Cross-party inquiry into unwanted pregnancy: your views?

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello,

We've been asked by Conservative MP Amber Rudd to contribute to a cross-party inquiry into the factors underlying unwanted pregnancies in the UK, and ways in which the unwanted pregnancy rate might be brought down. (Other members of the Inquiry include Labour MP Sandra Osborne and LibDem MP Lorely Burt.)

The background information from the Inquiry states: 'Over the last decade, the age-standardised abortion rate has risen by 2.3 per cent. Beneath this statistic are some striking trends. For example, the abortion rate for women in the 30-34 age group has risen by around 10 per cent in the past three years, which is in stark contrast to other countries like New Zealand, where the rate has decreased by 5 per cent over the same period. Repeat abortions have also increased over the past decade, rising from 31 per cent in 2001 to 36 per cent in 2011. Although unwanted pregnancies in teenagers have been steadily declining over the past decade, the UK also remains home to the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Western Europe.'

The Inquiry is interested in hearing your views on the following:

1. The issue of unwanted pregnancy in the UK.
2. The figures suggest that there are increasing rates of abortions among some age groups in the UK, increasing rates of repeat abortions, and high levels of teenage pregnancy. What are the underlying reasons for these trends? And what role (if any) does government have in tackling them?
3. What lessons can be learned from previous attempts to tackle unwanted pregnancies?
4. Are there any measures the government should be implementing to tackle unwanted pregnancy?

Plus, of course, anything else you want to say.

Thanks,
MNHQ

I haven't read the whole thread as it would take too long, so apologies if this repeats anything.

1) The issue of unwanted pregnancy in the UK.
I think this is a problem but I'll answer it under point 4.

2) The figures suggest that there are increasing rates of abortions among some age groups in the UK, increasing rates of repeat abortions, and high levels of teenage pregnancy. What are the underlying reasons for these trends? And what role (if any) does government have in tackling them?
IMO the reason the abortion rate is increasing among women in the 30-34 age bracket is the same reason why we still have such a high rate of teenage pregnancy and the same reason why the number of STDs are still increasing (again, in older age groups too). The emphasis has been placed on pregnancy rather than general sexual and emotional health. This inevitably ends up with the responsibility being left to women rather than both sexes seeing it as an issue to be tackled jointly. Condoms need to be promoted much more strongly and particularly at men. So many men will use a multitude of excuses to get out of wearing one, and young women or those recently out of a relationship often lack the tools to be able to stand up against that, especially if they are already on the pill for example. IT would also help if men were under the unmistakable impression that any child they fathered would be made their financial responsibility until 18 with no exceptions but as we all know, way too many never get called up on it and with charges now brought in to use the CSA, that's only going to get worse.

3. What lessons can be learned from previous attempts to tackle unwanted pregnancies?
   Using moralistic approaches does not work. Trying to make contraception more available helps but doesn't work by itself. IMO what we need is a much greater emphasis on the issue of enthusiastic consent, STDs ? particularly in relation to men so that they want to use condoms, and the ethics surrounding unwanted pregnancy, abortion and why any decent person should accept, without question, that the minute you have sex with someone, it is possible a baby could result and you must be prepared to support that resulting child or discuss abortion before sex, or not have sex at all.

4. Are there any measures the government should be implementing to tackle unwanted pregnancy?
   See point 3.

I think you need to split 'unwanted pregnancy' into at least 2 groups. On this thread there are people answering from the 'I really don't want to be pregnant' standpoint and the 'I can't afford to be pregnant' standpoint. Does the Government want an increase in birth rate? If so, childcare and housing costs are part of the answer. Do they want a decrease in birth rate? Then more availability of contraception and better education are part of the answer.

I cannot agree more that part of the answer is (as mentioned up thread) everyone having sex should be aware that it can result in a pregnancy, and therefore should have in mind what they would do if it does, AND that men should be forced to bear financial responsibility for their children.

I also think that social stigma needs to be moved away from 'single mothers' and on to 'un-involved fathers'. Contraception should be seen as an equal responsibility whereas 'single mothers' are viewed to have 'got themselves pregnant' which is a ridiculous point of view. However it is helped by (really getting on soap box now) the general feeling across society that children are primarily a mother's responsibility - also seen in residence cases. Joint responsibility all the way - and where the state interacts with family life that should be the basic starting point.

I don't think this is a way to take a pop at abortion or reduce rates so stats look good. There is a genuine issue here of unwanted pregnancy.

I too would like to see a breakdown of health vs other reasons. Is there an attitude towards disability and not wanting perfect children? Milder disabilities which wouldn't have been cause for abortion years ago are now detectable and doctors presume the pregnancy will be terminated?

Why are women getting pregnant AKA why is contraception not good enough? Why is there no availability in some areas? In France I left the maternity unit with a prescription for the pill, despite having refused it initially and having no intention of letting DH near me ever again I didn't cash it in but I bet there are women who did.

Another angle is whether the rise in abortion has seen a corresponding fall in adoption with the introduction of (supposedly) easier access to records? I would be very scared of putting a baby up for adoption now - it would probably swing me towards abortion, despite my personal misgivings about me having one (nothing against women who feel differently but more that for me it's almost unthinkable).

You know what breaks my heart, though - it's those threads where 'I'm pregnant, I want it, he doesn't want any more ever but he won't get snipped' and the woman is practically coerced into having an abortion because of social or financial reasons. Vasectomy should be a realistic option, not just in terms of access which is piss poor anyway, but socially too.

Plus all the other points about sex ed but that doesn't help the older age groups as much.

I think I can talk about teenage pregnancy with some knowledge/authority due to my job.

The research shows that the majority of pregnant teens who have had "accidental" pregnancies finds that they actually got pregnant on purpose. Even the ones that go on to have abortions. A lot of teens who abort their first pregnancy go on to get pregnant again very quickly and this time keep it.

From talking to numerous teens I've worked with over the years this has been backed up. They're often girls from broken homes, no dad on the scene, on off relationship with a bloke, don't get on too well with their mum, failing at school and not many aspirations. Obviously doesn't apply to everyone but it does to the majority.

The girls I talk to who when they "admit" they got pregnant on purpose talk about doing it because they want someone (ie; the baby) in their life who will always lve them. How sad that the only way they feel they can achieve this is by getting pregnant at 16/17/18.

I do think that family breakdown plays a big part in teen pregnancy.

Who is defining 'unwanted pregnancy' here?

Are women who have given birth approached with a researcher with a clipboard? i think not. people make assumptions that some pregnancies eg teen ones will be unwanted without ever asking the mum.

Not all abortions were 'unwanted' at conception. Lots of factors can happen in between eg relationship breakdown, diagnosed disability, multiple pregnancy, gender disappointment, loss of job, loss of home, domestic violence.

There also seems to be an assumption that all these conceptions were through consentual sex. Especially in teenagers there can be a warped idea of what rape is and what right a girl has to refuse to have unprotected sex.

Or lots of women themselves want the pregnancy but are pressurised into abortions by their partners or family.

There are lots of reasons to do with contraception why women who dont want to get pg do. Rising obesity means that many more women cant take some types of hormonal OCs. They then have to use less reliable methods. There are the men who refuse to have vasectomies. There are women whose GPs refuse to refer them for sterilisation. There are the terrible side effects some women have from lots of types of contraceptives. where is the male pill? There is the cost of condoms. You can get them free but i asked a free clinic for a 6 months supply and was given 12!! I mean come on! It is also surprising how many women dont understand how contraceptives work and dont know how to take them properly eg the 12 window for the COC. Why is the diaphragm not suggested/ prescribed/used as much anymore? Then there are the men who say they'll leave if the women makes him wear a condom...

the alcohol and binge drinking culture also plays a part even on older married couple- look how birth rates/abortion rates go up after Xmas and summer holidays.

the MAP may be easier to get now but it costs a lot of money and you dont have time to save.

There is also the bigger issue of the assumption that sex=PIV (penis in vagina) in our culture. Change this and you change the whole conversation...

Oh and make men pay maintenance for all their DCs from the day they are born and throw them in jail if they are a day late!

Ban condomless porn.

Or all porn while you're at it.

Lots of very salient points in your post margerykemp Esp. about young people's perception of what constitutes consent. Lots of other posters have touched on this, but I think it's really important to educate young people about what a healthy relationship looks like and why both sexes have the right to enjoy their sex lives - not just men.

Oh god I so agree with that damephilippa about the stigma of single mothers, whilst the feckless and useless fathers go off into the sunset. I also agree that if men knew that there would be consequences if a baby appeared as a result of sex they would probably be more inclined to take an interest in contraception.

I also agree with viva about the motives of teenage parents. Teenage pregnancy is not something which can be fixed by sternly dictating to young girls. You are trying to fix the unfixable. Many girls choosing to have a baby are trying to fill a void in their life.

While I accept that seeing children as primarily the mother's responsibility is a huge part of the problem as to why women bear the brunt of responsibility for contraception, I have to disagree that the way to combat this is to start all residency arrangements at 50/50 between parents.

Children are not to be used as pawns in an exercise of social engineering trying to get men to step up to the plate. The sad truth is that the sort of father who won't pay maintenance and plays fast and loose with contact, is only ever going to bring increased problems for a child. Despite the poor outcomes for 'fatherless' children, some recent research shows that poor and inconsistent contact is just as damaging, if not more so.

The way to ram home the message about joint responsibility is firstly through maintenance IMO. I tend to find that the sort of men who take contraception seriously are also the ones who take parenthood seriously. The one will lead to the other. But if you begin trying to redress the balance with 50/50 residency arrangements, all that happens is that more rights are being handed to fathers to the detriment of mothers (who already shoulder more than their fair share of disadvantages) and not in the best interests of the child.

Which isn't to say that I don't agree with 50/50 arrangements, as in many cases - where the parents are both worthy of it - it is ideal.

Some girls get pregnant because they are looking for the love they don't get at home. Back in 1989, I asked one 14-year-old girl who was sleeping with one of my Emirati students where her mum was when she was at the hotel with my student. She replied that her mum was at the disco.
Also, sixth form colleges receive lunchtime visits several times a week from middle-aged do-gooders offering glow-in-the-dark condoms. When my daughter and her friends said they were not sexually active, they were told by a middle-aged do-gooder, 'Come on, everyone's doing it'. These yucky people regularly spoilt the students' enjoyment of lunch. But they may have succeeded in convincing students craving love that they should be doing it like 'everyone else'.
Yes, Amber Rudd is firmly pro-abortion. You can read about her views on the Abortion Rights website. She believes that women who have abortions know what they are doing. She says 'they are grown-ups'. But in fact, in her constituency, many girls who have abortions are not grown-ups.
Also, one young refugee came to me and said that 3 different clinicians had asked her during routine check-ups and scans whether she was sure she wanted to go ahead with her pregnancy. They told her to consider how her studies would be disrupted. She wanted her baby very much and asked me for reassurance that she shouldn't take any notice of the clinicians' words. She is now a very happy mother. Her boyfriend shares the childcare with her, and both social services and the charity Life give her plenty of extra support.

Mysteries those are reasonable things for the student to consider before making her decision.

Then of course, some girls get pregnant because they just love fucking.

at Joan - loving fucking and using contraception are not mutually exclusive.

Posters on this thread are giving examples of ease or not of accessing contraception:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1570520-to-think-its-no-wonder-why-teen-pregnancies-unwanted-pregnancies-are-so-high

I think it's great that the emphasis of this enquiry is on unplanned pregnancy not abortion. We need to look at this whole thing holistically. A recent report from the family planning association found that many women of all ages, but more so for over 20s, are finding it hard to access the whole choice of contraception and that it is effectively being rationed in some areas.
For me this is about giving young people 100% accurate sex education in all schools - including faith schools - and then giving all people really easy access to all forms of contraception in lots of different places including GPs, family planning clinics etc, but also for things that don't need to be fitted like IUDs, in other places like pharmacies, youth centres, childrens centres etc. Different people like talking to different types of professionals so let's give everyone what they need and widen access. It is economically short sighted to cut investment in contraception - a baby is alot more expensive than an implant.

If we did all this there would still be a need for women to be able to have an abortion because contraception isn't perfect and nor are human beings, but it would definitely help. In Holland with good sex ed and good contraception they have a really low abortion rate.

As I am in Amber Rudd MP's constituency, I am very concerned to know her views on abortion. On the Abortion Rights website, Amber states that '?I am unequivocally pro-choice?, adding ?Women who want abortions know what they are doing. They are grown ups.? However, on October 3rd 2012, she answered an open letter (to which I was one of 118 signatories) saying she wants to reduce the number of abortions and that she meets "many young women in Hastings who have stumbled into this state". Since receiving this letter, I don't know whether Amber really believes that women undergoing abortions are grown-ups or not or whether she really believes they know what they are doing. And I don't know whether she is "unequivocally pro-choice" or not.
The open letter I signed was from constituents at my church. There are several hundred constituents in several churches of various denominations in Amber's constituency who are concerned to know Amber's real views. This concern is now spreading throughout the constituency among both those who advocate abortion and those who advocate providing alternatives to abortion for girls and women who find themselves in crisis pregnancy situations.

Hello

Thanks very much for all the comments. We submitted a precis of the thread to the Inquiry as written evidence, and I also gave oral evidence on Tuesday.

Here's the text of a press release summing up the oral evidence sessions, and giving more info on what will happen next.

-

On 16th October Amber Rudd MP (Con), Sandra Osborne MP (Lab), Lorely
Burt MP (Lib Dem) and Gail Beer from 2020health interviewed a number
of stakeholders at the cross-party Unplanned Pregnancy Inquiry?s final
oral evidence session. The Inquiry is being chaired by Amber Rudd MP
and co-chaired by the 2020health think tank, whose purpose it is to
improve individual health and create the conditions for a healthy
society.

Many of the panellists challenged the assumption that unplanned
pregnancy is only a women?s issue, with Rowan Davies from Mumsnet
stressing the need for men to be involved in the process of
contraceptive choices. Simon Blake from Brook said that teenage boys
should be clear about what is expected of them, while JC from Respond
Academy highlighted the problem of young boys viewing too much
pornography and not having any understanding of contraception. JC also
talked about how young men are often keen to be involved in the
pregnancy and the arrival of babies, but all too often end up losing
interest. She spoke about the terrible loss this is to mothers and
babies, stressing the importance of engaging with young men about the
consequences of not using contraception.

The Inquiry has now received dozens of written and oral evidence
submissions, which will be used to formulate a series of
recommendations to the Government with the aim of reducing unplanned
pregnancies in all age groups. The recommendations are expected to be
published later in the year.

Speaking after the oral evidence session, Chairman of the Inquiry
Amber Rudd said:

'The oral evidence sessions have been extremely interesting and
thorough, giving this inquiry a fascinating insight into the issues
surrounding unplanned pregnancy in the UK. I would like to thank
everyone who has contributed, both through oral and written evidence.
I now look forward to coming up with some recommendations that will
seek to reduce unplanned pregnancy in the UK.

'It was also very interesting to hear about the emphasis put on
engaging with young men when so often this is viewed exclusively as a
women?s issue.'

Gail Beer, Consultant at 2020health, added:

'We are delighted to be involved in this important inquiry, which aims
to reduce the level of unwanted pregnancy in the UK. I have no doubt
that this inquiry will provide a comprehensive and informative series
of recommendations to the Government.'