This week's Insight looks at the high rate of pregnancy in girls under sixteen in NZ, one of the highest rates in the world and its moves to liberalise sex education in this country.
In 1986, 373 girls under 16 became pregnant, 165 had their babies, 208 had abortions. There are even reports of children as young as 10 getting pregnant.
Midwife Judy Skinner works with pregnant adolescents at Wellington Hospital. She explains her patients are often very scared when she first meets them.
Marie Clinton is a counsellor at Parkview Clinic and counsels pregnant teenagers about their options and says many of them were ignorant about contraception.
Dr Margaret Sparrow, national president of the Abortion Law Reform Association explains the risks associated with teenage pregnancy for both mother and child and why she thinks there is such a high rate of teen pregnancies.
Marilyn Pryor of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child talks about why she believes there is such a high rate of teenage pregnancy - including sexual abuse. Judy Skinner also comments, saying the lack of good sex education is part of the problem.
Margaret Durden [?] of the Family Planning Association comments on the lack of understanding about contraception. She says section 3 of the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act restricts the ability of schools to give clear information to under 16 year olds.
Helen Shaw of the Education Department comments on sex education in schools.
Dr Jill Durham talks about AIDs and a taskforce on teenagers and sexual health.
Father John O'Neill of the Catholic Education Office is not in favour of repealing section 3 of the C.S.A. Act, and talks about its history which goes back to the Mazengarb Report of the 1950s.