§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure, in accordance with the advice of the United States Food and Drugs Administration, that all supplies of birth control pills shall be accompanied by a leaflet giving a warning of the possible dangers.]
§ BARONESS LLEWELYN-DAVIES OF HASTOEMy Lords, Her Majesty's Government do not consider that this would be desirable. Oral contraceptives are available only if prescribed or supplied by a doctor. It is the doctor's professional responsibility to give the patient any advice or warning that he considers necessary.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, while thanking ray noble friend, may I ask whether she will bear in mind (I hope that the Government's view will be reconsidered) that this advice was given after a most important Congressional conference in the United States of America, to which the most expert in this field gave evidence? Therefore, the Answer which the noble Baroness has just given me—
§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (LORD SHACKLETON)My Lords, I wonder whether I might interrupt the noble Baroness. If she asks a question inviting one of my noble friends to bear something in mind, it is not an interrogative question.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, I am sorry that I am not sufficiently perfectionist for my noble friend—
§ LORD SHACKLETONFor the House of Lords.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILL—but may I try again? I feel that this is wasting a lot of time and I was just finishing. Will my noble friend bear in mind the fact that this whole question has been fully considered in the United States and, as a result of that consideration, this decision has been reached? May I ask her also whether it is not a fact that the women whom we have to bear in mind are generally young and very often have had a large number of children? Would she not therefore agree with me that they should have special protection?
§ BARONESS LLEWELYN-DAVIES OF HASTOEMy Lords, in answer to the last part of my noble friend's question, I am all for women being given special protection, but I am not in favour of taking away their freedom of choice. That is where the difference lies between us and my noble friend. With regard to the first part of the question, the F.D.A. advise the American Government and not my right honourable friend. Her Majesty's Government have very great confidence in their own expert advisers, and this is the advice, allied with mutual co-operation with the United States, on which we rely.
§ BARONESS GAITSKELLMy Lords, arising out of my noble friend's question, would the Minister agree that if we wish to give special protection to young women the medical profession might do more research about deaths during pregnancy?
§ BARONESS LLEWELYN-DAVIES OF HASTOEMy Lords, if I may speak about the protection issue, I would not agree that Her Majesty's Government should dictate to the research bodies on what they ought specifically to research into. I believe that on this matter their advice is good. But on protection, again, I do not think that young women need any more protection than older women on this kind of subject. I insist on our point of view that there are various methods of contraception, some of which may be good or bad in the sense of what is personally preferable, and I think that women, on the advice of their doctors— and this is the point—ought to be allowed to choose which methods they use.