Monday, June 21, 2010

Teenage pregnancies lowest in a decade, says Ed Balls

Published: 8:32AM GMT twenty-four February 2010

Teenage pregnancies tumble to lowest in a decade There has been a 10 per cent tumble in conceptions and a twenty per cent tumble in tangible births Photo: REUTERS

Mr Balls pronounced he approaching census data to show that the rate of teenage pregnancies is right away the lowest it has been for well over a decade. But he conceded that it was going to be ""really hard"" to grasp the affianced aim of a 50 per cent decrease on 1998 total by 2010.

How successful the Government has been in the attempts to expostulate down teenage pregnancies will be suggested after currently when new total are released.

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To date, it has has had a little success in obscure the rate but has lagged at the back of settled targets.

A 2004 aim to cut the rates by fifteen per cent from the baseline year of 1998 was missed.

It is approaching that a vouch to separate teenage pregnancies by this year - total for that will not be accessible for a integrate of years - will slip.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Balls said: ""It was a unequivocally desirous aim - it was 50 per cent fall. I think it was right to set an desirous aim and it is going to be unequivocally tough to have that volume of fall.""

As to what he approaching to see in today"s figures, the Schools Secretary said: ""I think we will see that it is the lowest rate of teenage pregnancies for well over a decade.""

He combined that there has been a 10 per cent tumble in conceptions and a twenty per cent tumble in tangible births.

""This has been unequivocally successful. But it is not enough. I"m still disturbed about it and there is a lot some-more to do,"" he said.

The Schools Secretary additionally shielded legislation upheld last night that will force conviction schools to learn sex education.

An legislative addition to the Children, Schools and Families Bill will meant that eremite educators will be authorised to learn personal, social, health and mercantile (PSHE) lessons ""in a approach that reflects the school"s eremite character"".

Secularists have criticised ministers for permitting the Bill to be watered down.

Keith Porteous Wood, senior manager executive of the National Secular Society, said: ""The Government have once some-more bent to vigour from the Catholic Church, betraying the young kids in conviction schools who have a right to design and offset sex education.""

He added: ""This timidity will corrupt most lives.""

But Mr Balls told BBC Breakfast that the legislation was an critical step forward.

He said: ""It is a outrageous shift to have sex attribute preparation mandatory in each school, together with each conviction school, for the initial time.

""Currently, a conviction propagandize can select not to speak about relationships, to omit speak about contraception or termination or any of those thing. That is right away going to change.

""This is not an opt-out at all.""

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