Birth control denial is a bitter pill

London: Doctors could be struck off for refusing to give contraceptive pills to women who aren't married.

New guidelines from the General Medical Council (GMC) state that it would be ‘discriminatory' for doctors not to prescribe either the pill or morning-after pill just because they don't believe in sex outside of marriage.

The rules have angered senior Catholic bishops and campaigners.

Critics fear the guidelines will marginalise Christian doctors with strong moral beliefs. They warn the rules will affect a ‘significant number' of doctors who will be pressurised to carry out treatment.

The draft GMC guidelines, entitled ‘Personal Beliefs and Medical Practice', tells professionals they ‘cannot be willing to provide married women with contraception but unwilling to prescribe it for unmarried women'.

They continue: ‘This would be a breach of our guidance as you would be refusing to treat a particular group of patients.'

The rules state it is also against the law for doctors to refuse to carry out ‘gender reassignment', as it too counts as discriminating against a certain group.

Doctors are warned ‘serious or persistent failure to follow this guidance will put your registration at risk'.

But Bishop Tom Williams of the Archdiocese of Liverpool warned the guidelines risked creating an ‘atmosphere of fear' where doctors would be ‘prohibited from ever expressing their own religion'.