Blog Comments

It should be as easy to cut the numbers of abortions as it was to reduce drink driving by young men in the 1980s.

This is the message: When we are sufficiently grown up to be closer to someone than sharing a toothbrush, we face a choice of embarrassments - the embarrassment afterwards if we face a conception that either of us cannot face, or the embarrassment at the time of discussing contraception or fertility control.

After perhaps a slightly drunken party, the last thing on anyone's mind is family planning, controlling births or saying no when there is an inarticulate progress towards having it off.

Give people the language and the way to behave, and then the incidence of undesirable outcomes reduces.

There is no reason to go on making the same mistakes week after week - remember that last week, this week and next week over 6,000 people will contribute to conceptions that end in deliberate terminations.

These are sad repetitions that could be cut in number drastically, at no cost and without fuss. The message could be just as simple as suggesting that party hosts could have alcohol-free drink within reach, passengers could pick a designated alcohol-free driver and that those who drink-and-drive should try to choose to either drink or to drive in advance of picking up the keys or the glass.

When Teens and Toddlers consulted young people about the Sex and Relationship Education they were getting at school, they said there was an emphasis on the negative side of pregnancy. They felt that teachers saw pregnancy (and sex) as a “problem” and sexual behaviour among teenagers as “unacceptable”.

They reported resenting the focus on teenage pregnancy and would like to talk about pregnancy in general. In this sense they would prefer to be invited to openly discuss both the positive and negative aspects of pregnancy more openly.

“It doesn’t feel like they really care what’s happening to us, they just don’t want us to get pregnant.” (Teenage participant)

They are telling us that they want more open discussion but in school the aim of sex education was to “scare them” out of having sex. They reported that sex education classes were too large for them to feel comfortable; lacked the opportunity for discussions and were very theoretical in their explanation of sex with no discussion of love, intimacy and relationships.

“People are too scared to get personal – the groups are too big and you can’t say too much about yourself.” (Teenage participant)

There is no evidence to indicate that teaching young people about sexual health issues increases promiscuity or makes early sexual activity more likely. The problem is not that SRE is taught in school, but that it is too limited in its scope. Teens and Toddlers is a highly successful teenage pregnancy prevention intervention with a youth development approach, and focuses on raising the aspirations of young people who see their future life options as being very limited.

It gives them the confidence to say no if that is their choice. But more than anything it teaches young people about the consequences of their actions, about the enormous responsibility of looking after a young child and helps them to make informed choices.

Excellent, a voice of common sense that bucks the trend.

Let's not use the expression "fell pregnant". It implies an accident by one person! I would agree alcohol plays a big part in making the inhibitions less and the daring more.

I am from the UK Youth Parliament and have done a lot of work on our sex and relationships education campaign. We agree something needs to be done about the UK’s extremely high teenage pregnancy rates and STIs but the suggestions on how to deal with these issues are quite frankly out of date and inpratictable, hence why we as an organsition are campaigning for compulsory sex and RELATIONSHIPS education (SRE).

We ran a survey that canvassed the views of 22,000 young people from across the country about their sex and relationships education. We had an overwhelming response from these young people calling for improved education and access to sexual health services. 40% said their education was poor or very poor, with 51% not knowing where their local sexual health clinic was.

Despite Ms Dorries suggested solution to the problems facing the UK, 73% of all respondents to our survey said that they wanted SRE to be delivered before the age of 13 at an age where the education can be realistically successful.

The reports from these young people about their SRE (or lack off) explain the figures quoted by Ms Dorries. It would also be interesting to find out what year the figure of “50,000 girls per year under the age of 18 fall pregnant” (although we shouldn’t look at this as “girls” falling pregnant as clearly males would have a small part to play in this!!). Although it may not, in some peoples minds, be ideal to be pregnant at such a young age, according to official Government statistics in 2005 out of the claimed 50,000 under-18 pregnancies only 7,764 were under the age of 16 (which is a decrease).

That makes 42,236 pregnancies which were over the age of 16 (within the consent age) and the claimed half of these who didn’t abort could have been intent of starting a family. Who has a right to slander against these women?

Well said, Nadine. Those who argue that more sex "and relationship" education will solve the problem are the ones living in the past. We have been following this route for years and it hasn't worked. You can't teach "relationships" in school to classes of 30 from families with very different value systems. Despite all the waffle about teaching the importance of relationships, the reasons to say no have been systematically undermined - young girls have been left with no "excuse" to give to their boyfriends and boys have been given no excuse not to ask. We need to provide more support to teenagers - particularly girls, but boys too - in saying no.

Teenage pregnancy is a complex issue, but as a result of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy we have the lowest rate of teenage pregnancy in England for 20 years.

Primary Care Trusts must meet the needs of young people, and parents and carers must also provide support. And although the media presents a picture that everyone is at ease with sex, that is far from the case.

Young people also grow up in a culture that is biased and ill informed about abortion. Sex and relationships education and health services should present abortion as a valid option and provide accurate information about it. Young women who have an unintended pregnancy should have access to free non-directive timely pregnancy counselling and supportive services.

Comprehensive sex and relationships education will help provide young people with the knowledge and skills to develop as healthy young people, with the ability to resist the pressure to have sex until they are ready.

Currently, Personal, Social and Health Education is not a statutory subject, and the delivery of the issues within this subject, including sex and relationships, is patchy and often overly biological.

In 2007, the UK Youth Parliament asked over 21,000 young people about their sex education - 40% thought it was poor or very poor, while 33% thought it was only average. More than half of those polled had not been taught how to use a condom.

‘Abstinence-only’ education, which Ms Dorries seems to be promoting, has been widely used in America. Statistics show that young people who have received this education are just as likely to engage in underage sex, but are less likely to use contraception when they do so, risking underage pregnancy and STIs.

Keeping young people in ignorance about how to protect their sexual health is not the answer; indeed, it will only make matters worse.

"Telling teenagers that the contraceptive pill is available in the chemist, no longer requiring a GP appointment says 'don't worry about protecting yourself with condoms, it doesn't matter'.

Teaching 14-year-olds how to apply a condom sends the message 'now you are qualified to go try this yourself'."

You are immediately contradicting your self here. Trying to pretend that the sexual revolution of the 60s never happened might make you feel better, but isn't actually doing anything to solve the problem.

I would have thought most young people would accept your view about what is, and is not, cool with a reaction somewhere between incredulity and condescension.

Somewhere out there is an article with some pragmatic, well thought out ideas which will actually help address this very real problem.

This isn't it, Nadine, and I think you know it.

I am taken aback! I find it extraordinary that a well educated MP with a nursing background could think that sex education is a contributing factor to the appalling teenage sexual health crisis currently in the UK. Every single study done shows that well delivered sex and relationship education delays the age of first sexual intercourse, and also reduces the incidence of teenage pregnancy. It’s all about self esteem and ambition. Isn’t it remarkable how the worst figures match exactly to the areas of deprivation. Shame on this country for failing its most vulnerable youngsters. Shame also on the politicians who don’t support statutory obligation on schools to do this properly.

You know it does make me angry to read MPs' views on young people, as it displays just how out of touch and dismissive of young people and their ability to make informed decisions some MPs are.

As those from the youth parliament have said the vast majority of young people want improved sexual and relationship education as they currently have poor knowledege from which to make their decisions on sex and relationships.

As Dr. O'Mahony also said, all the evidence points to the benefits of sex education in delaying first sexual intercourse and teenage pregnancy rates.

On top of this, if you look at countries in Europe that have the lowest rates of teenage pregnancies, such as Holland and the Scandinavian countries, they have high amounts of sexual education from round about 11-13 years old.

I think the problem in the UK remains at the societal level where sex is stil a topic to be discussed in terms of shame or humour or not at all - as well shown by Nadine Dorries' ideas of embarrassment as a barrier to sex .

Frank, honest and open information, rather than enforced ignorance or outdated and unsuccesfull policies based on abstinence - as tried in America, which has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in the western world - are the best answer to this serious problem.

The premise of this article is flawed. Nadine argues that numbers of abortions and teenage pregnancies are up (true), but argues that sex education is the cause. She then claims that there are general society-wide causes. She in no way demonstrates a link betweeen sexual education and increased sexual activity.

Never does she make clear how reducing sex education would mitigate the society-wide causes. This just sounds like a "political correctness" gone mad tirade. It seems like a very sloppy characterisation of sex education as well, which as the comments have picked up doesn't tend to be about giving people a license to go out and have recretional sex, rather it is about the risks of irresponsible sexual behaviour.

Even more confusing is her final paragraph: "We need to re-introduce moral values into our education system. We need to be able to empower young girls with the ability, and the confidence, to say no; and we need to educate about the consequences of unprotected sex, abortion and disease. Education should lean heavily on an emphasis that under-age sex is not a good idea."

This can only be read as an argument for... wait for it... more sex education. Perhaps there is an interesting article on the sorts of messages that could persuade young people to either abstain or have sex responsibly, rather than this demogogic attack on "liberal values", "the permissive society", and "a lack of moral values".

This is, in fact, a terrible article. Nadine Dorries is at risk of developing a track record as an MP who speaks out with little understanding of the evidence or the expert views on the topics she discusses.

The idea of somebody imposing their own 'moral' values on somebody else I find chilling.

Deborah from Herts makes a good point when she says young people are left with no excuses and need help to be able to say no.

I agree that sex education should be improved, with smaller groups, and the opportunity to discuss feelings and relationships.