The Public Health Ministry will launch a review of laws that act as obstacles to teens gaining access to birth control.
Public Health Minister Pradit Sintawanarong on Thursday said he has assigned a sub-panel developing regulations on reproductive health to look into current rules and regulations that might present hindrances to birth control and lead to unwanted pregnancies among teenagers. These include the law prohibiting the sale of abortifacient drugs (drugs which induce abortion).
If the ban on the sale of abortifacient drugs is reviewed, the sub-panel needs to consult medical colleges to set clear guidelines to control the use of the drugs to prevent misuse of the medicines, said Dr Pradit.
The National Reproductive Health Committee (NRHC) has discussed the issue of unwanted pregnancies and discovered that young people in the formal education system and women in the industrial sector have negative attitudes towards birth control, he said after chairing a meeting of the NRHC.
Dr Pradit said the committee has agreed a strategy to address unwanted pregnancies that would focus on three areas: educating children and young people about measures to prevent unintended pregnancies, using social media to educate teens about preventive measures such as the use of condoms, and making teen health clinics available to give advice on reproductive health to young people.
