From Mrs M. E. M. Martin, MRPharmS
SIR,—What upsets people with religious convictions about the "morning after pill" is that fertilisation of an ovum could have occurred.
The fact that it has not implanted is immaterial. I would not have gone in for pharmacy if I saw selling this tablet as part of my job.
In the 1950s my forensic pharmacy textbook stated that no "noxious" substances that could bring on an abortion could be sold.
The fact is that Britain is supposed to be a Christian country, and most of our laws are based on this. Other religions abhor taking of life, too, and this includes euthanasia.
Kids do need to be taught morals. Marriages can break down because of casual sex. Young people can be put under peer pressure to have sex before marriage.
Other hormonal contraceptives prevent fertilisation in the first-place, and hence no human life has started. In any case, a doctor should be involved in this.
My religion forbids all artificial contraception, and I would advise customers to see a doctor anyway, and take sensible precautions.
Abortion is a different matter, as is euthanasia. It is not only Christians that believe this.
Margaret Martin
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire