A adolescent health expert says statements she made about Maori teen pregnancy and births have been cut from a TV3 programme.
"New Zealand has the third highest teenage pregnancy rate in the OECD, but Bagshaw said Pakeha rates were similar to those in Europe. The rate for Maori teenagers was much higher.
Young Maori women were also less likely to have abortions and the Maori teen birth rate was nearly five times higher than Europeans.
Bagshaw said Maori culture valued pregnancy and there was less stigma attached to young mothers."
With leaders like Tariana "I am intolerant of the excessive focus on controlling our fertility" Turia this isn't going to change.
The problem isn't Maori having babies young. Not so long ago most women had their babies younger than they do today.
The problem is having babies they cannot support. There is a simple matter of the order in which things are done. At a certain age an education or a job should be valued more highly. It used to be that finding a supportive life partner was a priority but that's long gone by the by.
If Maori want to value teen pregnancy and birth that is their prerogative but I am intolerant of the expectation that other cultures will fund that value.
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2 comments:
Lindsay, I would like know what the child abuse statistics are for teenage Maori mothers. (If this information is recorded by the Ministry of Health). Tariana may find the statistics are harder to argue with.
Gloria
You and me both Gloria. I can only repeat stats I have posted before that show care and protection notifications to CYF are four times more likely to occur amongst DPB children and Maori teenage parents are amongst the most likely to be on that benefit. The same study found figures from the then Social Welfare computer system (1996) which "suggested 41 percent of care and protection notifications concern Maori children and young persons."
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