Over the counter contraceptive pill for girls of 13.

The worry is that it has been shown that the pill isn't the best contraceptive for young teens. They do not follow the instructions, forget to take it for days on end, but still feel "protected" and take risks. And it doesn't protect them from sexually transmited diseases. Not the best move, to make it freely available, but other ways of preventing early pregnancy and young teens having sex are time consuming, expensive, and involve education, parental responsability, a caring society. We are short changing our young people.

greatnan, i too, think children have sexual feelings from birth. i distinctly remember fancying adult men, and having designs on them, as a small child. but i'm pretty sure we protect children against themselves for good reasons

Bags - when I said I didn't think it was a good idea for young women to have sex on feminist grounds, I meant as opposed to religious or moralistic ones.

Most societies, even our own relatively liberal one, fear and try to control female sexuality. Heavy penalties can be imposed on women who trangress a society's rules in this area. They can be shamed, shunned and branded and it wasn't that long ago that women were incarcerated in mental institutions for 'moral insanity' in this country.

On a more personal level, boys and men often have a 'dirty' attitude to sex which they project on to women, feeling it is alright for them to be promiscuous but despising the women they have casual sex with. The good old double standard.

So because of all of this I feel it is safer for young women to be cautious when considering whether or not to have sex.

This doesn't mean I would withhold contraception from those who decided to go ahead though.

Nature is maturing girls younger (I was 16) age consent 16 now. So law out of line with nature. Mother of a King in Welsh castle was 14 way back. More worries me is pressure (as happened when pill introduced) no longer to say 'No'. Is penetrative sex the most satisfying for females? In my day we were too busy having a childhood/youth and it never crossed my mind. Aren't they missing out on other things? What is the rush? I never took the pill now many women take it for years, will this have a long term effect? Then they don't work unless taken properly or if anti-biotics taken. Surely there is life without sex though you wouldn't think so with much of the media.

My own view is that nature has a natural ratio. Most in a pre-industrial village would be adults. a few elderly, a few babies, the rest all the ages in between. Most 'teenagers' would be mostly in the company of the full range of ages and learn from their elders. Nowadays ages are segregated, from baby nurseries to nursing homes. This means children are mostly in the company of loads of other children so learn less from adults. ie when there were apprenticeships 14-21 a young person would be out of the company of peer group and in an adult world surrounded by more experienced people at that vulnerable 'teenage' stage.

Finally I think all children should have a 'pension' enough for them to be brought up. Having a child young should not result in poverty (in my day adoption) and far preferrable to have that choice and maybe avoid IVF when a lot older. Surely we should embrace nature and not try to control her.

I also worry about the effects of fooling the body that it is pregnant for month after month with the subsequent let down of that not being the case. The natural course of events is not allowed to continue. Surely this must have an effect both physically and possibly psychologically. Has there been a study on this or do the drug companies have a vested interest? I'm just glad that when I was a teenager I could say "no" because I didn't want to risk getting pregnant. No emotional blackmail for me!

I am sorry to go slightly off post but I have just heard my niece is having to go to hospital for an operation. She is 42 and has had problems such as endymetriosis(sorry if spelt wrongly) and she had a coil fitted. It has moved and lodged itself into her bowel.

I told my daughter and I asked her to think very carefully about hers and she told me that it was that or practically nothing as her doctors have refused to give her the pill as she is classed as too old, she is only 36 years old and I am quite shocked.

Have any of you older daughters on the pill please?. Is 36 too old?

As for young girls there are so many scenarios, some of which we would find very hard to accept, that does call for each girl to be assessed individually and onlY a doctor should prescribe the pill. Maybe there could be clinics in town centres that could give advice and help with parental contact etc. These girls need some sort of help away from the closeness of home perhaps but I do know you will not stop them if their mind is made up.

Too old for the pill at 36? . I've never heard of that before - I certainly hope it isn't a new 'guideline' or my own DD is not going to be happy in a couple of years time.....

I was on the pill at 36+, because my ex was too chicken to have the snip!