Sue Axon believes parents have a right to be told

The FPA's Nathalie Lieven spoke at the case of a Manchester woman Sue Axon, who wants to stop under-16s seeking confidential contraception advice.

Ms Lieven said parents had no right to know if their daughter is pregnant.

Mr Justice Silber, sitting in London, reserved judgment in the case until a later date.

Mrs Axon has told the hearing she regrets a termination she had herself that caused her "guilt, shame and depression".

There is no doubt whatsoever that a child has a right to confidentiality Nathalie Lieven, FPA

She launched her legal challenge more than a year ago and stressed her two teenage daughters had not sought abortions and that she was bringing the case "as a matter of principle".

It emerged on Thursday her 16-year-old daughter, Joy, is expecting a baby.

The divorced, single mother of five from Baguley, said parents need to know if their children seek abortions so they can advise them in times of crisis.

Current guidelines state terminations can take place without parents' consent and doctors should respect girls' privacy.

Lawyers for Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt are defending the guidelines, saying the right of confidentiality enjoyed by under-16s is crucial in reducing teenage pregnancies and improving sexual health.

'Assertion of rights'

Mrs Axon's QC Philip Havers said the public would find the FPA view on the rights of parents "astonishing".

But Ms Lieven urged the court to dismiss Mrs Axon's application for judicial review, saying: "There is no doubt whatsoever that a child has a right to confidentiality."

She said that a parents' rights "cannot override a child's rights", and that the best interests of the child "are paramount".

"Why then should a child search for help from a doctor in confidence, only to have that overturned by a parents' assertion of rights?," she said.

"How could it possibly be in the best interests of the child?

"How can parental rights trump the right of the child, in that situation, to get the help she needs."

Mr Havers described the FPA submissions as "astonishing".

"I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of people in this country would support the proposition that, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the best judges of a child's welfare are his or her parents," he said.