Time to talk to young people about abortion

21 May 2008

Education For Choice welcomes the decision by MPs to retain the current 24 week time limit on abortion. Young women are disproportionately represented in the figures for later abortions and the most vulnerable of them would have suffered the most had the time limit been reduced. Education For Choice has consistently argued that younger women will continue to present later in pregnancy until sex and relationships education in schools and youth centres begins properly to address the issue of pregnancy decision-making; to help young women to recognise their pregnancies quickly; to give them the confidence to go and talk to an appropriate professional as soon as possible; and to know who can support them to talk to their parents and carers. Education For Choice Head of Policy and Communication, Lisa Hallgarten says ‘Currently young people are exposed to lots of myths and misinformation about pregnancy and abortion by peers, by some parts of the media, and most shockingly sometimes by their own teachers. It’s hardly surprising that some young women are too scared to seek help until they can no longer conceal their pregnancy. It’s time the Government addressed this problem and supported provision of good quality pregnancy decision-making and abortion education within a statutory Sex and Relationships Curriculum.’