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| 'Increase' in teenage pregnancies | 'Increase' in teenage pregnancies |
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| The number of teenage pregnancies in England and Wales has risen, new figures are expected to show. | The number of teenage pregnancies in England and Wales has risen, new figures are expected to show. |
| It will be the first time the tally will have risen since 2002, knocking government hopes of meeting a 10-year target of halving the rate by 2010. | It will be the first time the tally will have risen since 2002, knocking government hopes of meeting a 10-year target of halving the rate by 2010. |
| The news follows a series of high-profile teenage pregnancy cases. | The news follows a series of high-profile teenage pregnancy cases. |
| Hilary Pannack, of the sex education charity Straight Talking, said: "We are failing a whole generation of young people." | |
| "Teenage parents statistically are much more likely to become parents of children who themselves become teenage parents. | |
| "That means generations of child poverty, which we need desperately to tackle." | |
| Penny Barber from the sexual health advice charity Brook said the UK was "20 if not 30 years behind the rest of Europe on this issue". | Penny Barber from the sexual health advice charity Brook said the UK was "20 if not 30 years behind the rest of Europe on this issue". |
| But she said that, although Britain still had the worst teenage pregnancy rate in Europe, there had been "an overall downward trend" since 1998. | |
| She said: "I don't think it's fair to criticise the government for setting an ambitious target, because if you don't set an ambitious target you might never get started on the work. | She said: "I don't think it's fair to criticise the government for setting an ambitious target, because if you don't set an ambitious target you might never get started on the work. |
| "We know that what does ensure that the rate continues to come down is contraceptive services that are young people-friendly, good quality sex and relationship education, and good local leadership." | "We know that what does ensure that the rate continues to come down is contraceptive services that are young people-friendly, good quality sex and relationship education, and good local leadership." |
| FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme Beverly Hughes, the children's minister for England, said the government had made cutting teenage pregnancy rates a priority, and rates had come down over the last decade. | |
| However, she accepted that progress had not been as swift as has had been hoped. | |
| Ms Hughes said it was important to give parents help and advice about how to tackle the issue of sex in an open fashion with their children. | |
| She said high quality sex education in schools was also vital, and new guidance to make that compulsory would be issued to schools in the autumn. | |
| "This is not just about the mechanics of sex, it is about relationships, moral values and about making clear what is right and wrong and what you expect from young people, but it is doing that in a way that enables them to take part in the dialogue." | |
| Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? You can send us your experiences using the form below: | Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? You can send us your experiences using the form below: |