Municipalities Ignore Contraceptive Guidelines

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has recommended -- but not required -- that municipal governments hand out condoms and birth control pills to anyone under 20 years of age, in order to curb rising numbers of teen pregnancies and STD's.

Other recommendations include testing anyone under 25 for chlamydia if they come to a clinic for contraceptives. The Ministry also wants to lower the tax on condoms.

All of these are non-binding suggestions, and few municipalities are willing to volunteer the money for such programmes. Dan Apter, of the Family Federation, says that the government needs to use more direct pressure. The Family Federation (Väestöliitto) is a partially state-funded NGO in the social and health sector.

"If it's left to the municipalities to decide for themselves, then it won't necessarily be implemented very well," he says. "Some of the recommendations might require a change in the law - meaning action from the state government."