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In England in 2001 over 91,000
teenagers became pregnant. Of these, over 56,000 went
on to give birth.
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Only around half of under 16's
and two thirds of 16-19's use contraception when they
start to have sex.
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Teenagers who do not use contraception
have a 90% chance of conceiving in one year.
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The UK has the highest teenage
birth rate in Western Europe.
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Teenage
parents are more likely than their peers to live in
poverty and unemployment and be trapped in it through
lack of education, childcare and encouragement.
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The
death rate for the babies of teenage mothers is 60%
higher than for babies of older mothers and they are
more likely to have low birth weights, have childhood
accidents and be admitted to hospital. In the longer
term, their daughters themselves have a higher chance
of becoming teenage mothers.
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The
poorest and most vulnerable young people (including
those in care and those who have been excluded from
school) are most likely to face an unwanted pregnancy.
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These
findings (see left) make uncomfortable reading, but
despite the fact that sex education takes place in most
secondary schools, teenage unplanned pregnancy continues
to be a significant problem in the UK. It is widely
believed that teenage mothers are more likely to experience
difficulties with social isolation, education, housing,
finance and employment opportunities than other mothers.
We know that the majority of teenage pregnancies are
unplanned, yet reversing the trend continues to be a
major uphill struggle.
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It is
because of this that I decided to talk to people who have
actually been faced with such a situation, and now their stories
have been put together in a handbook to create an educational
resource to use with young people. All the stories are true.
They don't contain statistics, but they do contain the REAL
facts of life for these young people. Unlike many other studies,
which often focus only on young mothers, it also includes
stories of several young women who decided to terminate the
pregnancy, and stories of some of the young men involved,
too.
I hope
this handbook will prove to be a valuable teaching tool when
working with young people, and encourage them to consider
the realities of an unplanned pregnancy. It is suitable for
use in schools, colleges, youth and community groups, where
the stories can be used for group discussion or as a basis
for role-play. There is also a section containing suggestions
for other exercises, and another listing useful resources
and organisations.
| Eve
Lane |
Book / booklist order form here
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Available for sale to personal callers or on mail order.
Discount
is available for bulk purchase - please telephone 01392 256711
for details.
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