Teenage mothers (From The Northern Echo)

Teenage mothers

10:52am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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RECENTLY, there have been a couple of quite unpleasant letters in HAS attacking single parents, inferring that they are scroungers.

These correspondents should examine a few statistical facts, rather than relying on the bigoted prejudice of certain tabloid newspapers.

Having children young in life can often lead to “positive outcomes”, according to research carried out by Alexander, Duncan and Edwards at one of the world’s greatest universities, the London School of Economics.

Teenage pregnancy can cause problems, but far from being feckless and amoral, young mothers strive to provide a better life for their children.

Furthermore, teenage mothers just see themselves as “mum”

looking after their children like other mothers do.

Other research shows that the proportion of all births born to teenage mothers is only ten per cent, which is approximately the same rate that it was in the Fifties – the so-called “golden age” of the family In addition, it is estimated that about one-third of all pregnancies in the UK are unplanned, so it would appear that thousands of women and men in their twenties and thirties also slip up.

If scroungers are to be sought out then have a go at bankers, arms manufacturers and corrupt politicians and leave teenage mothers alone.

John Gilmore, Bishop Auckland.

I WOULD like to point Merv Bain in the direction of the UK Independence Party’s Welfare to Workfare policy document following his letter about single mothers (HAS, March 9).

Among many other policies in the document, Ukip would remove the “couple penalty” in benefits for married couples and introduce a flat tax policy that would prove a disincentive to young, single females from getting pregnant purely to obtain financial/benefits advantages. There would also not be the automatic entitlement to free housing that currently exists.

The aim of our policy is to return to a simple safety net, rather than the current ridiculously complicated (and expensive) system that almost deliberately entrenches poverty and arbitrarily divides society into the paying classes, the recipients and an army of bureaucrats and administrators in between.

Dave Brothers, UK Independence Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Bishop Auckland.

I TOTALLY agree with Merv Bain (HAS, March 9) about young single mothers. Years ago I was sitting close to two young girls (one of whom was pregnant) and the mother-to-be was explaining to her friend that she would pretend not to know who the father of her child was, so that she could claim benefits as well as getting money from the child’s father – who was in complete agreement with this arrangement.

The council had promised her a flat and help with furniture and furnishings. Perhaps she was also the product of a single parent, but I was appalled at the attitude that this was an acceptable solution to her problem.

With advanced knowledge of contraception and availability of free birth control methods, I find it unacceptable that we seem to condone this irresponsible behaviour and continue to pick up the bill.

G Coppin, Sacriston, Co Durham.