How does sex education affect teenage pregnancy rates in the UK?

TEENAGE pregnancy rates have always been prominent in the media, it is already widely known that the UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Europe and that sexually transmitted infections are also more prevalent than before, particularly in people aged 16-19.

THE UK shocks Europe with 41,325 girls under the age of 18 falling pregnant in 2008 in England and Wales alone.

Despite the appalling figure in 2008, data from the Office for National Statistics indicate that 2008 teenage pregnancy rates in Britain experienced a decline of 3.9% from 2007, while the number of pregnancies among the under 16’s fell 7.6% to 7,577.

Although there is improvement, the decline is still far short of the government’s pledge to halve teenage pregnancies (15-17year olds) by the end of 2010.  Today’s figures show a rate of 40.4 per 1,000 girls in 2008 – a drop of just over 13% in comparison to the baseline figure.

So why are teenage pregnancy rates in Britain so high? Many people believe that sex education in schools is nothing like what it should be.

The issue of Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) in schools is and has been of concern to the UK Youth Parliament’s knowledge for at least seven years. In England and Wales, Sex Education is not compulsory and parents can refuse to let their children be a part of what little education they may receive. Members of the Youth Parliament are adamant that the Sex Education that teenagers receive in school is “too little, too late, too biological and doesn’t provide enough (if any) information on relationships.”

Nationally, 40% of young people between the ages of 11 and 18 thought that their Sex Education was extremely poor, whilst a further 33% said theirs were average.  These results alone clearly show that drastic measures need to be put forward to ensure that teenagers have a good understanding of Sex Education upon leaving school. 

The majority of the public are strongly recommending that schools should employ more trained staff to teach Sex Education rather than relying on normal Science teachers to educate these young girls.

Hopefully, the government will eventually make Sex Education in England and Wales compulsory in an attempt to lower these awful pregnancy rates. With better education on sex and relationships, teenage girls of 13-18 will become more aware of all types of contraception and both pregnancy and abortion rates will continue to decline.