THE sexual and reproductive health of British children is the worst in Western Europe. Britain has the highest incidence of teenage pregnancies, with some 100,000 last year alone.

Our children increasingly face the impending, miserable consequences of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) contracted during early sexual activity and promiscuity.

Despite this, the Government intends to make widespread availability of the ECP (Emergency Contraceptive Pill) through local pharmacies/chemists, health centres and school nurses etc. to young girls aged 16 and over without prescription. They claim it will substantially reduce teenage pregnancies over the next several years.

I believe this is unrealistic and untrue. Teenage conceptions will not decrease. On the contrary, the ramifications of such irresponsible and ill-advised legislation will only seek to exacerbate the alarming increase of sexual activity among teenagers and children.

Morning-after pills work in two ways:

1. Preventing ovulation - by preventing ovulation, conception cannot take place.

2. Preventing implantation - conception would normally lead to the tiny embryo implanting itself in the lining of the womb.

The morning-after pill can successfully prevent the implantation of a fertilised egg, thus it is deemed a drug inducing abortifacient. They are designed for use up to 72 hours after intercourse. Very few girls know precisely when they ovulate. It would be impossible, therefore, to determine whether or not conception and/or abortion has taken place.

The morning-after pill is taken in two doses, one 12 hours after the other. If a pharmacist administers the drug they will be unable to supervise the girl. Similarly, if a school nurse distributed the morning-after pill, she will be unable to supervise the ingestion of the second follow-up dosage.

As your 'concerned parent' first pointed out, what is most bewildering is that teachers are required, by law, to supervise medication being taken by pupils, especially paracetamol and asprin. And yet our Government sees fit to administer a highly-powerful steroid drug to young girls via their local chemist or school nurse.

So, you have to ask the question, is your child safe at school? Here is how it works in practice:

1. Your school nurse will exercise authority beyond your control, providing your child with the morning-after pill.

2. The morning-after pill may have serious side effects such as heart failure, nausea, sickness and fatigue, and could lead to adverse drug reaction, deep vein thrombosis and stroke, ectopic pregnancy or fetal abnormality.

3. The morning-after pill causes an early abortion if your daughter is pregnant. Its medical term is drug-inducing abortifacient.

4. You will not be informed if the school nurse, health centre or chemist has given your child the morning-after pill.

5. Last year more than 150 000 new cases of STDs in teenagers were recorded in Britain, the highest incidence so far!

6. Chlamydia infection is reaching epidemic levels among children. Some health clinics have seen as much as 12 per cent of teenagers carrying the infection. Chlamydia is a chief cause of infertility.

These are all issue that most official information appear often to leave out and that begs the question why? As Tony Blair has already stated that he wishes to support the British multi-billion pound pharmaceutical industry by allowing human cloning, could it be that business opportunities are also outweighing any moral or health considerations in this case too?

Matthew J. Sephton, Brookside Avenue, Eccleston.