Teenage pregnancy warning over cuts to funding

MORE than half of teen pregnancies in Calderdale are aborted, new statistics have revealed.

Nearly 100 girls aged 15-17 in Calderdale fell pregnant in 2015, with 49 having abortions, according to the Office for National Statistics.

While Calderdale had lower numbers than Kirklees, the borough had a higher rate of conceptions leading to abortion at 53.3% compared to 42.1%.

Nearly 200 girls aged 15-17 in Kirklees fell pregnant in the same year, with 83 having abortions.

Yorkshire’s teen pregnancy rates are at the lowest since records began in 1969, but are still the third highest in England.

They have reduced by 8% since 2014 and 54% since 1998.

But sexual health charity Family Planning Association has warned that this could change, as a result of recent cuts to contraception services.

Natika Halil, the charity’s chief executive, said: “While not all local authorities have reduced their spending, many have, and we’re concerned this trend could increase.

“FPA’s report, Unprotected Nation, found that just a 10% cut in spending on sexual health and contraception services across the UK could mean that teenage pregnancy rates go back to 2003 levels, undoing more than a decade of hard work. The UK still has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in western Europe.

“Not all teenage pregnancies are unplanned or unwanted, but young people who become parents under 18 have a higher risk of poorer health, education, economic and social outcomes.”