Australian teenagers and pregnancy.

Abstract

The decline in teenage births has affected nuptial births more than ex-nuptial births; the total pregnancy rate among unmarried teenagers has levelled out. Although the incidence of teenage abortion may have reached a plateau, the level is still unacceptably high. The growth of family planning organizations and the Action Centre have paralleled or followed the decline in births — all three phenomena appear to have resulted from changes in attitudes to and availability of contraception and abortion. It may well be that without the FPAs the numbers of pregnancies and abortions would have been even higher, but to achieve further reductions, means must be found for better communication with those most at risk.