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Concern has been expressed about the conclusions of a newly-published study into repeat abortions among teenagers.
Three academics at the University of East Anglia (see Notes for Editors below) have found that "over the past 20 years, the proportion of teenagers in England and Wales having an abortion as a result of a subsequent pregnancy increased by 33%". They also found that "nearly one in four teenagers presenting for an abortion have already been in contact with health services for a previous birth or abortion." The authors call for "teenagers to have an effective contraceptive plan in place" after pregnancy.
Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) commented: "The authors have reached the wrong conclusion. They are calling for more contraception, even though more provision of contraception to teenagers does nothing to reduce either the rates of abortion or the rates of unplanned pregnancies. 'More contraception' is the mantra of the abortion industry - the clinics, abortion practitioners, and officials in the health department.
Protecting young people
"We need a radical rethink about teenage pregnancy. All previous government-back schemes have failed in recent decades. No one has provided a convincing account of why the teenage pregnancy statistics have decreased slightly.
"The main problem is not that teenagers are getting pregnant. The main problem is that those teenagers are unmarried, which means they are more likely to have abortions and more susceptible to exploitation by men.
"Teenagers don't need more access to contraception. Rather, young people respond to a positive message and vision - such as the happiness that marriage and fidelity can bring. Society should be assuring young people that waiting for marriage to have sex is better for their happiness and health", concluded Mr Tully.
For further comments or an interview with Paul Tully, please contact Anthony Ozimic, SPUC's Media Manager, on: