Teenage pregnancy

[pretty_snowdrop]

I was just wondering in this day and age why teenage unwanted pregnancy rates are so high.
Nowadays contraceptives are very easy to get hold of and the old excuse of 'whoops i forgot my pill' surely can't be used because there are injections and contraceptive implants amongst other devices.
I realise accidents do happen but is it a matter of young girls wanting a baby as a pay cheque or that they simply don't know how the babies got there?

Is it a moral problem or an educational problem? What are you thoughts?

[B00]

Perhaps if we stopped all this sex education in schools we wouldn't have the amount of school age pregnancies that we do have.

It seems odd that we're suddenly reaching an epidemic of kids having kids, yet they've never been so well informed about sex.

[whiskeryron]

to be honest I think there is too much emphasis put on sex, has it just been invented ?
you can't watch a film these days without somebody being humped within 10 mins of the start of the film. I can remember movies where there was no bad language & nobody fighting under a duvet ( stand by I'm about to say it ) The good old days.Ron.

[Connemmara]

the fear of my mother was my contraceptive pill - believe me that worked

[cathfromsaron]

wanting to have something to love and be loved by? romantic ideals? caught out? deliberate? take away the benefits and see! xx

[whiskeryron]

There is a very safe contraceptive pill available

One paracetamol held tightly between the knees.Ron.

[DEN53]

Ron - what a lovely man you are - your late wife was a lucky lady. xx

[milly143]

Jack - what was the point of bringing that up on this thread?

I think there are a number of reasons for teens get pregnant these days. But I don't think a lack of sex education can be blamed. There has never been so much information readily available to young people.

[jackthehat]

It was to illustrate, as I have already explained, that although the teenaged girl ends up with the baby, there may also be a certain sort of male who could do with accepting more responsibility for their role in the conception of a child.......listening to her when she says "No", for instance...........?

[B00]

That's the thing Jack, don't think many young girls are saying no.

[jackthehat]

Until the teenage pregnancy rate hits 100%, I think we have to assume that some of them are.....:o)

[flump1]

I think maybe we have evolved and teenagers having babies is not so wrong after all. We expect them to become adult far too early these days, become responsible and lose their youth maybe ? They are growing up far earlier these days...because society expects them to .

[Prudie]

I'm sure there are a variety of reasons but it is my impression that often the mother's of these girls are quite happy to encourage seeing the pregnancies through and taking a big part in the baby care - the mothering instinct I suppose. I have been amazed at the number of families in my largely 'middle england' existence that have kept their young daughters and their offspring living with them, even giving up their own jobs to look after the grandchildren.My own mother would have shown me the door to the clinic.

[Prudie]

tut-tut i've made an apostrophe error :-(

[starone]

I was always threatened with the home for unmarried mothers, and bringing a little b*****d home was never an option. I was absolutely terrified of becoming pregnant and must have had a great big NO printed on my forehead. The shame of having a child out of wedlock would have scarred me for life. Which is probably why I only had one partner - my husband - and we were very fortunate to live happily together for many years.

[sophie_1003]

I don't know if things have changed but when I was at school although we had lots of sex ed classes that's exactly what they were; sex ed. Luckily I had parents who were and still are fantastic role models for what a good relationship looks like and who talked to me about "When a man and a lady love each other very much..." from the time I asked. My mum also broached the subject of sex in the situation where the partners don't love each other. Education at school is good for the technicalities but it can't provide this sort of education on relationships which it seems is the thing that is lacking rather than knowledge of contraception. If you are in a good relationship you can talk rationally about sex and contraception; if not then I think the problems start.

[pretty_snowdrop]

We were discussing this topic today at work this morning. A young colleague ( she is 20 years old) took the opportunity to ask me about contraceptives. I know she has a steady boyfriend, so i was surprised she wasn't on the pill. She doesn't take the pill because she always forgets to take them, the injection and implant will make her fat and she doesn't fancy the coil. When i asked what she would do if she became pregnant, she casually replied that should would have an abortion and that her friends are 'always having them'.

[archeraddict]

I have experience of giving PSHE talks about sex and relationships to Y11 at Independent schools. I have learnt a lot from them! Seriously, it is incredible the reasons they give for having sex - exercise and money amongst the answers. Love is usually very low on the list.

Contraception is very well understood by them but being careful when drunk and not thinking about the consequences is still a problem.

Teenage pregnancy is a huge problem but, interestingly, amongst independent school girls, it is not the problem that it is in the state sector and so we also need to look at social and other reasons.

Of course the STI time bomb is not prevented by the contraceptives that girls can be responsible for themselves, but that's another topic.