Monday, January 21, 2008

Teenage Pregnancy

Watching a documentary on BBC 3 right now about a young girl of 13 called Kizzy who got pregnant. Quite a poignant programme. She fully acknowledged she made a mistake. Comes from what seems to be a decent christian family. She said she had sex once with a 13 year old boy . The boy won't acknowledge the baby and has gone to live with his grandmother in Essex (Kizzy lives in Devon). The boy's grandmother was rather vituperative and said that Kizzy is basically responsible for he situation and that she is blaming everyone else.

This is obviously ridiculous as Kizzy has repeatedly said she made a mistake. She is thankfully continuing her education and she and her parents agreed to the documentary as a warning to other young girls.

This is in many respects sad but uplifting in other was as she and her family seem to be coping very well in the right way.

Apparently, the UK has he highest teen pregnancy rate in Europe. This in spite of programmes in schools which allow youngsters to access the pill, condoms, the morning after pill and even abortions - WITHOUT having to inform the parents. As Kizzy's father said, it undermines parents. He stated that you as a parent may have certain ways of bringing up your kids according to your faith but all of that is ignored by the schools. He has a point.

He said that in the kids' minds all hey hear at home can be eroded in that hey feel that if they get pregnant school can take care of it. As so it is.

Makes me scared stiff of raising my kids in this country I tell you. Home schooling anyone?

No comments: