LEIGH'S pro-life campaigners have accused chemists dispensing the morning after pill of becoming front-line abortionists.

They claim that it will leave teenage girls more at risk from sexual abuse and under greater pressure to have casual sex.

Protesters from the Leigh branch of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children have distributed leaflets warning of the dangers of the drug outside local pharmacies.

But chemists hit back, saying the pills were not dished out to anyone and that full protocol had to be followed.

The SPUC protest followed the government's reclassification of the morning after pill as a drug available from chemists without a prescription.

They are now available over the counter to women over 16, and the pharmacist, not a doctor, will be responsible if anything goes wrong.

Branch organiser Lawrence Hawkins said: "The morning after pill can cause an early abortion.

"To present it as the government does as emergency contraception is dishonest and misleading. Not to inform women of this vital fact is an insult. The morning after pill is a potent drug and is intended to work by preventing a newly conceived human embryo from implanting in his or her mother's womb. This is turning chemists into front line abortion providers."

The campaigners are also concerned about the potential health risks to women and girls.

Lawrence said: "Pharmacists will not have access to a woman's medical history and her GP will not be informed unless she has specifically requested that this happen. Common sense suggests that the easy availablity of the morning after pill will leave teenage girls more at risk of sexual abuse and under greater pressure to engage in casual sex.

"There is no evidence that the new scheme will reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. The 1990s saw a five-fold increase in prescriptions for the morning after pill, yet over the same period the overall rate of abortion arose."

A spokesman for Leigh Boots the Chemist said: "The pill is now on sale for £19.99 and there have been a few requests.

"I can assure people it is not dished out freely. We have a whole protocol to follow and if there is any doubt the matter is referred to a doctor."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain said: "We are confident that the provision of emergency hormonal contraception in this way will make an important contribution to the prevention of unplanned pregnancy. The majority of our profession want to provide this service in the interests of society as part of a planned, co-ordinated approach to improving sexual health.

"Pharmacists are already responsible for managing the safe and effective supply to the public of many medicinal products that were formerly only available on prescription.

"We appreciate the sensitive and strong views that inform the debate on emergency contraception. The Society's Code of Ethics allows pharmacists to follow their own conscience in such matters while ensuring that patients have access to services. The society's council has set standards for the supply."