PRO-LIFE campaigners are distributing hard-hitting leaflets to Fylde-area customers of Boots The Chemist slamming the contentious morning-after pill.

They are also targeting the Government for making pharmacists "front-line abortion providers".

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) is horrified that pharmacists are now being asked to issue morning-after pills on their own authority, and are determined to alert the public to the dangers of this new ruling.

Supporters of the society have been handing out thousands of leaflets outside local chemists, including Boots, in an attempt to fully explain the impact that the pill has on the body and conception.

Kathleen Johnson, SPUC Blackpool branch organiser, explained: "The morning-after pill can cause an early abortion. To present it, as the government does, as 'emergency contraception' is dishonest and misleading. Not to inform women of this vital fact is an insult.

"The morning-after pill is a potent drug and is intended to work by preventing a newly conceived human embryo from implanting in his or her mother's womb. This is turning chemists into front-line abortion providers."

The leaflets accuse the Government of deceiving women, taking lives and leaving young girls more vulnerable. The local pro-life campaigners are also concerned about the potential health risks to women and girls, as Kathleen Johnson explained: "Pharmacists will not have access to a woman's medical history, and her GP will not be informed unless she has specifically requested that this happen.

"Moreover, common sense suggests that easy availability of the morning-after pill will leave teenage girls more at risk of sexual abuse and under greater pressure to engage in casual sex."

Boots spokeswoman Janice Vickers supported the new role of pharmacists and the over-the-counter sale of the pill by commenting: "Boots believe that pharmacists have a key role in providing this kind of service. We also feel it is important for women to have access to contraceptive products and advice as and when they need it.

"At Boots, we want to do all we can to give women the advice and information they need to make an informed choice."

Blackpool North MP Joan Humble commented : "The morning-after pill is a very powerful medication and shouldn't be taken by women without a good deal of careful thought.

"It is very important that women have choices about their reproductive health and there is concern about the high number of teenage pregnancies in Britain. We must, however, also look at the sex education that is provided in schools and what other support is available."