LONDON, May 24 — The Lancet has published research showing that rates of teenage pregnancy in England have halved since the start of the Government’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS).
The nationwide strategy was launched back in 1999 by the Labour government and aimed to reduce under-18 conception rates by 50 per cent by 2010.
The study is the first to show the long-term effects of the strategy, which has had its greatest effect in areas of high deprivation and areas that received the most TPS funding.
As well as providing funding, the strategy also included sex and relationships education, youth-friendly contraceptive services and support for young parents to take part in education, employment, and training.
England’s under-18 conception rate has now fallen to its lowest level since the 1970s, although England’s teenage pregnancy rates are still high when compared with other European countries in areas such as Scandinavia or the Netherlands. ― AFP
