Viewing Thread:
"Teen Abortions"

What do you think about schools helping young girls to have abortions?
Is this a good thing? A bad thing? Morally wrong?

What are the girls point of view on this and what are the boys? It would be interesting to see if there is much difference in opinions.

Also this week, the government are launching a new campaign to show girls that they have a right to confidentiality. Coincidence?

When giving your opinions, can you say your age, would be nice to see if that varies the opinions.

I'm new round here so what is the average age..16-22??

i think that everyone has the right to an abortion confidentialy. 14 is a bit too young to be having sex in my opinion but she had the right to get advice from her school without having to tell her parents.
16-female

Personally i think the situation of the school being responsible for her having this abortion was wrong. If she had gone to her parents or even a close family friend it would have been a bit better.

When i first heard about it (as i never see the news and papers at this time) i asked myself why the school had anything to do with it. I myself cant always talk to my parents about things the last thing i would do is go to the school about it. I guess people find it easier to talk to different paeople. The other thing i thought (because i always think the worst of some situations) is that maybe just maybe a teacher had abused the child so then the teacher covered his tracks.

At 14 she should'nt be having sex, teens are trying things much to quickly and are loosing there child hood. If they think there old enough to act like an adult then they should be prepared to make decisions. Wether they go about it the right or the wrong way, hopefully they will learn. People are going to make mistakes wether we think it is wrong or not.

I was 21 when i fell pregnant, and even at that age i thought to myself "how am i going to tell my mum"? Then i thought hang on im 21 not living at home and have been in a 6 year relationship. I knew she wouldnt say anything bad my eldest sister (1yr older then me)had 2 kids already and my younger sister (1yr younger then me) was pregnant with her first. But i still thought i was doing something wrong! Why i dont know!

People are going to do what they feel comfortable with. No matter what they have done though there parents wether they think its right or wrong there always there for you in any situation. They will appreciate the fact you have been able to go to them and talk. (most parents anyway)

Goatboy wrote:
> It's one of those questions we'll never answer, and by this time next
> week this story will have sunk.

Well it may sink soon but it will have added just a little more cynicism to a country that is rapidly becoming convinced that everything is falling apart, and who is to blame for this ? YOU BLOODY KNOW WHO'S TO BLAME !!!

About six months ago my girlfriend missed a period, it actually came about a month and a half late, but at the time we both paniced about it. I have to say it was the worst feeling I'd ever had in my life, because I thought the chances are she was indeed pregnant. (Finding out she wasn't was one of the best times in my life). We discussed what we'd do, and as we were both sixteen then, we both decided that if we found out she was definately pregnant, that we would have it aborted.

There was no way either of us had the proper time and care needed to give this baby a good life, neither of us were mature enough, we both still like going out and getting drunk and having this baby would also be a burden to both of us. Also, as we're still both young, chances are that we aren't going to be going out forever, and I've always thought that a baby needs two parents.

It wasn't easily this was thought of. I thought about the fact that what I would have been doing is basically killing my future son or daughter, ending a life that could blossom into something great.

I'm just very glad that we never had to do that. Although abortion would have been my choice, I would never have been completely happy about it. Ever.

To be honest, I think the media has just blown the whole situation way out of proportion. They say the "Girl didn't know what she was doing!!1!!", That's such a lie, its beyond belief. When I was around the age of 11, I was given adequate sex education to understand the implications of pregnancy, and the advtantages of a condom, what an abortion is etc..

So what did this girl think after being popped by some lad? I think she knew what had happened, but was too scared to admit that she was pregnant to her parents. The school found out and told her to have an abortion, which in my opinion was the right thing to do, but when the Media got hold of it - BAM! The school is full of liers and secret holders!!!1!1!1 goverment bad..

It's just a situation which has been made to look bad by the Media. I can fully sympathise with the girl, It's not exactly easy to "tell her parents everything" is it?

I think the Media is to blame here, the child is innocent.

(Wait, I think i'm going off topic here, we are talking about the recent story in the news right? Or teenage abortion in general?)

I think the school should be responsible for providing the children with a moral conscience - not babysitting and mollycoddling them when the mess up and get pregnant. It is up to their parents to teach them about things like that and if they accidentally get pregnant, or get someone else pregnant, underage then it is their parents they should go to, not their schools. A teacher, beleive it or not, is trained to teach, not to offer guidance to knocked up teenage girls and doting potential fathers.

If, like my school did, there is a counseller availible for the students to visit then by all means they should visit them to discuss their problems in heightened confidentiality but they should not share their problems with those who have no more teacher training.

If the person is over 16 and is considering an abortion there are plenty of other places they can turn - doctors, hospitals, free teenage counselling as well as an array of helplines for them to call. The sad fact is the sort of people (in general, because I know accidents happen) who get pregnant by accident are too stupid to look for help or aspire to being a dumpy 19 year old pushing around a double-buggy and wearing leggings. Also these sorts of people arent likely to stay on into optional education.

Back in high school there was a lass I knew who got pregnant... twice... she had both the babies through her own choice and she informed the school who gave her time off to have the babies and helped her by sending her work home.

I am, of course, in favour of teenagers in bad situations getting help - what I am against is that just because teenagers attend schools that they somehow think it is their right to get counselling from a maths teacher.

17 - Male

Umpalumpa wrote:
> Goatboy wrote:
> I think it's a case of school's taking the blame for lacksadasical
> parenting skills. It's a handy scapegoat to blame an institution
> that
> is, primarily, there to provide an education
>
> Ok if you think this, what if a family friend had helped a child to
> have an abortion behind their parents back-would you still blame the
> parents then?

Definitely. What kind of reflection on the parents is it if the child has to go outside the family unit for help?

With regard to the story that prompted this, I noticed that originally the family did not want to be named and then the next thing I see is they are on the front of a magazine claiming that the girl "regrets having an abortion". I have to wonder how much of this "regret" comes from the fact that her mother plastered it all over the national newspapers.

Teen abortion goes on all the time and I wholeheartedly agree with abortion. I don't necessarily believe it is a good thing, I'm always shocked when I hear about one, but I do believe that it is important that they have the option. I would rather they aborted then ruining their lives and bringing another unwanted child into the world.

I think that plays a strong part as well.
Statistically, I should be a glue-huffing rapist murderer being the product of a single-parent family and an abusive stepfather. If The Daily Mail is to be believed, I prowl the streets disguised as an immigrant looking to do bumcrimes to nice people and sell crack to babies to finance my evil.
My sister should be pumping out illiterate dirty-faced feral children at a rate that would astonish Kilroy and we both should be hunched in a bedsit looking to con the government and you out of thousands of pounds of benefits.

However, that is not the case.
Which would suggest that histrionics scattered from tabloids like the dung it is mean nothing and is yet another futile attempt to suggest we're headed to hell in a handbasket.
Kids have been having sex underage forever, and have been reproducing since the dawn of time.
What caused it before schools and a slackening moral standard in society?

It's one of those questions we'll never answer, and by this time next week this story will have sunk.

Goatboy wrote:
> I'd place the blame solely on the child for getting pregant in
> the first place. Nobody forced her to do this, so the responsibility
> lays with her.

No i honestly think it comes down to the parents and how they have raised their kids, the only reason i didnt go off the rails is because i loved my family so much i didnt want to let them down.

Oooh Thank You.

Don't normally go on to chat forums but i got a bit bored tonight!