LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) – Sex education aimed at
encouraging contraceptive use has had no impact on teenage pregnancy or
abortion rates, and may even increase activity, a British study released on
Monday said.

David Paton of Nottingham University said under – 16’s who
used family planning services were more likely to be sexually active than other
teenagers.

His 14-year study found that while family planning clinics
cut pregnancy risks for some young people, it also raised the likelihood of
sexual behavior in others.

“You end up with more people having sex, and the same number
of pregnancies,” he told Reuters.

Paton’s finding challenged the British government’s stated
aim to halve teenage pregnancies rates by 2010 through sex education and
improved access to contraception.

Britain has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Western
Europe, double that of Germany an six times higher than in the Netherlands.

Last year a government advisory group on teenage pregnancies
recommended that children wanting to have sex before the legal age of 16 should
be able to get birth control at school.

His study, published in the Journal of Health Economics,
found that pregnancy rates fell when access to family planning was temporarily
restricted under the 1984 Gillick Ruling.

“If the policy aim is to help encourage young people to wait
before having sex, we may need to go back to that rule,” he said.

“A lot of people won’t like it. I’m aware of that. But
it’s important to take account of the facts before making policies in this
area.”

Reuters 03-04-03