom, schools have been advised to provide free morning-after pills and condoms to teenage girls.
According to new guidelines of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), under-25s should be able to access emergency contraception more readily, including pills and the IUD (intrauterine device, or coil).
Although under-18 conception rates have fallen, England still has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Europe, said a statement by NICE. Improving contraceptive services would help ensure young people got the support they needed and reduced unwanted pregnancies.
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NICE has advised commissioners of services in England to give all young people access to contraception and advice at convenient locations so that no one is denied services because of where they live.
“It is really important that sexual health services offering information and advice can be found in places where young people have access to them,” Professor Mike Kelly, Director of the Centre for Public Health at NICE, said.
Many of the recommendations will cost nothing to implement.
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