Teen Pregnancy Epidemic... Pharmacies Won't Stock Condoms, Pills

A region of New South Wales in Australia is experiencing an epidemic of teen pregnancies. Do you suppose that there is any connection between this and the fact that the areas hardest hit have pharmacies that don't stock things like condoms or birth control pills? Nahh....

News.com reports:

The Hunter Valley town of Merriwa is so concerned about the high rate it has asked for emergency government funding to boost health sources and sexual education. There is little support for young mothers, and Merriwa's only pharmacy refuses to stock condoms or supply the morning-after pill.

Brianna Melehan, who was 19 when she gave birth to her daughter, Shakira, believes she wouldn't have become pregnant if she hadn't moved from the central coast to Merriwa. "I wouldn't give up my daughter for the world, but I wouldn't have had her if I was on the coast," she said. Ms Melehan said she asked local pharmacist Mark Smith to stock a particular contraception, but he refused.

Mark Smith doesn't stock birth control for "personal ethical reasons," and in part because of his "personal" ethics, more teenagers are getting pregnant than otherwise would. Perhaps he should be forced to help care for all the extra children running around now... unless he has "personal ethical reasons" not to care about the consequence of his ethical choices.

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