Contraception sheet to go to schools

Press, 23 September 1983, Page 4

Contraception sheet to go to schools

Individual members of the Christchurch branch of the Abortion Law Reform Association will distribute copies of a contraception pamphlet at intermediate schools in Christchurch.

The pamphlet was produced by the Women’s National Abortion Campaign and delivered to schools in Wellington, in spite of a police warning that it might contravene the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act. W.O.N.A.A.C. does not have an active branch in Christchurch, and so the organisation sent copies of the leaflet to two Christchurch groups asking if they would distribute it for the campaign. The two groups were the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand and The Health Alternatives

for Women. A spokeswoman for A.L.R.A.N.Z., Ms Fiona Ocock, said the organisation as a whole would not endorse the pamphlet, but many of its members would distribute it as individuals.

However, the group was not happy with parts of the R'llet distributed by .A.A.C. and would make some changes. “We welcome any move to reduce the number of unwanted schoolgirl pregnancies, and if an informative pamphlet will do this we are in favour of it,” she said.

“There are a few changes we would make, but basically it informs children about how to avoid pregnancies and the methods that will not work and is written in a style that children

understand. We could not favour a pamphlet that encourages children to engage in sexual activity, and would want to see a change in emphasis,” said Ms Ocock.

If the recommendations of the Johnson report on sex education had been introduced, there would be no need to use “a back-door method” of teaching children about contraception, she said. She was not sure if the changes the group proposed to make to the pamphlet would prevent it from contravening the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act.

A spokeswoman for T.H.A.W. said the organisation had not yet decided whether its members should distribute the pamphlet.