The move by Baroness Young, the Tory peer, was thrown out after opposition from across the political spectrum, including two bishops, according to The Times newspaper. Liberal Democrats and Labor peers argued that it was better that girls take the pill rather than risk an abortion or an unwanted pregnancy. The measure was defeated Monday night by a vote of 177 to 95.
Lady Young had complained that girls as young as 14 were buying the morning-after pill Levonelle-2 over the counter without a prescription, putting their health at risk. She said that ministers should be promoting abstinence instead.
The so-called morning-after pill can, in fact, be abortifacient, since it impedes a fertilized ovum from implanting in the wall of the uterus.
