An alarming new trend was revealed when a pregnant 14-year-old girl told a British newspaper, “Teenage girls think babies are cute, but they forget the physical side of being pregnant, then having to give up your own childhood to look after a baby. It seems fashionable to get pregnant.”

The young girl was asked to advise four of her classmates who had also become pregnant. Her mother said, “As a parent it’s quite horrifying to hear about all the young girls falling pregnant…and it’s not just the parents, the school and the local authority—it’s a social problem.”

This view of pregnancy as being “fashionable” could be part of the reason Britain and Wales have Europe’s highest levels of teenaged pregnancy. Recent figures released by Britain’s Office for National Statistics have shown that girls under 16 account for the largest increase in pregnancy rates.

The UK has taken a number of steps to bring down the increasing rates of teenage pregnancy. One preventative method that appears to have backfired is the “virtual baby.” This is an electronic doll that cries, needs naps, needs its diaper changed and is as close to a real baby as possible. A computer chip is put in the doll to monitor how well it is being taken care of. The purpose of the doll is to show girls how much time and dedication is required for a baby.

Yet this doll is having the opposite affect on some teens—they desire a real baby. The girls also receive a certain status and attention due to carrying around the “babies.” This seems to be one more reason an increasing number of young girls are viewing pregnancy as desirable.

Dr. Adrian Rogers, of the interest group Family Focus, said, “It is absolutely vital that we start to teach teenagers that having a baby is nothing like having a fashion accessory like a new handbag.”

This is but another example of how far off track the youth of today are.

Source: Thisislondon.co.uk