Whoops! Did we admit contraception doesn't work?

The problem for the writers of a document like the Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment of the proposed prohibition of abortion is that in their enthusiasm, they can take their eye off the ball and make admissions that call into question other Government policies.
Key abortion service providers and organisations including the BMA, the fpa and the Nursing and Midwifery Council believe that the impact of greater use of contraceptives or changing to more effective forms of contraception on reducing unintended pregnancies would be limited in practice. According to the ONS report on Contraception and Sexual Health: 2003, 75 per cent of women aged 16-49 use contraception. Furthermore an analysis of consultations by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service involving over 32,000 women seeking abortions which included assessing the contraception method used at the time of conception) shows that over 68 per cent claimed to have been actively using contraception. Most unintended pregnancies are therefore thought to be a result of contraception failures due to user errors or due to product failures. (Section 4.10.2)
So greater use of contraception will have a limited impact on reducing unintended pregnancy. Some of us have been saying this for many years. Indeed the figures speak for themselves. But don't expect a change in Government policy on teenage pregnancy or sex education any time soon.

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