Teenage pregnancies halved, abortions down

Teenage pregnancies in New Zealand are currently on the decline. In the last decade, the number of people giving birth has more than halved.

According to the latest Abortion Services Aotearoa New Zealand, abortions have also declined over the past decade. annual report .

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New figures released by Stats NZ on Tuesday show there were 1,719 births registered between the ages of 13 and 19 in 2022. They accounted for about 1 of his 34 births that year.

In 2012, 3,786 births to teenage mothers were registered, or approximately 1 in 16 births.

These are very different from the numbers recorded in 1972.

That year was the peak of teenage births in New Zealand. According to statistical reports, 9,150 of her teenage women have given birth, which is her one in seven.

Two years later, in 1974, the Auckland Medical Assistance Center abortion clinic was opened.

Since 1972, the number of teenage births has seen an “overall decline”, with the exception of a “minor peak” in 2008. registered with the mother of

Michael MacAskill, manager of estimates and forecasts at Stats NZ, said teenage births have declined overall since then.

What is the reason for the decrease?

For every 1,000 women aged 15-19 in New Zealand, there will be 11 babies born in 2022. This is down from her 25 in 2012, down 55%.

Family planning chief executive Jackie Edmund says the decline in teen births reflects a global trend. may be attributed to

It’s clear that people need more than one birth control option, she says.

Increasing the range and choice of Aotearoa seems to have made a difference, she notes. Today, there are contraceptive methods that are more reliable and readily available with lower failure rates than other methods.

However, barriers remain, including cost, limited awareness of the range of contraceptives, and health literacy of patients and practitioners.

No one is perfect, so there will always be unplanned pregnancies, she says.

Educational improvements have also made a difference, with schools offering a variety of relationship and sexuality programs in their curriculum, says Edmond.

“But we also know that this is imperfect. [of such education] is also patchy.

“There are a lot of great parents of teens,” and a lot of young people have done “great jobs.”

At the time, pregnancy at a young age could have long-term effects on people’s lives, so the recession was “good to see,” she added.

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