A teenage mum talks to BBC Radio5 Live (4' 10")

Under-age pregnancies have hit a 10-year high with almost 9,000 girls becoming pregnant.

Official figures show that 8,800 girls under 16 fell pregnant in 1996 - the year after a health scare over some brands of contraceptive pill.

But it is still the third successive annual rise in pregnancies among girls aged 13 to 15, says the Office for National Statistics.

The chief executive of Brook Advisory Centres, which advise young people about contraception, claims the 1995 pill health scare is to blame for the latest rise in under-age pregnancies.

Margaret Jones said: "The sudden reduction in pill uptake amongst Brook clients shows the extent to which young women's confidence in the pill was undermined by the 1995 alert.

"It is also likely that many sexually active teenagers who were considering moving on to the pill as the most effective contraceptive method were deterred from seeking any advice at all.

"This rise in the teenage conception rate highlights the importance of improving young people's access to accurate information and sex education."

National policy needed

The total number of pregnancies among girls under 16 dropped from an all-time high in 1985 of 9,406 to 7,243 in 1993. Since then there have been three successive increases.

The Family Planning Association also blamed the October 1995 health scare for the increase, saying it influenced the attitude of women of all ages.

Its chief executive, Anne Weyman said: "We urge the speedy implementation of a national policy which will guarantee good information and advice for young people to help them make informed choices."

The figures show that 52% of girls under 16 who become pregnant have an abortion.

Dr Adrian Rogers of the Family Institute, which champions the cause of traditional family values, said the increase in under-age pregnancies was not a surprise.

"As you liberalise society and make contraception freely available, young people can go ahead and get themselves pregnant.

"Until we start supervising and caring for these children and stop giving them contraception, we will see more and more of these victims," he said.
 

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