Morning-after pill free in Welsh pharmacies

Friday, 1 April 2011 12:00 AM

By politics.co.uk staff
The morning-after pill will now be offered for free in pharmacies across Wales.
Health minister Edwina Hart announced the plans in November, saying she wanted professional advice readily available without appointment for young women.
The pill is available free of charge in the UK when proscribed by a doctor, but Wales has become the first country to offer it for free in their pharmacies.
The move has been criticised in some quarters because pharmacists would be able to offer the morning-after pill to under-16 year olds when clinically appropriate.
Wales has some of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the UK, but critics said the move risked distracting from efforts to improve sex education.
Meanwhile, Scotland has introduced free prescriptions for all patients - joining Wales and Northern Ireland.
English patients will still be charged £7.40 for every prescription and critics said English taxpayers will effectively be paying for the prescriptions of Scottish citizens.
The announcements by both devolved administrations come shortly before the May elections and give both the Scottish National Party and the Welsh coalition parties, Plaid Cymru and Welsh Labour, an achievement to highlight during the campaign season.

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