Teen abortion epidemic

1:07pm Sunday 5th August 2007

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The abortion rate among a city's teenagers is the highest in the South East according to figures.

Department of Health data shows an average of 24 per 1,000 girls in Brighton and Hove aged between 15 and 17 have had a termination in the last year.

This is much higher than the regional average of 16 per 1,000 but falls short of the worst area in the UK, Lambeth, where there is a rate of 44 per 1,000.

Figures from Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust show more than half of under-18 conceptions in the city in recent years has resulted in terminations.

Brighton and Hove City Council agreed a target with the government for the year 2006/7 of a 20 per cent reduction in the number of conceptions among girls aged under 18 but was only able to secure a 5.7 per cent fall.

Howver the figures suggest although there has been a reduction in births to teenagers, this may be more due to termination rather than an actual reduction in conception.

The PCT currently supports several GP practices in the city so they can provide an enhanced services for young people's sexual health, providing early testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptive services, the morning-after pill and termination referrals.

The city has a teenage pregnancy strategic action plan and progress is closely monitored.

Health officials are working to promote education, contraception awareness and open discussion about sex and sexual health as part of moves to try and stop young people from falling pregnant in the first place.

Nationally, the figures showed a record 18,619 girls under 18 had a termination last year, a rise of 2,500 over the last decade.

The best performing area was Hertfordshire which had a rate of ten per 1,000, closely followed by Dorset, North Somerset and Suffolk which all had rates of 11.

Nine of the ten worst areas were in London, with Coventry the only exception, with rates ranging from 44 to 29.

The number of pregnant girls turning to doctors for help nationally is rising even though many schools have enlisted nurses to hand out morning-after birth pills.

In all 193,737 women of all ages had abortions last year and for 44 of these it was at least their eighth operation.

Economics Professor David Paton, of Nottingham Business School said: "Rising abortion rates indicate the government's strategy of increasing access to services such as emergency contraception is failing."