Will Schoolies Week See an Influx of Teen Pregnancies ?

Previous years' schoolies week celebration ended with teenage mums giving birth to unplanned babies. Health workers predict the same this year.

Aussie health workers have predicted that there will be an influx of babies delivered by schoolies nine months from now as teens fail to take precautions against pregnancy.

The prediction was made after viewing previous years' Schoolies week, when the outcome of the celebration ended with teenage mums giving birth to unplanned babies.

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According to a Queensland Health midwife, who refused to be named because of a government ban preventing staff from speaking out, it was an unfortunate outcome of the celebrations.

"Every September we see teenage mums giving birth to babies conceived during Schoolies," News.com.au quoted her as saying.

"They go out and have their week of fun away from home, and then nine months later their lives change forever," she added.

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Infertility is a condition wherein couples fail to achieve pregnancy or if the woman has been unable to carry a pregnancy that results in a live birth.

Even though they know the risks involved, it was discovered that schoolchildren chat frankly about plans to have sex at schoolies, on the Internet forum National Schoolies Week.

The topics that were being discussed included, "Ideas for Sex", "Is everyone really as horny as I've heard?", "Favourite position", and "Any virgins here?"

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"I've found, alarmingly, amongst my own friends that condoms aren't a priority," one schoolie wrote.

As per research conducted by sexual healthcare provider Marie Stopes International many schoolgirls are too embarrassed to ask a boy to use a condom.

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General manager of operations Jill Michelson said ignoring the problem of "schoolies sex" would not make it go away.

"There will undoubtedly be an increase in babies born to teens as a result of this year's schoolies," she stated.

Teen pregnancy support worker Di Fletcher, CEO of Babi Youth and Family Support in Brisbane, said it was easy to pick youngsters bound for trouble.

"Some teenagers go to schoolies for the sole purpose of having sex," she said.

"I don't think they realise how hard it will be to become a father or mother at such a young age," she added.

Australian Medical Association spokesman and Brisbane obstetrician Dr Gino Pecoraro said parents had a role to play in preventing "schoolies babies".

"Parents need to make sure that if their children are going to have sex on Schoolies then they have access to condoms," he added.

Source-ANI
SPH