Here's a brief summary of where my questions stem from:
I am a final year pharmacy student currently studying in Scotland. During a shift working in a pharmacy a young girl aged 14 came into the pharmacy and requested the morning after pill (for anyone who may not know, the morning after pill is a free one time pill that will, ~80% of the time, prevent fertilization, therefore preventing pregnancy even after unprotected sex).
Also to inform you the legal age for sex in the UK is 16, if it is different where you live then presume that the girl was 2 years below the minimum age.
The girl went in for a consultation with the pharmacist and was found to pass all the criteria which is required in order to receive the pill (had unprotected sex, wasn't on any other relevant medication, etc etc). It turns out that she had been fooling around while a bit drunk with her also 14 year old boyfriend and the condom they used burst. After a discussion between myself and the pharmacist it was decided that to supply her with the pill was legal. In Scotland it is legal to provide the pill to 13 year olds and above as long as the pharmacist does not deem the situation to be inappropriate, such as if the boyfriend had been significantly older or abuse may have been suspected, WITHOUT the need to inform the parents or guardian.
Now there is a whole heap of ethical and moral questions here but there are two i want to ask of my fellow escapists.
1. Was this the right decision? (should the parents have been informed? should she have been declined the pill due to being underage)
2. Should the government be encouraging underage sexual activity by not only providing the morning after pill but also by not having any form of punishment doing so. (we did not inform the authorities as it was deemed to be "appropriate")
I am a final year pharmacy student currently studying in Scotland. During a shift working in a pharmacy a young girl aged 14 came into the pharmacy and requested the morning after pill (for anyone who may not know, the morning after pill is a free one time pill that will, ~80% of the time, prevent fertilization, therefore preventing pregnancy even after unprotected sex).
Also to inform you the legal age for sex in the UK is 16, if it is different where you live then presume that the girl was 2 years below the minimum age.
The girl went in for a consultation with the pharmacist and was found to pass all the criteria which is required in order to receive the pill (had unprotected sex, wasn't on any other relevant medication, etc etc). It turns out that she had been fooling around while a bit drunk with her also 14 year old boyfriend and the condom they used burst. After a discussion between myself and the pharmacist it was decided that to supply her with the pill was legal. In Scotland it is legal to provide the pill to 13 year olds and above as long as the pharmacist does not deem the situation to be inappropriate, such as if the boyfriend had been significantly older or abuse may have been suspected, WITHOUT the need to inform the parents or guardian.
Now there is a whole heap of ethical and moral questions here but there are two i want to ask of my fellow escapists.
1. Was this the right decision? (should the parents have been informed? should she have been declined the pill due to being underage)
2. Should the government be encouraging underage sexual activity by not only providing the morning after pill but also by not having any form of punishment doing so. (we did not inform the authorities as it was deemed to be "appropriate")