Birth Control for young girls

[DanaC]

I agree, to a point. But I also think that whilst there may be lots of potential parents on waiting lists for babies, there is no shortage of children to adopt. There is a serious problem with people wanting to adopt newborns only. Consequently there are many three and four year olds in the system who won't experience a true parental relationship. There is a cultural value placed on adopting a newborn baby as opposed to a child. That may well be exacerbated if there is more overt encouragement of the kind you recommend.

Whilst there is emotional impact from abortion, and no decision can truly be safe for every case: going through the entire pregnancy and then actually giving birth then giving the child up can be the most terrible wrench. An early abortion with good counselling before and after is often less traumatic. The later the abortion, generally, the more traumatic, and frankly probably more so than adoption.

On a slightly different point: I find the idea of young, often financially insecure women effectively acting as incubators for mature, often financially stable couples politically and morally troubling. Not saying it shouldnt happen. Am slightly troubled at the idea of it being 'encouraged'.