make young girls want to have children.

And The Royal Gazette has learned that the Health Department is to launch a major campaign in schools on teen pregnancy next year.

Mrs. Young made the call yesterday after learning the latest statistics from the Bermuda Hospitals Board on teen pregnancy.

A former staff member at Teen Services -- the organisation that provides professional support and guidance for pregnant teens, Mrs. Young noted that there are many success stories with young women taking on the role of mother.

"But what we really need to ask ourselves and to find out, is why girls want to have babies,'' she said. "I would really like to see someone do a study on the social causes that make teenagers want to have children.'' Senior Medical Officer Brenda Davidson when releasing the figures noted that the situation in Bermuda was not very worrying.

"The figures are really not very high in Bermuda and the girls get excellent support,'' she noted. "Poor parenting is the real problem and it is not confined to teenagers.'' According to the latest figures, the number of teens having babies represented just less than ten percent of the total deliveries on the Island. Between April, 1998 and March, 1999, 75 teenage girls gave birth compared with 730 adults.

But there were 112 reported pregnancies of girls between the ages of 14 and 19. The figure is up only slightly from last year when a total of 100 were seen.

Thirty-four teens chose to have abortions, one suffered a spontaneous abortion and two had problems with the fetus forming outside the womb.

The statistics also show teens favoured having their abortions conducted on an outpatient basis rather than overnighting in the hospital. Thirty girls opted to leave after the procedure, while only four had inpatient treatment.

The actual age of the girl also appears to have played a role in termination decisions, with younger girls, between 13 and 15 more likely to abort than older ones.

Dr. Davidson said this trend was normal and to be expected.

"The younger girls are more likely to opt for termination,'' she said. "We don't encourage or discourage either way. Our role is not to advise or judge motive.'' "We have had a few cases where the girl has been brought to us seven months pregnant and then it is simply too late for anything else. She has to have the baby.'' she added.

"We encourage and work with them in an effort to ensure the child is brought into a suitable environment.'' Dr. Davidson stressed that the teens were encouraged to complete their education either by remaining in school or through tutoring. Teen Services is introduced to all expectant mothers under 17, to help in this regard.

Individual school principals make the decision whether an expectant mother can remain at a school, but Dr. Davidson admitted a personal bias that the teen mothers be allowed to remain.

"I have concerns that if she is separated she gets labelled, that there is a feeling that she has an illness and that she is being penalised. I don't agree that she should be penalised,'' she said.

"I felt very badly for a young girl this year who had remained in school but was not allowed to attend her graduation ceremony because she was pregnant,'' Dr. Davidson disclosed. "I think it was her reward after her hard work all year.'' The Health Department will launch a major campaign on teen pregnancy in January. Information packages will be distributed to all schools on the Island and community health nurses will visit and give talks to school children regularly.

While none of the practices will be new, Dr. Davidson said the January campaign will simply be "a big push''.

"There will be some advertising, but our main aim is to teach teenagers that sexuality is not just a game or fun, and that there are wider implications.''