Clare Hanbury

Sexual Health Talk

Have a listen to this!

I am a guest expert for Gen Y guide Sarah Newton who did this 20 minute interview with me on sexual health. The audio is for the resources page on the Fink blog site. Fink is all about great family communication and there's lots of great stuff on the site. 

Sarah Newton interviews Clare Hanbury

Text school nurses for morning after pill: what do you think?

Oxford pupils to text school nurse for morning after pill (Times online)
"Schoolgirls will be able to request the morning-after pill by text message to their school nurse as part of a scheme being introduced this year. Six schools in Oxfordshire are to take part in the project after a rise in the number of teenage pregnancies in the county.”

So will it work? Will texting the school nurse for the morning after pill really reduce teenage pregnancies?

My view is that children should be able to access emergency contraception and using a text is just one way to alert the school nurse that they need it and want it and will be coming to collect it. For some girls it’ll be a positive and responsible choice to access emergency contraception in this way. For others it’ll be something they do at a time when they are fraught with fear maybe following abuse or an attack during which unprotected sex took place. For others, it’ll be something that enables them or their partner to have unprotected sex without too much worry or concern. Easier access may even contribute to pressuring girls TO have unprotected sex when they may not want it.

As a strategy to reduce teenage pregnancies? Sorry...absolutely NO!

Sex Education and Young People

Many teachers, parents and health professionals are scared stiff about sex education...its getting better BUT many of the messages and strategies to promote good sexual health....are piecemeal and that if we can work WITH young people and figure out a plan to deliver the complete package, we could get onto a better set of the starting blocks with this issue...

(By the way the basic pattern of this strategy is also used in my post about diet, I've used this pattern with many health related issues. It really seems to work. Let me know what you think...)

Here's a suggestion. What do you think?

OK, so the dream is that young people have sex when they feel ready (and no earlier) and that those who are having sex, practice safer sex, protect themselves from an unwanted pregnancy and know what to do if or when there's a problem.

Our young solutions are divided into 4 chunks of things we need or want or things we can help with - to make this dream happen...