South Birmingham Primary Care Trust is paying 5,000 to send daily texts to 300 women aged 15 to 25 for seven pill cycles.
This enraged Professor Scarisbrick, quoted by BBC News Online: "It will lead to increased promiscuity, more sexually-transmitted diseases and, ultimately, more unhappiness."
Chris Spencer-Jones, director of public health at the trust, disagreed, viewing it as a modern-day "knot in the handkerchief", with the aim to "reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in the younger age groups who have adopted texting as a way of life".
To protect their privacy, the women will be sent messages in code, such as "walk the dog" or "call Alex", according to the Daily Express.
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