Condom scheme bid to slash teen pregnancies (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Condom scheme bid to slash teen pregnancies

11:10am Monday 20th July 2009

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CONDOMS are to be dished out free to boys as young as 13 in a bid to slash teenage pregnancy rates and sexually-transmitted diseases.

Plans are in the pipeline to introduce drop-in clinics to schools in north Hampshire where condom cards will be available.

Youngsters will receive advice on contraception and sexual health before being issued with the cards, which entitle them to free condoms.

Chemists who sign up to the card scheme will display stickers in the window where youngsters can flash their cards to receive their packs. The card can also be used at participating youth clubs and doctors’ surgeries.

Gail Greer, a senior health promotion specialist at Hampshire Community Healthcare (HCHC), said it was not simply about handing out free condoms. She said: “To register for the card, they will first have the opportunity to talk to a health professional or a trained adult about their sexual health.”

The scheme is being proposed by Hampshire Teenage Pregnancy Partnership, which includes the NHS and Hampshire County Council. It aims to reduce unwanted pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases among people aged 13-25.

Schools across Hampshire will be asked if they want to open the health and well-being centres that offer the condom card scheme.

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