Teenage pregnancy

Official figures have shown the government’s attempts to reduce teenage pregnancy rates have stalled. The number of 13 to 15-year-olds becoming pregnant rose by 2.5 per cent to 8,076 between 2002 and 2003.

 

This is despite a £138m government campaign, including the confidential provision of free birth control to under-16s.

 

Government Response: Children's minister Beverly Hughes

 

The children's minister, Beverley Hughes responded the figures.

 

She said: "What has become clear is that we cannot make the deep, sustained progress we want to make, particularly at that vulnerable age group, without fully engaging with parents and getting them on board."

 

Opposition Response: The Conservatives

 

Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, said the rise in teenage pregnancies revealed in ONS statistics showed the need for a "radical" shake-up of sexual health education.

 

Claiming the government was failing to meet its sexual health targets, he said: "Public health in this country is fragmented and lacks priority. We need radical change.

 

"I have repeatedly called for a public health programme which gives every child access to a school nurse. We need to empower families, schools, the NHS and local communities to support young people in making positive and responsible decisions. Young people should be helped to resist peer pressure towards early and unprotected sex, drug or alcohol abuse, and smoking."

 

Stakeholder Response: British Pregnancy Advisory Service

 

 

ePolitix consultation on teenage pregnancy

 

bpas – the UK’s leading abortion provider – responds to reports of increase in teenage pregnancy.

 

Ann Furedi, bpas chief executive, said: “It is important to get the discussion on teenage pregnancy into perspective, the increase is very small.

 

“Young people are having sex and they are having difficultly in managing their use of contraception. They need better access to services such as emergency contraception and abortion and better access to advice and support.

 

“There also needs to be better support for those who choose to continue with their pregnancy.”

 

Stakeholder Response: Institute of Education

 

 

Professor Michael Reiss, professor of science education at the Institute of Education and editor of the journal Sex Education, said:

 

“In the UK, the past 15 years have shown little change in the teenage birth rate, despite government targets under both the Conservatives and Labour to reduce teenage pregnancies.

 

“There are various reasons for wanting to reduce teenage pregnancies. Young mothers have babies that are less healthy. They themselves end up with fewer educational qualifications and are more likely to be unemployed or low-waged, to live in poor housing conditions and to suffer from depression.

 

"Their children are more likely to live in poverty, grow up without a father, to do less well at school, become involved in crime, abuse drugs and alcohol, and eventually to become a teenage parent and begin the cycle all over again.

 

“Experience shows that while well-planned, high quality school sex education programmes can reduce teenage pregnancies, on their own they have only a small effect. Beverley Hughes is right when she says that parents need to be brought on board. Young people also need better access to confidential health services and advice.

 

“We should learn from other European countries that spend more time on sex and relationships education with young people. With the increasing sexualisation of the media, avoiding sex education in the hope that this will somehow preserve the innocence of children is a recipe for more teenage pregnancies.

 

“An approach that involves parents, schools and health services can reduce teenage conceptions, help tackle the alarming rise in sexually transmitted infections, and make young people less likely to be pressured into having sexual relationships.”