Why is the Government trying to close an 'outstanding' sexual health centre?

Closures of sexual health centres could lead to an increase in teen pregnancies Photo: Alamy (posed by model)

Contraception. Chances are you’ve used it or directly benefited from someone else who has. Available in various forms, it enables women to avoid unwanted pregnancy and to make independent choices about their lives.

Here in the UK we are hugely privileged to have access to a plethora of safe, effective and free methods of birth control, with millions of attendances for contraceptive care made every year.

But despite this we still have one of the highest rates of teen conceptions in Europe, over 180,000 abortions were carried out in the UK in 2014 and GPs have expressed their frustrations at not having adequate time and resources to prescribe contraception appropriately.

So what if access to contraceptive services for UK women was set to be limited even further?

“Closure of the Margaret Pyke centre would mean the loss of a high quality, dedicated service that has taken decades to develop.”

Why is the Government trying to close an "outstanding" sexual health centre?

Why the GOP Wants to Shut Down the Government Over Women's Health

Far-right lawmakers in Congress want to stop federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood, where the money is used to subsidize contraception and other reproductive health care needs. Ted Cruz is one of the most vocal advocates for shutting down the government again if any federal funding for Planned Parenthood is included in the new budget. He among other Congress members say they’re reacting to unproven allegations against Planned Parenthood that came to light in a series of “sting” videos released by an anti-abortion action group, among them, the claim that Planned Parenthood has been profiting from fetal tissue donation.

Why the GOP Wants to Shut Down the Government Over Women"s Health