The figures of early pregnancies

Publié le 28 Feb, 2009
Sexuality of minors
 
The story of Alfie Patten, this young English boy which became father at 13 years old on last 9th February, reopened the debate about the sexuality of minors. In 2007, England and Wales counted 8,196 teenagers under 16 pregnant. The conception rate of young girls from 15 to 17 passed from 40.9‰ in 2006 to 41.9‰ in 2007. The one of young girls from 12 to 15 passed from 7.8‰ in 2006 to 8.1‰ in 2007. 
 
In France, in 2007, 32 teenagers of 15 years old and 2 of 14 years old became fathers; 15 teenagers of 13 years old and 49 of 14 years old became mothers.
 
Earlier puberty
 
According to an Inserm study, published in February 2008, the age of the puberty of occidental populations has markedly reduced: today, in France, the average age of the first menstruations is 12.6; it was 17 in the middle of the 19th century and 14 in the middle of the 20th century. The first signs of masculine puberty occur in average at 11.6.
 
Failure of preventive policies
 
Clearly increasing, the figures of early pregnancies reveal the failure of the numerous sexual education programs implemented as well as the multiple decisions facilitating the access to contraception. Even if France has the biggest contraception rate in Europe, it has an increasing number of teenagers who abort each year. 
 
It is in this context that the deputy Bérangère Poletti (UMP-Ardennes) has submitted amendments to the bill on the hospital asking better information about contraception and better training of the physicians. On 3rd March 2009, the deputies have adopted the amendment establishing in medicine studies a specific side on contraception and voluntary termination of pregnancy (VTP). Two days later, the amendments N° 453, to extend the competences of midwives in the fields of the prescription of contraception, and N° 455, according to which the departments of academic medicine should be able to deliver the emergency contraception, have been adopted.
 
Comfort abortions
 
At the same time as Le Figaro published an article on comfort abortions. Head of the laboratory of medical ethics of the university Paris-Descartes, Dr Grégoire Moutel explains: “at the origin, the indications of an abortion implied a material or psychological distress of the woman, today they are more about comfort order, what it is not of the spirit of the law”. The evidence is: today, two women out of 10 have been aborted twice even three times. 

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