Contraceptive implants and injections for girls under 16 has nearly TRIPLED in the past decade

July 27, 2015  16:52

The use of contraceptive implants and injections among under-age girls has nearly tripled in a decade, figures show.

Some 8,400 teenagers aged 15 or under received the long-acting treatments on the NHS last year – up from just 3,100 in 2004/05.

In total, 58,700 under-16s were given either an implant or contraceptive jab in English sexual health clinics over the past ten years, at rates that have steadily risen throughout that period.

Sex is illegal under the age of 16, but contraceptives are not and can be prescribed without parental consent.

Health experts insist this policy is essential to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Teenage pregnancies have dropped to their lowest level in nearly 70 years, according to statistics published earlier this month. 

But campaigners warn that the ease of access to contraceptives encourages under-age sexual activity, putting teenagers at risk of disease and exploitation.

The figures, compiled by the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre, show that 5,400 girls under the age of 16 received contraceptive implants in 2013/14. 

Of these, 1,800 were 14 or younger. 

The implant is a thin tube which sits below the skin in the upper arm for up to three years, releasing a steady dose of the hormone progesterone, which prevents pregnancy.

Another 3,000 under-16s received hormonal injections in 2013/14, 800 of them aged 14 or younger. 

Injections work in a similar way to the implant, but last only eight to 13 weeks before another jab is needed.

The use of both contraceptive methods has increased over the past decade. In 2004/05, 2,700 injections were given to under-16s, rising to 3,400 in 2012/13 before dropping slightly to 3,000 last year. 

The rise in implants has been far more dramatic, up from just 400 among under-16s in 2004/05 to 5,400 last year.

Some campaigners warn state-provided contraception makes youngsters believe that under-age sex is condoned.

Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, said: ‘To provide long-acting reversible contraceptives to girls under 16 is to give them a licence to engage in illegal sexual activity and to deny them the protection that the law on the age of consent is intended to give. 

'Not only are these community contraceptive clinics condoning unlawful sexual activity and undermining parents, but they are also placing young teenagers at risk of sexually transmitted infections, emotional harm and abuse.’

However, others point to the sharp drop in teenage pregnancies and abortions.

The Office for National Statistics reported this month that just 25,977 women under the age of 20 had babies in England and Wales last year, the fewest since 1946.

Abortion rates for under-16s have also fallen dramatically in recent years – from 3.7 terminations per 1,000 girls in 2004 to 2.5 per 1,000 in 2014.

Ann Furedi, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: ‘Contraception and abortion are simply not the problem. 

'They are technical solutions that allow people to avoid the unwanted consequences of having sex.

‘In the society we live in, sex is no longer seen as something that is saved up for when you get married … for many young people it is seen as a transition into adult life.’

A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘There is professional guidance for clinicians providing contraception to those under the age of 16 to ensure that children are appropriately safeguarded.

‘Guidance makes clear that under-16s should be encouraged to talk to their parents.’

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