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Increase in teen pregnancy numbers expected

By Lucy Halfhead on Thursday 26 February 2009

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Baby in hospital unit

The number of teenagers getting pregnant is going up, new figures are expected to reveal.

Figures from the first three-quarters of 2007 showed a rise among under-18s getting pregnant. Full data on teen pregnancies for 2007 will be published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today.

From January to March, the teen pregnancy rate was 42.6 girls per 1000 and it was 42.7 for the period April to June. For July to September, the rate was 39.9. Overall figures for 2006 showed that 41 girls in every 1,000 fell pregnant in that year.

The Government has pledged to halve teenage pregnancy rates among girls under 18 by half by 2010 but is widely expected to miss that target. A 2004 aim to cut the rates by 15 per cent from the base year of 1988 was missed.

Gill Francis, chair of the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group, said the expected rise today was ‘challenging’. ‘Teen pregnancy is a complex issue but we do know what needs to be done,’ she said. Ms Francis said measures such as working with young people, sex education and encouraging parents to talk to their children all had an effect.

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Thursday 26 February 2009

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I am a professional, well paid, working mum of four children and I am in a stable,loving and happy marriage. Im getting this point over before anyone says teenage pregnancy are the result of poor upbringings. I always make sure I am home to pick the kids up from school, make them home made meals, do activities with them (I try to tick all the perfect mum boxes)
Twenty four months ago our fifteen year old daughter broke the news she was pregnant by her boyfriend - she went onto to miscarry the baby. Within six months she was pregnant again ( she had just started a fantastic job as an apprentice in an auction house) we supported her and she went onto have the most traumatic delivery (too long to talk about) she gave us a beautiful grand daughter.
I have experienced the saddest, stressful and happiest time of my life within these months. I found myself wenting up till two in the morning when she was 8 months pregnant - as she still wanted to go out with her friends. In one breath Ive been saying clean your bedroom to how do you feel today. It has been a massive struggle to cut myself off but also to offer support and help at the same time. She lived with us until October when we bought a house for her to live in to give her space.
She is pregnant again - four months gone and not even eighteen. She is still with the father.
Had I been writing this in 1950,1960,1970 it was the done thing to have teenage pregnancies and marriages - I know for sure that I knew how to cook, budget and keep a home and child as I was taught it at school (Im only forty myself) but I have found that my daughter and her partner are immature and educated in a celebrity fashion.
They had no idea how to keep a house, the bills you get or how to cook. I have had to teach them everything - it isnt like I havent in the past it is just that they were more interested in "nights out", and what the latest chav celebrity is upto.
I cannot even put into this comment 2% of what has happened during the past couple of years.
I can say that they are lovely parents (with a very messy house - teenagers have messy bedrooms)
I tried to do everything that the government and education thought fit- I tried to be more open about sex, condoms, birth control and diseases.
What I have learnt is our children now althought they think they are more mature than in the 60',70' they are not - we do have kids bringing kids up with no manners, no ethic, free benefits and no morals.
I have learnt also that there is no consideration for human life (I personally experience 8 miscarriages, 2 ectopic pregnancy and one baby that dies) my daughter knew this but there was no taboo when talking about the morning after pill or abortion. " I dont know whether to keep it or get rid of it" was the term she used.
I love my daughter and my grand daughter with all my heart - but I have experienced the happiest, stressful and saddiest times in the last two years and it isnt over yet.

I hope that the whole pregnancy, sex education (NO SEX - education) is reviewed as I have three other children to bring up and I do not know whether to let these children learn as my daughter did.

Comment by grumpybag on February 26 13:43

wow that is lots of girls who need to be seriously talked about the causes and effects of teen pregnancies
Comment by therese on February 26 15:22

I am in my late 20's and would love a baby, but I am going to Uni and educating myself. In my opinion it would not be fair for me to have a baby right now. My boyfriend's little sister got pregnant at 17 after knowing the guy for 2 weeks, smoked and drank her way through her pregnancy - had the baby early and 2 days after she had him was seen in town on a night out..neither her or her boyfriend are working yet can afford to go out clubbing and are going on holiday. I resent the government for making it easy for careless teens!
Comment by Anon on March 04 22:35