Northern Ireland pro-lifers slam plan for extended morning-after pill distribution

Belfast 25 November 2003--Pro-life campaigners have attacked the decision of the Eastern Health Board to fund a Sunday clinic to supply the 'morning after' pill to teenagers and underage girls.

Mrs Betty Gibson, Northern Ireland Chairwoman of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said: "The 'morning after' pill destroys unborn children and damages women's health. It is being marketed as a contraceptive when in fact it causes early abortion.

"The British government's chief medical officer has warned doctors that morning-after pills increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy, particularly among women who have already had such a pregnancy," said Mrs Gibson.

According to the Government's Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths ectopic pregnancy is a significant cause of deaths among women and Mrs Gibson is warning that the side effects on children have not been taken into account.

"There have been no thorough clinical trials of morning-after pills among girls under 16. These pills have 50 times the dose of the hormone contained in the daily contraceptive pill which itself has been linked with increased risk of cancer and heart disease. The Eastern Health Board's decision to promote this drug will not only destroy unborn lives but seriously damage the health of children and women," said Mrs Gibson.

Notes

The UK's Health Department issued its warning on the increased risk of ectopic pregnancy associated with the use of the 'morning after' pill in January 2003.

The SPUC NI earlier this month launched a leaflet outlining the effects of abortion-causing birth control and the associated risks for women. Copies of the leaflet are available from the society's Belfast office.