A mum has described as “morally wrong” a scheme which allowed her 13-year-old daughter to be given a contraception implant at school without her knowledge.
The unnamed mum said she thinks more parents should be aware that their children could be having the medical procedure.
And Norman Wells, Director of the Family Education Trust, criticised such schemes, warning that they “treat parents, the law and basic moral principles with contempt”.
Angry
Following the concern surrounding the case, it has been revealed that over 4,000 under 16-year-olds had the implant last year – a big leap compared to figures from 2005-06.
Speaking to the Southern Daily Echo the anonymous mum described how she had no idea that her daughter had been given the implant.
She said: “I feel really angry about this. I agree that teaching teenagers about sexual health and contraception is very important but this is a step too far.
“To perform a minor surgical procedure on school grounds, without parents knowing is morally wrong and I think more parents should be aware that their children could be having this procedure.”
Assault
Her daughter has also spoken out and explained that she was advised to speak to her mother but had chosen not to.
Figures reported by national newspapers show that 4,900 teenagers under the age of consent had the implants fitted last year. This is up from 800 in 2005-06.
Responding to the controversy, another mum told BBC Radio 4: “I am sure most parents object to this as an assault on their authority.
“I send my children to school to get an academic education. The age of consent is there for a reason – to protect our daughters.”
Pressure
Norman Wells said: “Schemes like these inevitably lead to boys putting pressure on girls to have sex.
“They can now tell their girlfriends: ‘You can get the school clinic to give you an implant, so you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant.'”
The contraceptive implant consists of 4cm thin flexible tube that is inserted under the skin of the upper arm.
It releases the hormone progestogen to stop the release of an egg from the ovary, thereby preventing pregnancy.