Record low numbers of under 18 pregnancies in Horsham, data reveals

The rate of pregnancies among under 18s is at its lowest

In 1998, when the Office for National Statistics first started compiling conception data by local authority, the pregnancy rate for young women aged between 15 and 17 was 30 per 1,000.

By 2016, the year covered by the latest statistics, that figure had more than halved to six.

Natika Halil, chief executive of sexual health charity FPA, put the ‘dramatic fall in teenage pregnancy rates’ down to hard work from health and education professionals, as well as the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy which ended in 2010.

She explained: “That’s why it’s so concerning to see the cuts to sexual health services across the country, which could so easily undermine this hard-won achievement, and mean that we see these results reverse in the coming years.

“Teenage pregnancy can be a result of many different factors, but we know it can be reduced by investing the right time, resources and expertise into services and education.

“This investment not only saves money in the long term, but also helps prevent the range of negative long-term educational, health and social outcomes that young parents and their children are more likely to experience.”

In total, 15 young women under 18 became pregnant in Horsham in 2016. Of these women eight, or 53 per cent, chose to have an abortion. That’s more than the average for England and Wales.

This rate has increased since 1998 from 45 per cent. The percentage of young mothers who chose to have an abortion was higher in the under 16 bracket.

The statistics covering under 16s have been merged into three year periods, as the annual figures are very small.

They show that between 2014 and 2016 there were 8 underage pregnancies, with 75 per cent choosing to have an abortion.

Ms Halil added: “It’s important to remember that whether or not young people are sexually active, or choose to become parents, they should never face stigma or judgement. Pregnancy and parenthood can be a positive life choice for young people, and young parents deserve to get the support they need to make informed choices about their lives.

“This is support that only properly-funded services, alongside high-quality relationships and sex education, can provide.”

A Department of Health spokesman said that nationally ‘teenage pregnancies now stand at the lowest levels since records began’.

She added that across the country the government has ‘given local authorities more than £16 billion to spend on public health, including to improve access to sexual health services’.