A bishop has attacked a council-led plan that could see teenage girls at a Catholic school obtaining the 'morning after pill' by text.Under the scheme pupils at six schools in Oxfordshire – including one Catholic secondary – would be able to access contraceptive advice and contraception, including the controversial 'emergency' pill.
William Kenney, the Bishop of Birmingham, who performs mass at St Gregory the Great Catholic School in Oxford once a year, has criticised the scheme, which is likely to be piloted in July.
The bishop said: "It goes against the very central idea the Catholic church has on human life.
"It is sending out the message that it was better to deal with the aftermath of what people do, rather than the causes.
"I don't think this will help solve the teenage pregnancy rate and is taking away responsibility from parents."
Leaders of St Gregory's and the five other schools are to been denied any say in stopping their pupils from being offered the service by Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust and the Oxfordshire County Council.
The two authorities have said that, because the service will be offered outside school hours, it will "fall outside the governance of schools".
John Hussey, the school's headmaster, refused to comment.
However, Father Daniel Seward, the school chaplain, joined in the bishop's criticism.
He said: "The school is part of the Catholic church and the church has a very clear view that sexual relations take place properly within marriage and that any abortion or contraception is contrary to the dignity of the human person.
"Sex is never just a recreational activity."
The county council and primary care trust said they looking at introducing the contraception advice service in selected areas to combat the "persistently high" number of teenage pregnancies.
Between 2006 and 2007 the number of girls in Oxfordshire aged 18 and under getting pregnant rose by almost 10 per cent, from 320 to 350.
All six schools sit within areas which have higher than average teenage pregnancy rates, compared to the county as a whole.
St Gregory's, a co-educational school of 1,040 pupils aged 11 to 18, is in relatively deprived Cowley in east Oxford.
In a joint statement the PCT and county council said: "The plans are still in the early stages and discussions will be taking place with a wide range of people including the schools.
"However, these plans are about giving young people access to a school health nurse outside the school and therefore fall outside the governance of schools.
"This is not about giving out contraceptives in schools, it is about providing access to advice on a wide range of health issues from a school health nurse outside the school setting, to support vulnerable young people who may need help outside of school hours.
"It is not that the schools involved have high conception rates but rather, that they sit in wards that have been shown to have persistently high teenage conception rates."
The PCT stressed that child protection staff would become involved if any child aged between 11 and 13 asked for contraception.
The other five schools being considered for the scheme are: Cheney School in Oxford; The Oxford Academy; Oxford School; The North Oxfordshire Academy in Banbury; and Banbury School.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce
(Source: TOUK)