SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit Press Release: 15/01/04

Scottish Socialist Party MSP calls for equal access to sexual health education and services.

Scottish Socialist Party Health Spokesperson Carolyn Leckie, commenting on the Executive's Sexual Health Strategy, today called on the Scottish Executive to commit enough resources through core funding to enshrine the rights of all to comprehensive sex and relationships education throughout their life.

Carolyn said;

"In supporting the aims of the Sexual Health Strategy, we must also understand that, without the eradication of poverty and gender inequality, our achievements will be limited.

"I am concerned that the local consultations to which the strategy refers might lead to unequal access and provision.

"That must be tackled head on.

"Every child and person in the country, no matter what school they go to or what community they live in, should have equal access to advice and provision."

Carolyn specifically called for women to be given equal access to terminations and an end to the ability of individual consultants to frustrate access to terminations on the basis of their own value judgements.

She said that every woman should have access to termination services within one week and that women and staff should be free from harassment.

Carolyn said that there was a particular need to cater for women suffering from domestic violence; the last thing they need is being obstructed from obtaining a termination beyond the 1st trimester. Carolyn called for 24 hour availability of emergency contraception which should be free.

Ms Leckie took to task politicians who were critical of women who have children at a young age.

Carolyn said; "We should not blame young women individually and tar them as irresponsible.

"I have looked after a lot of these young women in my career as a midwife; they have impressed me enormously with their stoicism, maturity and commitment to their responsibility.

"Lots of these young women show wonderful commitment in dealing with the situation in which they find themselves.

"Instead of blaming them and seeing them as irresponsible, we should blame the sort of society that leads a significant number of women in their teenage years to conclude that the only way for them to feel valued or important is to become a mother."

On attitudes towards sex Carolyn said;

"We must tackle the double standards in our society whereby sex is regarded as a matter of titillation to be sniggered at.

"At worst, sex can be used by men to abuse and have power over women. "Tabloid newspapers compete to have the most provocative front page on which women are reduced to body parts, with their faces often not shown.

"The general portrayal of sex is that it is something that is done to women – and the younger the better – by men.

"Such attitudes to sex are a monumental problem for society.

"They place huge pressure on everybody, particularly the most vulnerable; they distort relationships and contribute to young people's negative experiences."