§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has concerning the rate of sterility caused by infections among women who have had abortions.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe information requested is not collected centrally.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has concerning the number of licensed abortion agencies which currently routinely screen potential clients for chlamydia infection.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe information requested is not routinely collected. We are aware, however, that some50W pregnancy advice agencies test their clients for chlamydia infection prior to the insertion of intrauterine devices and in connection with infertility treatment.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement outlining the steps which have been taken by his Department to reduce the incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease and tubal blockage following chlamydia infection during abortion.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe form of treatment in an individual case is a matter for the clinical judgment of the doctor concerned.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to the Brook advisory service and other abortion agencies in the last 20 years about the need routinely to screen in advance for chlamydia their potential abortion clients and to prescribe, where appropriate, a course of antibiotics; and what steps he has taken to ensure that these guidelines are followed.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe Brook advisory service is not registered as a pregnancy advice bureau. No such guidance has been issued to Brook or any registered bureaux. The appropriateness of any particular test in an individual case is a matter for the clinical judgment of the doctor concerned.