Hughes calls for parents’ help on teen births
Children’s Minister Beverley Hughes has called on parents to communicate more with their children about their sexual health.
Her comments came after new figures revealed an increase in under-16 conceptions.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the pregnancy rates of girls under the age of 16 rose by one per cent between 2002 and 2003 to eight conceptions per 1,000 girls.
Britain has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in western Europe and despite a big Government drive to tackle the issue, these latest figures show that more work still needs to be done.
Ms Hughes underlined the Government view that parents need to openly discuss the issues of sex and relationships with their children to tackle teen pregnancy rates in an interview with the Guardian.
“I don’t think there is any magic bullet from the Government side and local authority side and all the partners on the ground that we can identify that is going to now take another substantial step forward,” she said.
“We really need parents to now see themselves as making an absolutely unique and vital contribution to this issue.
“It is a contribution that I don’t think anyone else can actually make,” Ms Hughes added.
Britain’s teenage pregnancy rate is five times higher than that of the Netherlands, three times greater than France and twice that of Germany.
But there was some good news emerging from the new statistics as the rate for under-18s fell by 1.2 per cent to 42.3 conceptions per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 17, prompting Anne Weyman, chief executive of the Family Planning Association, to focus on the positives.
“There’s no quick fix to the complex social issue of teenage pregnancy and the small rise in the under 16 conception rate in England must be seen in the context of the considerable progress made to date,” she said.
“Children’s Minister Beverley Hughes is right to say that parents, as well as schools, have an essential role to play as providers of sex and relationships education. Evidence suggests when there is open discussion of sex in the home young people are more likely to delay sexual activity, have fewer partners and use contraception when they do have sex.”
Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said though that the ONS statistics showed that the Government was failing on public health.
Mr Lansley, said: “Public health in this country is fragmented and lacks priority. We need radical change. I have repeatedly called for a public health programme which gives every child access to a school nurse. We need to empower families, schools, the NHS and local communities to support young people in making positive and responsible decisions.”
