Ugandan lawmakers have rejected a government proposal to allow 15-year-old girls to access birth control pills to reduce high levels of pregnancy.

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa called the idea “devilish”, saying it would “formalise [the] defilement” of girls.

A senior health ministry official said the “stigma” around young people using contraceptives should end.

Nearly a quarter of 15- to 19-year-old girls in Uganda are either pregnant or are already mothers, a survey says.

Source:BBC