There is concern at the plans to allow teens to stockpile birth control.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has said under-25s, including those under the age of consent, should have better access to emergency contraception.
The plans, aimed at reducing teenage pregnancies in England, say suitably qualified nurses, including school nurses, should have the ability to dispense free emergency contraceptive pills in accordance with patient group directions (PGDs).
Nice states free condoms should also be “readily accessible” for young men and women at places such as “schools, colleges and youth clubs”.
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Handing out contraception in advance of intercourse is not uncommon but women could now be able to obtain the morning-after pill in bulk on the NHS for the first time.
(Picture: AP/Findlay Kember)
It is really important that sexual health services offering information and advice can be found in places where young people have access to them.
Evidence clearly shows that the availability of contraception reduces the rate of unwanted pregnancies.
Local planners and providers of services must make sure that what they offer is right for their area.
However there has been some criticism of the plans, with Josephine Quintavalle, from the pressure group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, telling the Telegraph: "I think it is really worrying and deeply unwise.
"Having a stockpile of the morning-after pill on hand is a licence for unprotected sex, and that puts young women at increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases."
