[jambutty]

The blame for teenage pregnancies must also lie, in part, with the media and in particular those girlie magazines aimed at teenagers. Don’t forget their parents, grandparents and great grand parents who relaxed their moral values after the last war. Most homes didn’t have man in the house (killed in the war) and poor old mum trying to keep the family solvent just couldn’t cope. With each successive generation those values were eroded away.

However society and the government must also share some of the blame. Latch key kids were left to their own devices as both parents went out to work and they didn’t have the time to educate and control their kids. Both parents went out to work because one wage just wasn’t enough to cater for their needs and wants. Blame the bosses for not paying adequate wages.

Commerce must also take some of the blame with their incessant advertising of new this and new that and must have this and must have that. Adverts for make-up, hair care and clothes aimed at women and teenage girls send out the “be sexy, be desirable, be attractive” message.

Finally to all those people whingeing about people getting benefits. Would they rather have the child taken away from a single mum and placed in an orphanage?

That would cost an awful lot more than a single mum would get on benefits.