TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Teenage Pregnancy in the U.K

Teenage Pregnancy in the U.K

Introduction

Teenage pregnancy is represents fertility in a situation when a girl is too young to embrace motherhood. Teenage pregnancy occurs between early adolescence and puberty. The World Health organization (WHO) sets the teens between 10 and 19 years. Most teenage pregnancies are considered unwanted pregnancies, caused by the practice of sex without contraception. In general, the term also refers to pregnant women who have not reached the legal age of maturity which varies for different countries. Teenage pregnancy also includes, a young woman who gets pregnant in a situation of dependency of the family of origin. Teen pregnancy can affect the life of a teenage girl. There are various implications of teenage pregnancy in terms of social context. Teenage pregnancy is an issue that is prevalent in United Kingdom more than any other industrialized country.

In 2002 the rate of pregnancy was 75.4 for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19, down from 116.9 in 1990. The decline in teen pregnancy has occurred in every U.K. State. Despite that decline, however, most experts say that more needs to be done. Furthermore, U.K blacks and Hispanics have much higher teen pregnancy rates than do whites. Teenage pregnancy is the focus of much public concern. It has been linked to a greater risk of health problems and poverty in both teen mothers and their children.

Teenage Pregnancy in the United Kingdom

According to government figures, close to 900,000 teens become pregnant each year. Of those, the vast majority are 18- and 19-year olds. Nevertheless, significant numbers of younger teens also get pregnant, and education programs seeking to discourage teen pregnancy begin in relatively early grades. Just what should be taught in those programs is a source of debate, however. Although they agree on the need to reduce teen pregnancy, experts disagree on whether to instruct teens on how to use birth control or to send a clear message that they should avoid sex altogether (Cherlin, 2002, 67).

Some experts favour sex education programs that instruct students on how to have sex in a way that reduces the chance of pregnancy, by using various forms of birth control. Those programs often encourage abstaining from sex as the best option, but provide education on birth control in case students do have sex. Other experts, however, denounce the use of sex education as a way to discourage teen pregnancy. They favour a curriculum, known as "abstinence only," that promotes sexual abstinence without teaching about birth control. In recent years, the abstinence-only approach has been gaining ground, aided by an increase in government funding (Cherlin, 2002, 69). However, birth control advocates say that teaching abstinence on its own is an ineffective way to reduce teen pregnancy.

The supporters of a sex education curriculum that includes teaching about birth control cite data indicating that such a method has been successful in reducing teen pregnancy. They also argue that abstinence-only education is not as effective as some claim it is, and ...