Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

News

Flip

Original poster

Girl sues council over pregnancy

21 replies

QueenOfQuotes · 20/06/2005 13:28

here

OP posts:

TheVillageIdiot · 20/06/2005 13:33

I wish I could say 'only in America'. If she isn't mature enough to take responsibility for her actions she isn't mature enough to raise a child.

It doesn't say why she is considered 'special needs', if she was taken advantage of then surely that is a criminal offence(?)

fastasleep · 20/06/2005 13:34

I wonder if she's hanging around on the October ante natal board

fastasleep · 20/06/2005 13:35

Merseyside too!

fastasleep · 20/06/2005 13:36

I would've thought they would only have given her that much money if she didn't have the capacity to know what was er..going on?... I don't know, just sounds very weird..

NomDePlume · 20/06/2005 13:36

I agree re 'It doesn't say why she is considered 'special needs', if she was taken advantage of then surely that is a criminal offence(?)', TVI.

fastasleep · 20/06/2005 13:38

Exactly.. an out of court settlement maybe? Maybe the parents of both children are of the opinion that neitehr knew what they were doing (ahem!?!) and that the school was being negligent in putting them next door to each other

NomDePlume · 20/06/2005 13:41

I don't think it is unreasonable to accept that a pair of teenagers with learning difficulties of some degree were not aware of the possible implications of sex. It isn't beyond the realms of reasonable thought to assimilate that though the teens knew that they were having sex, they may not have fully understood the risk they were taking from both a pregnancy pov and a health pov. So I think that the 'ahem?!' there, is a little harsh, fastasleep.

fastasleep · 20/06/2005 13:45

My mum worked with a lot of downs syndrome adults, I understand what you mean, I used to sit in with her during half term holidays etc... they understood the concept of sex but would never click that it could make babies.

I just think the school was really stupid putting them next door to each other! I mean they're teenagers possibly with no concept of STDs and baby making...

NomDePlume · 20/06/2005 13:50

That is the ludicrous bit, fastasleep.

aloha · 20/06/2005 13:52

If my child with special needs went to a boarding school and came back pregnant I would also be devastated. The children should be supervised properly and if kids of both sexes are there then they should be given extra supervision. It sounds negligent to me.

lunavix · 20/06/2005 13:55

Ummm the bit that gets me is.. the school has a mother and baby unit????

Marina · 20/06/2005 13:55

Plenty of teens with no specific learning disability seem to have trouble associating unprotected sex with pregnancy, so why two children with a statement of special needs were not properly supervised and supported beats me. I think they are right to sue and like Aloha, if this happened to a child of mine I would be devastated.

Marina · 20/06/2005 13:56

lunavix, they may well have places for children with SN who are referred to the school when already pregnant, I guess.

TheVillageIdiot · 20/06/2005 14:01

I don't understand why it's not a criminal matter though. Are we assuming that neither the underage girl nor the 16yo old boy 'knew' and/or 'understood' the consequences? However if they did then why should the council be sued. I'd love to read a more detail article on this, I'm intrigued.

Assuming they both consented wouldn't there have to be some degree of sexual knowledge for this to happen? I don't know

I agree with you Aloha, re. 'If my child with special needs went to a boarding school and came back pregnant I would also be devastated'.

I wonder if 'they' would they be sueing the council if it had nothing to do with SN? I'm not sure who 'they' are, the girls parents??

misdee · 20/06/2005 14:11

what i dont get is that she is suing herts cC, but the school is in merseyside. thats a totally different council, in fact its at the other side of the council.

misdee · 20/06/2005 14:12

other side of the country.

we do have special schools in herts.

maddiemo · 20/06/2005 14:19

Misdee It depends on what school can best meet a childs needs. Where I live many SN children attend a school in the neighbouring LEA which is in fact owned by yet another LEA about 20 miles away.

misdee · 20/06/2005 14:20

butsmersey is liverpool isnt it? thats 200 odd miles away. surely there isnt that big a shortfull is there? or m i not opening my eyes up enough.

maddiemo · 20/06/2005 14:23

There really is that big a shortfall in SEN places. We are considering looking at an SN school for my ds which is two LEA's away. My borough has its own provsion but it is just stick all needs together under one roof.

misdee · 20/06/2005 14:24

blimey!!

aloha · 20/06/2005 14:26

why should it be a criminal matter? The boy was a fellow pupil as I understand it. They will both have special needs and both be around the same age.
The point is, the children were sent there to be cared for and educated with proper supervision and care for their welfare. I don't think any of us would thing allowing our vulnerable 16 year old daughter to be so unsupervised she could get pregnant would fit that description. Of course people with special needs have emotional and sexual needs. But they may also need other people to help protect them from the consequences of those emotional and sexual needs and desires, such as a potentially devastating unwanted pregnancy.

Flip