General Chat

I agree entirely with Grampa Jim Rupert

Lynda, good point - I mean hopefully I don't have to experience that..to be able to answer that question..

I think (personally) that it should be dependent on the individual case. I disagree with abortions but at the same time, occationally the abortion is better than the alternatives. For example, I know a girl who was pregnant at 15, her father took her to have an abortion. Knowing this girl, she could never have coped with having a baby at that age. By chance she had a baby sibling at the same time and the way she behaved around the baby and treated it confirmed everyones feelings. If she had had the baby then she would probally either hurt it, run away or killed herself. In her case I feel the abortion was justified. As to should the parents be told; if the girl is mature enought to understand what the abortion intales and the consiquenses to the same level as an adult then no the parents should not be told but an adult should always be with the girl (which is requied for any woman) and be staying with her for a few days after the abortion so they can get help if the girl starts to bleed. However, if the girl has had a number of abortions (and I do't doubt some do), then the parents should be informed for the childs safety. I would be more conserned as to why a child has got pregnant and reqieres an abortion so offten. I would start thinking that the girl could be being abused by someone and needs protecting. The problem is that if we make abortion illeagal, then we go back to backstreet abortionists who are untrained and do more harm to the mother. My appologies if I have offended anyone, but these are my personal views and I don't try to force them on anyone else.

Lunar, I'm not offended at all. I want to hear everyone's views. :-) I personally think it would be selfish to put your own issues (welfare etc) ahead of the child's life. What's wrong with adoption?

No Comment!

Nice to see you Jill! :-) My area has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Britain. I think that if you're stupid enough to get into that sort of mess you should accept your responsibilities.

As a mere male I have no right to say how a woman should or should not re-act to pregnancy, it is their body and their right to choose. As for 'Children', ie under sixteen, the parents have the full resposibility for the child and should have all knowldge and rights in regard to their daughters. In my opinion sex before sixteen without parents consent, and I cannot see that being given, is an offence and the male MUST be prosecuted regardless of 'But she said yes'. In addition, digressing, a 'single' mother under eighteen is the financial burden of the parents and no 'State' aid should be given. Regards. Brian (i)

Gwynne, no I meant if someone becomes pregnant as a result of their obvious lack of morals ie someone around my age being reckless.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend.

Lucia, you only have to read the heartbreaking stories on 'Tips' to see there can be plenty wrong with adoption.

I realise it's up to the individual and i wouldn't like to comment on that issue, BUT if a young girl has an abortion without her parents knowledge who is going to lok after her. She's not going to just walk away and carry on as normal after surgery. Would she be in any physical/mental pain. Claire

what age are you lucia? (if you dont mind me asking)lol

Ginny, I'll go and have a look then :-) I just think adoption would be better than actually killing a child.

Lynda, I'm 16.

Hi.Julie. Under the 'Law' prosecute, but in reality a good hiding would suffice. Brian (i)

This is from the Department of Health and is what the law says about consent in the UK: Who is responsible for giving consent? You are entitled to agree to treatment on behalf of a child up to age 18 for whom you have what is called “parental responsibility”. However, children also gain rights to agree for themselves as they get older – as you’ll see over the page. Who has parental responsibility? • Mothers automatically have parental responsibility for their children. • Fathers also have parental responsibility if they were married to the mother when the child was conceived or born, or if they got married to her later. • Unmarried fathers do not automatically have parental responsibility for their child, but a court order or a “parental responsibility agreement” can give it to them.* • People looking after your child like childminders or grandparents do not have parental responsibility, but you can authorise them to take medical decisions for your child, if you wish. When can children give consent for themselves? 16-18 year olds Once children reach the age of 16, they can agree to examination or treatment just like adults. People providing health care do not then have to ask you for consent as well. Under 16s The rules say that children under 16 may still be able to give consent for themselves, provided they are mature enough to understand fully what is involved. So who gives consent – your child or you? There is no hard and fast rule. A lot depends on the seriousness or difficulty of the proposed treatment. Although your child might be grown-up enough to consent to a meningitis vaccination, for instance, it might be too much to expect him or her to grasp all they need to know for consenting to a heart operation. Even if your child is grown-up enough to give consent independently, people providing treatment will still encourage them to involve you in their decision. However, if children refuse to share information with parents, health care professionals must normally respect their wishes. What do you and your child need to know? In order to make a decision, you and your child need to be provided with information about the treatment being offered. If you feel you haven’t understood or don’t have enough information, you should always ask questions. For example: • What sort of things will the treatment involve? • What benefits do they hope will result? • How good are the chances of getting such benefits? • Are there any alternatives? • What are the risks, if any? • If there are risks, are they minor or serious? • What may happen if your child doesn’t have treatment? If the person who is asking you to agree to the treatment isn’t able to answer your questions, ask them to find out or arrange for someone else to talk to you about your concerns. What if my child refuses treatment? Sometimes children who are able to take their own decisions refuse treatment which their parents wish them to accept. In spite of that, health care professionals can legally overrule them and go ahead with the treatment if a parent has given consent. But young people may resent treatment given to them against their will. So it’s better for everyone to avoid this happening. If your child is refusing treatment, try to find out what’s worrying them before considering going against their wishes. So long as the child’s condition is not life-threatening, it may be possible to delay treatment until the child is willing for it to go ahead. Suppose I don’t want my child to have treatment? You may not want your child to have a particular treatment or intervention – contraception, for example. But if your child has the maturity to understand what’s involved and asks for it, the law does allow health care professionals to provide treatment or care they believe is appropriate. Although they will always try to persuade children to keep parents informed, they must respect the wishes of a child who refuses to share information with you.

lucia, so if someone male or female has sex at 16 they are reckless and have no morals??

Lynda, nah I meant if they like sleep around or something...they should think about consequences before they have sex.. Someone I know lost her virginity at 13 and I think she was awfully silly :-)

Thanks for posting that Lunar - been interesting reading :-) And thank you to everyone else for your contributions :-)

Lucia, my daughter had her wee boy when she was 16 and 3 months old . It was a concealed pregnancy -only found out when she was in labour though had asked her and she denied it. Now he`s nearly 10 , very clever and my daughter has gone to Uni age 26 and is doing very well. I think she couldn`t face an abortion -never asked her-or the morning after pill. But all`s well now although it was very traumatic at the time and I had to have counselling, Rosalyn

nudge-any more comments, Rosalyn