24 week time limit for abortion under threat!

MPs and organisations who oppose abortion are trying to restrict women from having them. 

Sign the petition 

They’re attacking the current 24 week time limit for abortion, and trying to pass laws slashing it from 24 weeks to 20. If successful, women who’ve had pregnancies diagnosed as abnormal, vulnerable women in crisis, and women who didn’t know they were pregnant won’t be able to have an abortion.

Support fpa's campaign to protect the limit.

The rates are down for Suffolk for 2006-great news! Teenage conception rate
is 30.8, in numbers 412, a % change rate (1998-2006) of -17.9%. This equates
to a reduction of 2.5% from 2005 to 2006.

A full table with teenage pregnancy rates in each local authority
can be found at: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/health/teenagepregnancy

The Government's 10 year, Teenage Pregnancy Strategy was launched in
1999 and has a linked PSA target to halve the under 18 conception rate by
2010.  The strategy is based on international research evidence on what
works to reduce teenage pregnancy and improve health/education outcomes for
teenage parents and their children. The strategy has five main themes:
Joined up action; National Media Campaign; Support for the parents of
teenagers; Prevention including improving sex and relationships education
and access to contraception; and support for teenage parents.  The strategy
can be found at: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/health/teenagepregnancy

Anthea Lipsett
Tuesday February 26, 2008
EducationGuardian.co.uk

Advocacy groups today welcomed the government's review of sex education in schools, but warned that putting sex into the context of relationships was paramount in cutting the UK's soaring rates of teenage pregnancy.

Announcing the review of sex and relationship education (SRE) yesterday, the schools minister, Jim Knight, and children's minister, Beverley Hughes, said SRE had improved but delivery was still "patchy".

The UK has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe and ministers have repeatedly tried to tackle the problem.

More 

"You don't see the bad bits"

"It sends the message to girls that you can not worry about contraception and if you get pregnant, never mind, you can just give the baby away."

Katie Byers, 16, from Newbury, Berkshire, is due to have her second child this summer.

More from the Mirror 

 

Filmakers (L-R) Karris Harrison aged 12 Natalie Stagg aged 17 Alex McGuire aged 16 Sarah Delahay aged 15 and Laura Seivwright aged 11

MANY of us say we've got a film or a novel in us somewhere - but rarely get the motivation to put one together.

Now a team of young girls from Pill are producing their own picture about teenage pregnancy.

Teenagers from the "Who Cares? We Care!" group are currently writing the script for the movie.

It's hoped, once funding is secured, that the group will be able to employ professional technicians for the 10-minute film.

From South Wales Argus 

I read last week that "if you talk about sex it makes young people have sex". Talk about it, and we go straight out and do it. What a peculiar view of young people. When Brook Advisory Service opened its doors in 1964, lots of people thought that way, but on the whole society has moved on.

Everyone wants young people to be safe, and to have the best start in life. Last week, the government announced new money to increase the use of contraception, particularly long-acting methods such as the contraceptive injection. This welcome investment provides a fresh opportunity to refocus our efforts on improving sexual health.

 

More from the Guardian 

The Sevenoaks District Local Implementation Group, as part of the Kent Teenage Pregnancy Partnership, are increasing their sexual health promotions during Contraceptive Awareness Week covering the 11 to 15 February.

More 

Charlie Taylor

Young internet users in Ireland are increasingly exposed to risks because of their tendency to disclose personal information online, a new study says.

The EU Kids Online survey, which has been published to mark Safer Internet Day, indicates that the number of Irish youngsters giving out their names or e-mail addresses rose from 28 per cent in 2006 to 79 per cent in 2007.

From Ireland.com

A massive drive to cut teenage pregnancies was launched yesterday.

Ministers will spend £27million promoting "all methods of contraception" including condoms, the pill, implants and injections, which can last up to five years.

The rate of teenage pregnancies has fallen since the 90s but is still the highest in Western Europe and the second highest in the world.

 More from the Mirror

Feb 7 2008 by Gary Marsh, Cynon Valley Leader

CYNON Valley has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Wales, it has been revealed.

The news comes as figures also show that Wales as a whole has the highest rate in the UK.

Valleys MP Chris Bryant says tackling teenage pregnancy is one of the biggest challenges facing the valleys.

He says action is needed if Britain is to lose its unwelcome title of having the highest rate in Europe.

“Sex education in schools has to be mandatory,” said Mr Bryant.

More from IC Wales 

Raltegravir available in the UK

Raltegravir (Isentress) is now available in the UK.

It belongs to a new class of anti-HIV drugs called integrase inhibitors. It works against a protein that HIV uses to integrate into key CD4 immune system cells.

More from  AidsMap here 

The case for preventing ovarian cancer
In this week's podcast Pam Das discusses the Editorial calling for oral contraceptives to be made more widely available to women 'over the counter'. This is in response to a study showing how long-term use of oral contraceptives is protective against ovarian cancer, discussed by Professor Valerie Beral (University of Oxford, UK). >>

From The Lancet 

 

At least 100,000 deaths from ovarian cancer have been prevented in the UK by the contraceptive pill over 50 years, research has concluded.

The Oxford University team said the pill's rising popularity meant 30,000 new cases will soon be avoided each year, the Lancet reported.

From the BBC 

Nearly half of disadvantaged youngsters start drinking before the age of 13 - with serious consequences for health and crime, research shows.

A poll of youngsters in a national youth programme found 42% started drinking before they were 13, with 29% saying they drink to get drunk.

The survey covered 1,250 members of the Positive Futures scheme, aged between 10 and 19.

 

From the BBC. 

Press release 18th January 2008

Suffolk based, Outreach youth, is celebrating its success in being named as the ‘Best Youth Group’ in the national Pink Paper Readers Awards 2008.

Alex, Outreach youth user, aged 17 said:

“We were really pleased to be nominated but to be voted the best in the whole of the UK , by Pink Paper readers, is absolutely amazing.

It is an acknowledgement of the work and effort that young people and youth workers put into the project and the benefit it has for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people”

Andy, Outreach youth worker said:

“To come first against well established national and regional youth projects is superb, particularly by highlighting the needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender young people and those questioning their sexuality in Suffolk .

We look forward to continuing to work with our partners to ensure that every GLBTQ youth matters in Suffolk ”.

OUTREACH youth is a voluntary youth led project that supports and works with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people across Suffolk .

Established in March 2004 the project provides drop in sessions for GLBTQ young people to meet, where they can obtain support, access information and advice and are able to be themselves.

The project also offers one to one support, awareness raising sessions for young people and professionals – plus the opportunity for young people to be at the centre of the projects development.

ENDS

For further information contact

Andy Fell

OUTREACH youth worker – via outreach_ipswich@hotmail.com

"Brook and a group of young people are developing designs for a logo that will be used by all health services that meet the You're Welcome quality standard for being young people friendly.

You can help decide which logo will be used nationally, by giving us feedback on the designs. Please take a few minutes to check out the ideas, and let us know which ones you like and why. We'd also like to know whether you prefer the words "You're Welcome" or "Young People Friendly", or if you'd prefer other words or a different slogan."

 Young people can go here to get involved.

The Terrence Higgins Trust is advertising a competition for young people to share their ideas for teaching other young people about sex and relationships. The THT Young Leaders Project is running a small grant scheme for young people to create their own SRE (sex & relationship education) projects.

The projects can involve STIs, relationships, contraception, risk taking, sexuality, media influences etc. Young people need to come up with some innovative & creative ideas on how to educate their friends, develop the idea with support of their youth club, school or other organisation and make an application. THT Young Leaders Project will then give a grant to those applications they like. For more info, guidance and to download an application visit the website.

What is in store for the week?

 

Researching the new man

"[FPA] commissioned an exciting new opinion poll, revealing what men's attitudes really are about contraception. We'll publish them on the 11 February.

The New Man Contra Quiz

How long have condoms been around for? How do you take the contraceptive pill? What do you do if you put a condom on inside out? Not just for the guys, anyone can take the Contra Quiz  so find out how much you know.

Free campaign packs

                 

Each year fpa supports health and other professionals by distributing free campaign packs so they can get involved in their local area. The packs contain a range of exciting and informative material including posters, banners, a professional briefing and leaflets from fpa’s comprehensive range."

View the black and green website poster

View the black and blue website poster

View the blue and purple helpline poster

View the blue and green helpline poster

Contacts for the week

To order a campaign pack
For general information about the week
If you are a journalist with an enquiry about the week

ONLINE VERSION NOW AVAILABLE - CLICK HERE

You can now direct young people to take part in our sexual health services questionnaire. It's live and ready on this site now.

The questionnaire is designed to help services in Suffolk work towards removing the barriers to access. 

Services provided:

• Sexual health and contraception advice
• Free contraception including emergency contraception, condoms, pill
• IUCD and Implant fitting
• Advice and referral for termination of pregnancy
• Cervical smears
• Pregnancy testing
• Chlamydia screening for people aged 15 - 25

Under 20s Drop In Clinics – no appointment necessary
Young peoples’ contraceptive advice

Saturday 10.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.
Monday 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Wednesday
1.30 p.m. – 4.30 p.m. Pre-booked appointments
4.30 p.m. – 5.30 p.m. Drop In hour
5.30 p.m. – 6.30 p.m. Pre-booked appointments
Thursday
4.30 p.m. – 5.30 p.m. Drop In hour
5.30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Pre-booked appointments

Kittywitches Centre
156 King Street
Great Yarmouth
Norfolk
NR30 2PA

01493 331914

 

From the BBC News website.

The government has played down reports that the contraceptive pill will be available over the counter.

It comes after health minister Lord Darzi said a pilot scheme would look at pharmacists offering the pill.

But the Department of Health said the scheme would involve training pharmacists in England to prescribe the pill in the same way a GP would.

Many campaigners welcomed the move to widen access, pointing out the UK has high rates of teenage pregnancy.

Figures are twice as high as in Germany, three times as high as in France and six times as high as in the Netherlands.

The pill is currently only available with a prescription, but pharmacies are able to dispense "the morning after pill" without a doctor's signature.

Read full article