17.38, 26 August 2010
There was a rise in the number of teenage pregnancies in England and Wales last spring, according to the latest figures released by the
Office of National Statistics. Only a slight one, mind, but a rise all the same.
In March 2009, the conception rate for under-18s was 9781, a figure that had risen to 10,050 in June of the same year. It was, however, down from the rate in June 2008 when it was 10,564.
Statistics fluctuate, of course – in February of this year there was celebration when statistics were publicised that showed the number of teenage pregnancies had fallen by 4% between 2007 and 2008.
So perhaps it is wrong to panic about an increase at this stage. It could be that young people were simply victims of the cliché about spring turning their fancy to love – of the physical type. If so, the seasonal affect hit some parts of the country more than others.
London is on a downward trend. In June 2008, it was 1428, which dropped to 1318 by March 2009. And it has continued to decrease to 1248 in June.
Other areas are not doing so well. The Eastern region which encompasses Bedford, Luton and Peterborough, saw one of the biggest rises in the three months from March to June. The number of under-18s getting pregnant rose from 786 to 901.
Regardless of regional differences, it seems clear that the government pledge in 1999 to halve teenage pregnancy rates among under-18s in England by 2010 will be missed.
And there are other worries aside from pregnancy in the under-18s that ought to be preoccupying us.
The Health Protection Agency released statistics that show a rise of 12,000 cases of sexually transmitted infections (STI) between 2008 and 2009. Last year, around two-thirds of new STI diagnoses in women were in those under 25.
Simon Blake, national director of young people's sexual health charity Brook, says the figures show the urgent task of ensuring good quality education and services. Too many young people tell Brook their sex and relationships education is too little, too late and too biological, he says.
Yet, done well, this education enables them to make the choices right for them and, importantly, works as an antidote to the confusing sexual messages they receive from their peers and the media. And, whether we are talking pregnancy in the under-18s or STIs in young people, knowledge is power.
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