§ Mr. Richard Page (Hertfordshire, South-West)I have the honour to beg leave to present to the House a petition signed by approximately 1,000 of my constituents of south-west Hertfordshire. For the convenience of the House, I beg leave also to present petitions from the constituents of Richmond and west Dorset and from south and upper Norwood.
These petitions are of a similar nature to the 17 that were presented last Friday, and in turn draw attention to the anxiety felt by the petitioners over the revised Health Service notice, section G, issued in 1980, which advises doctors that they may provide contraceptive drugs or devices to girls under the age of consent without their parents being consulted.
The petitioners feel that the family unit is the fundamental building block of our society and the revised notice weakens that building block.
The petition concludes by urging the hon. Members of this House that
they should therefore urge the Home Secretary that he should recommend to the House that parents must be given statutory rights to be consulted before any contraceptive drugs or devices be given to their daughters whilst they are under 16; thus enabling parents to take whatever action they think necessary to protect their daughters from early and unlawful sexual relationships, and the criminal actions of the males involved.
§ To lie upon the Table.
9.37 am§ Mr. Stefan Terlezki (Cardiff, West)I beg leave to present a petition on behalf of my constituents of Cardiff, West, from whom there are approximately 1,300 signatures, and also on behalf of my hon. Friends the Members for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Mrs. Knight) and Slough (Mr. Watts). The petitioners pray
that the Honourable Members of the House of Commons should bear in mind, that according to Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights "The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by Society and the State." We ask that they should therefore urge the Home Secretary that he should recommend to the House that Parents must be given statutory rights to be consulted before any contraceptive drugs or devices be given to their daughters whilst they are under 16; thus enabling parents to take whatever actions they think necessary to protect their daughters from early and unlawful sexual relationships, and the criminal actions of the males involved.
§ To lie upon the Table.
9.39 am§ Mr. Gwilym Jones (Cardiff, North)I beg leave to present an identical petition to that presented by my hon.
1094 Friend the Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Terlezki) from some 540 of my constituents of Cardiff, North, who wish to oppose the 1980 DHSS revised Health Service notice, section G. The petitioners pray
that the Honourable Members of the House of Commons should bear in mind, that according, to Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights "The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by Society and the State." We ask that they should therefore urge the Home Secretary that he should recommend to the House that Parents must be given statutory rights to be consulted before any contraceptive drugs or devices be given to their daughters whilst they are under 16; thus enabling parents to take whatever actions they think necessary to protect their daughters from early and unlawful sexual relationships, and the criminal actions of the males involved.
§ Mr. Tony Favell (Stockport)I beg leave to present a petition containing approximately 1,000 signatures of the constituents of Stockport. It is similar to those petitions already presented this morning by my hon. Friends on behalf of their constituents. I have tabled an early-day motion calling for the withdrawal of the notice referred to in the petition and I urge as many right hon. and hon. Members as see fit to add their names to that early-day motion. I beg leave to present my petition.
§ To lie upon the Table.
9.41 am§ Mr. Richard Alexander (Newark)I have the privilege and honour, Mr. Speaker, to present a petition on behalf of a large number of my constituents. The petitioners draw to the attention of the House their opposition to the Health Service notice referred to by my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. Page)
which advises doctors that they may provide contraceptive drugs or devices to girls under the age of consent without their parents being consulted.I have a daughter who will be 13 next week and I very much sympathise with the sentiments of my petitioners.In conclusion, the final paragraph of the humble petition states:
Wherefore your Petitioners pray that the Hon. Members of the House of Commons should bear in mind that according to Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights "The Family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by Society and the State." We ask that they should therefore urge the Home Secretary that he should recommend to the House that parents must be given statutory rights to be consulted before any contraceptive drugs or devices be given to their daughters whilst they are under 16; thus enabling parents to take whatever actions they think necessary to protect their daughters from early and unlawful sexual relationships, and the criminal actions of the males involved.
§ To lie upon the Table.
9.43 am§ Mr. Ian Wrigglesworth (Stockton, South)I beg leave to present a petition identical to those that have already been introduced. I will not delay the House by reading its contents but I present it on behalf of Mrs. Bridget Novle of 592 Yarm road, Eaglescliffe, Stockton, and 1,000 of my constituents.
§ To lie upon the Table.
9.44 am§ Mr. David Sumberg (Bury, South)I, too, beg leave to present a petition, similar to those presented by other hon. members, on behalf of a considerable number of my constituents in Bury, South.
1095 I, too, will not delay the House further by reading it in full but I associate myself with the petition and I share the anxiety of many of my constituents on the guidelines given to doctors for the prescription of contraceptives to girls under the age of 16. I beg leave to present my petition.
§ To lie upon the Table.
9.45 am§ Mr. Robert Banks (Harrogate)I have the honour to beg leave to present a petition in the name of my constituent, Mrs. Marjorie Kendrew of 4 Manor drive, Harrogate and 139 other signatories. The petition is in exactly the same terms as those presented in the House today. I will not go over the terms which have been already explained save those in which the petitioners
urge the Home Secretary that he should recommend to the House that parents must be given statutory rights to be consulted before any contraceptive drugs or devices be given to their daughters whilst they are under 16; thus enabling parents to take whatever actions they think necessary to protect their daughters from early and unlawful sexual relationships, and these criminal actions of the males involved.
§ To lie upon the Table.
9.46 am§ Mr. Max Madden (Bradford, West)I beg leave to present a petition signed by Winefride Crowley of Selborne Villas, Heaton and 226 of my constituents who oppose the 1980 Revised Health Service Notice, section G, of the Department of Health and Social Security
which advises doctors that they may provide contraceptive drugs or devices to girls under the age of consent without their parents being consulted.
§ To lie upon the Table.