Teenage Pregnancy In Australia

The Facts on Teenage Pregnancy in Australia

In 2003, the rate of teenage pregnancy in Australia was ranked the sixth highest among more developed nations falling below the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. It was found that five percent of all Australian children were born to women who were 19 years old or younger and legally induced abortions were the second most common reason for 12-24 year-old women to be admitted into an Australian hospital. Furthermore, it was shown that emergency contraception methods provided at Family Planning clinics were most frequently used by teenagers and roughly 45 percent of sexually active high-school students fail to use condoms on a consistent basis.

Looking at data from 2004, the rate of teenage pregnancy in Australia was 16.3 babies per 1000 women. To demonstrate the disparity between young girls living in poverty and those who are “better off”, the pregnancy rate of Queensland mothers living in poverty and aged 15-19 was 67.8 births per 1000 compared to 21.7 per 1000 in the general Queensland population.

According to studies, factors which seem to be associated with a higher risk of teenage pregnancy in Australia are similar to factors which can lead to adolescent pregnancy around the world, such as low self-esteem, hostile family environment, underprivileged socioeconomic status, and a family history of teen pregnancy. Whatever the factor or factors which contribute to teenage pregnancy in Australia, there three options available to an adolescent who finds herself in this situation. The most common gynecological procedure in Australia, regardless of age, is abortion; almost half of all unplanned pregnancies end in abortion and roughly 16% of women seeking abortions are teenagers. Regulations differ among regions; in Queensland, for example, abortion is legal if the continuation of pregnancy can cause serious risk to the woman’s physical and mental health. Abortion in Queensland is available up to the 20th week, though over 90% of abortions occur before 12 weeks. The cost ranges from $200-$300 for terminations before 12 weeks, though there are instances where underprivileged individuals receive government aid. The cost increases dramatically for everyone after 12 weeks.

A second option is adoption, though in Australia this does not seem to be a common choice either among teenagers or women in general. Most likely due to a rise in the acceptance of single parenting and improved access to contraceptives and abortion services, only about 80 adoptions occur every year in Queensland. A variation on the adoption choice is foster care; a few teenage mothers give up their child to a foster family only for a certain amount of time, until they feel ready to take on the responsibility of primary caregiver. Finally, since the social taboo of single parenting is something of the past and since government aid is available, many more pregnant teenagers are choosing the parenting option. Counseling is available in all Australian regions to help deal with issues of teenage pregnancy in Australia.

---

 

News About Teenage Pregnancy Teenage pregnancy on the rise in Australia 29 Aug 2010 at 2:51am Melbourne, Aug 29: Teenage pregnancy is on the rise in Australia and the number of births to teenage mothers has increased by 10 percent after steady decline for decades, latest data has revealed. No sex please, they're Chinese 4 Sep 2010 at 12:32pm If all goes according to plan, this fall a girl somewhere in China's Yunnan province will tell her boyfriend she can't have sex with him. And he'll have an abstinence programme from the US to thank. Fritz guilty on 5 counts 4 Sep 2010 at 2:11am By STACY LANGLEYTribune Staff Writer CARO ? After nearly two hours spent deliberating Monday morning, the jury in the criminal case against the former Owendale-Gagetown softball coach Cory Fritz returned with a mixed verdict. 8 Guys Bristol Palin Should Date 2 Sep 2010 at 11:18am Now that Levi Johnston is out of the picture, who do you think Bristol Palin should date? Win McNamee/Getty Images Bristol Palin , who will be joining the new cast of "Dancing With the Stars," first found herself in the limelight when her teenage pregnancy became public during her mother Sarah's campaign for Vice President. Last Night on Late Night: Will Arnett's New Baby Is Connected to Rod Stewart ... 3 Sep 2010 at 2:41am Will Arnett not only spilled the beans about his wife Amy Poehler having their newest son via C-section, he also told David Letterman that the doctors were bumping the radio during the birth and when the magic moment arrived it was a Rod Stewart song about teenage pregnancy setting the soundtrack for the joyous occasion. Up next, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow shows Jimmy Fallon how to mix up a Sazerac ... Gluckman: It is Hard to be a Teenager 2 Sep 2010 at 10:43pm Being an adolescent now is very different from being one just one or two generations ago and we will not understand the teenage years if we project our own experiences on to them. LSUHSC Pediatric Weight Expert Provides Obesity Trinity Answers 3 Sep 2010 at 4:44pm In a first person paper published in the August 27, 2010 issue of Childhood Obesity, Dr. Melinda Sothern, Director of Health Promotion and Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, provides three ways to de-program the 1950s obesity trinity underlying the current obesity epidemic in the United States and protect future generations from its health consequences." ... Media's Impact On Teen Sexual Behaviors, Teenage Pregnancies And Sexually Tra... 31 Aug 2010 at 6:17pm With the highest teen pregnancy rate in the Western Hemisphere and 25% of teens having had a sexually transmitted infection, we should be paying careful attention to media messages about sexuality and contraception, says a revised policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) "Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media," published in the medical journal Pediatrics. Web sites and TV ... Crane man charged with ?sexting? 3 Sep 2010 at 5:48pm Federal authorities have charged a Crane man who reportedly admitted to ?sexting? with a 15-year-old girl. Michael Angelo Cavazos, 28, appeared Friday before a federal magistrate in Midland on charges of coercion and enticement and transferring... Three ways to de-program the 1950s obesity trinity underlying current obesity... 3 Sep 2010 at 6:42am In a first person paper published in the August 27, 2010 issue of Childhood Obesity, Dr. Melinda Sothern, Director of Health Promotion and Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, provides three ways to de-program the 1950s obesity trinity underlying the current obesity epidemic in the United States and protect future generations from its health consequences.   [CaRP] Can't open cache file. [CaRP] Failed to open file: /hsphere/local/home/aldouspi/carp/autocache/311eed8fb1b80582f4b33405da3ce1b0 [CaRP] Can't open remote newsfeed. [CaRP] Can't open cache file. [CaRP] Failed to open file: /hsphere/local/home/aldouspi/carp/autocache/8fe1e2a90c17abfaef7e8d6ec733e15c [CaRP] Can't open remote newsfeed.