Media Release
TEENAGE BIRTH RATE CLIMBS AGAIN
Friday, February 16, 2007
Figures released today indicate the teenage birth rate is up again from 27.4 in 2005 to 28.4 per 1,000 15-19 year-olds in 2006.
According to welfare commentator Lindsay Mitchell, "This is the fourth consecutive annual rise in the teenage birthrate and it is not a trend we should welcome."
"With around 4,000 teenage parents on welfare benefits at any given time, a growing number of babies being raised on an Unsupported Child's benefit, increasing numbers of grandparents raising grandchildren pressing for welfare support, clearly teenage parenthood is a problem."
"Ministry of Social Development research shows that children most at risk typically first present with a teenage mother who is Maori. Only this week I was talking with a social worker who works with teenage girls and their babies. When I asked her why, with the abundance of contraceptive advice and availability, with family planning clinics in schools and now the morning-after pill, so many girls still get pregnant. She gave me two answers. The first is they want somebody who will love them and need them even after the father has shot through, and two, they think there is money there."
"Clearly the financial incentive is influencing decisions about pregnancy and birth. We do these girls no favours in encouraging them to shun education, jobs, financial independence, and even an abiding relationship - all things we want for our daughters."
"It is a heartless practice and one that must be reconsidered. I would urge all political parties to look long and hard at this issue for the sake of our daughters and sons, whose lives are being adversely affected by government encouragement to go down this difficult path."
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10 comments:
Well so much for the Sex ed classes involving the importance of condom use which you support versus the effacacy Abstinance education which you have voiced suspicion of in the past.
Doesn't look like all those lessons on how to fit condoms to phallic objects that have been rammed down the throats of Kiwi kids have acheived anything does it?
We won't know while we complicate matters with financial incentives.
The teenage birth rate varies enormously over the socio-economic groups. Decile one girls are almost ten times more likely to give birth than those in decile ten. So some people are taking on board contraceptive advice and use.
The teenage birth rate varies enormously over the socio-economic groups. Decile one girls are almost ten times more likely to give birth than those in decile ten. So some people are taking on board contraceptive advice and use.
Perhaps Lindsay perhaps but other hypothesese worth considering.
(1) Decile ten girls are more likely to obtain an abortion. Or does this count as contraception in your book?
(2) Decile ten girls are more likely to keep their legs closed
(3)A combination of the above plus greater contraceptive use.
I agree financial incentives complicate the picture. As do cultural and religious ones.
For some strange reason a cruel mental picture enters my head of a condom being fitted to a bananna and the protaginists in the sexual act carrying on in blissful ignorance believing they are indulging in "safe sex" and all will be well.
If my friend the social worker is to be believed, and why not, the girls she deals with want boyfriends and babies, albeit the boyfriends prove less permanent fixtures. Hence a lack of interest in either contraceptives or abstinence.
No, abortion is not contraception "in my book". Abortion prevents birth. Contraception prevents conception.
"Teenage birth rate climbs again"...of course the teenage death rate is the highest in the world.
Surely these 2 things balance each other out? :)
Well Kate as someone who has lost a sibling to suicide I'm going to say I'd rather see less of both than the promotion of suicide and method of "balance".
Yeah, really ----ing funny.
Or perhaps one of your previous posts, on Peter Sharples has some bearing re. the destructive nature,the disincentive of the dole, but a cultural congruence with the DPB ... it is an acceptable lifestyle choice to many, especially those who have few viable alternatives - due to social, educational & child management deficits... just so the 'problem,' (to those involved it is not a problem), perpetuates and increases.
& do social workers ever comeout with anything other than the emotionally laden imposition of their populist attachment disordered perceptions on to others?
Murray
Everyone knows someone close to them or at longest, by 2nd degree that has committed suicide at a young age. Myself included so I am sorry if you are offended enough to post that comment back but get over it, you are not alone.
As sad as it is, ending their life is pretty much the greatest and only power in the end people feel they have. Others left behind can't work out why, which is entirely the point. It's an intensely personal thing and they are not necessarily meant to.
Why specifically New Zealand has such a high rate of youth suicide is still something debated without a solution. Balanced with the teen birth rate one does wonder if the two are somehow related.
Creating instant attention, new life and the dependency that the new life has on the young mother is seen by young girls inparticlar as a balance for how they see their current life which in all likelihood is shitty and on the brink in any instance.
Kate its a free world, you're free to offend me at will deliberately or otherwise and I'm free to say I think your joke sucked a kumera.
No phools or chronics here we can all carry on without death threats, boxing matches or demands for censorship I'm sure.
Youth suicide pretty unfunny as a rule especially when the media in this country are not allowed to report it.
Hard to fix anything thats hidden from view.
" lessons on how to fit condoms to phallic objects that have been rammed down the throats of Kiwi kids "
You can't get pregnant through oral sex.
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