Nexplanon contraceptive implant
Laura Donnelly reports for The Telegraph, Jan. 26, 2015, that girls as young as 10 have been given the contraceptive implant by the UK’s National Health Service, raising concerns by doctors about the long-term effects of the powerful hormones on pre-teen girls.
The contraceptive implant is a small flexible tube about 40mm long which is inserted under the skin of the upper arm, and works by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary by releasing progestogen into the body. It is inserted by a trained professional, such as a doctor and lasts for three years. Makers of the leading implants, Nexplanon, said the contraceptive’s “efficacy” had only been established in women aged between 18 and 40.
NHS trusts said the decision had been taken in “exceptional circumstances” and in order to safeguard a child, or for health reasons.
But Freedom of Information disclosures from 61 of 160 NHS trusts show that in the last 5 years, almost 10,000 slow-acting implants have been placed in girls below 16, the age of consent, despite the fact the implants have never been tested on under-18s. The 10,000 implants include:
- At least two girls aged 10, in University Hospitals of Leicester trust, East Lancashire NHS trust, and South Devon Healthcare Foundation Trust .
- 56 girls aged 12 or younger.
- 281 cases involving girls of 13.
- More than 3,000 cases involved girls of 14.
- 6,000 implants given to 15-year-olds.
The NHS trusts declined to describe the circumstances of the cases, citing patient confidentiality. The Department of Health said such cases were “extremely rare” and likely to result from doctors acting on serious concerns about exploitation or abuse.
Norman Wells, from the Family Education Trust, said: “This casual and relaxed attitude towards underage sex is exposing young people to the most horrendous abuse. The fact that the safety of these implants has not been established for girls under the age of 18 in itself means that health professionals are taking a massive risk with the immediate and long-term health of these girls.”
Ann Furedi, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service said: “When it comes to cases under the age of 16 doctors have to weigh up the risks versus the benefits.” She said some teenagers might end up having implants because they have requested them and intend to be sexually active and doctors felt it was the best way to protect them. Younger cases might well involve those vulnerable to sexual exploitation, perhaps because of learning disabilities. “I would expect any doctor to scrutinise the situation very seriously,” she said.
Dr Angela Lennox, a Leicester GP said she was concerned about the long-term effects of providing hormones to children who had not yet reached puberty, but said situations such as severe learning difficulties could make a child very vulnerable.
Brian Clowes of Human Life International tells OneNewsNow while the health impact on little girls isn’t known, manufacturers do list more than 50 side effects for adults, “Everything from deep vein thrombosis, blood clots, death, growing hair all over the body, and so on. I just find it ridiculous. We’re against steroid use in sports but we’re willing to pump our little ten-year-old girls full of steroids like this.”
The United Nations and groups associated with it are pushing the agenda even further throughout much of Europe and also into Third World countries, where moral values are much more in line with the Bible than they are in Europe and the United States. Clowes says many of those countries are tired of having conflicting sexual and moral values pushed on them.
A reader of One News Now, sargeant rock, wrote this interesting comment:
Well with their [UK’s] Muslim population and tolerance, they are making them ready for Muslim child marriage…
H/t FOTM’s MomOfIV
See also:
- Birth control pills linked to 30% increased risk of multiple sclerosis
- Women who took birth control pills for more than 3 years double the risk of glaucoma
- Birth control pills and other chemicals producing intersex Franken-fish
~Éowyn
