Teenage Pregnancy On the Decline in the UK

It was great to hear that the overall rate of teenage pregnancy in the UK is dropping. Teenage pregnancy has been a significant blight on the lives of young people, particularly girls. For a period there was an underclass of "children having children". Teenagers with barely any life skills were being thrust into parenthood with next to no parenting skills. Too few of them were able to return to education and get qualifications; or find productive and well paid employment. Too many of them settled for a lifetime on welfare benefits. 

There has been a lot of investment made in helping teenage parents manage better and build a better life for themselves. However it will require more than improved sex and relationship education to maintain the drop in teen pregnancies. Young people need to be presented with more opportunities for success than just the sports and entertainment businesses. They are unlikely to be motivated by the prospect of leaving school to take up minimum wage jobs. Those who are academically able should not be prevented from going on to higher and further education just because of cost. Others who may not meet the university standard should be encouraged to take up opportunities for training and skills development. This isn't just the key to dealing with teenage pregnancy; it might also be the way forward in tackling youth unemployment.