document: Morning-after pill free for teenage girls in Wales Under-age girls can now obtain the morning-after pill free from high street chemists in Wales . Emergency contraception will be given out over the counter as part of an initiative to reduce unplanned pregnancies and abortions . More than 700 community pharmacies will be able to dispense the pill to girls younger than 16 if they believe it is `` clinically appropriate '' , with parts of Wales having some of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe . The move was announced last year so that women and girls would be able to obtain professional advice and services without appointment , within the 72 hours after sex when emergency contraception is most effective . Steve Simmonds of the National Pharmacy Association said : `` The decision in Wales is a clear endorsement of the expertise and unique accessibility of community pharmacy . `` Although this service is already offered in Scotland and in many parts of England , we 'd like to see it everywhere in the UK free of charge . '' The morning-after pill , most commonly Levonelle , is already available free from GP surgeries and sexual health clinics across Britain , and in pharmacies in Scotland and some parts of England . Elsewhere it costs about # 25 . Outside Wales , pharmacists are not supposed to sell emergency contraception to under-16s other than in `` exceptional circumstances '' and are meant to refer girls to a GP instead . Some groups have claimed that the decision to allow Welsh pharmacists to hand out the morning-after pill will encourage irresponsible behaviour , or stop young girls receiving important information from doctors . Josephine Quintavalle , the founder of Comment on Reproductive Ethics , said : `` It 's absolutely the wrong way to address the problems of high rates of teenage pregnancy in Wales . The idea that young girls can just walk into a chemist will mean they become even less responsible about sexuality . '' Dr Marina Arulanandam of the Llandaff Surgery in Cardiff told the BBC : `` It 's important young people know the dangers of unprotected intercourse . `` It 's not just pregnancy they should worry about , it 's Sexually Transmitted Diseases - these are huge problems we need to be addressing and I do n't think the pharmacies will have enough time to do this . '' A spokesman for the Department of Health said : `` Emergency contraception is already free in a range of NHS settings in England but there are no plans to introduce free supply in all pharmacies . Our policy is focused on improving access to more reliable forms of contraception . This has resulted in reducing rates of teenage pregnancies and abortions . `` If people under the age of sixteen feel they are ready for sex , they should have the information and advice they need to make responsible choices . Decisions are best made with a healthcare professional , who can discuss the range of contraceptive methods available . ''
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