Over the past couple of years we’ve seen a particular preoccupation with Western media about underage sex. This has included the media frenzy over 13 year old ‘teenage dad’ Alfie Patten through to frequent media features on teenage pregnancy, abortions and parenthood, to more recent documentaries like Channel 4’s ‘Underage and Having Sex’ or ITV This Morning’s debate on the age of consent which I participated in.

These stories have generated a lot of public attention and added to the general anxiety about parenting, sex education, and wider social and moral issues. Most share the common theme of judging young people (and their families), particularly girls (who are more harshly viewed for having sex). Other subgroups of young people are also demonised (the poor, socially excluded or ethnic minorities).

As a result, discussions on the topic are difficult and usually framed in a moral context. Much of the debate hasn’t focused broadly on understanding early sexual debut, or to identify potential solutions to encourage young people to delay, or to identify what pleasurable and safe experiences young people might be exploring. Instead underage sex is mainly framed in the language of STIs, unplanned pregnancy or coerced sex. This often leads to discussions of sex and teenagers that centres around the age of consent – purely in chronological terms – which sex educators and researchers feel is not a very useful indicator of sexual behaviour.

What do we know about this issue?
Public concern over youth sexual behaviour is mirrored by the tone of a lot of the research within this area which tends to focus on early sexual debut with associated negative risk factors (such as STIs, abuse, unplanned pregnancy).

The literature uses a number of different ways to approach the issue from straightforward legal definitions of age of consent, although as you can see from this resource the legal age of consent for girls and boys, gay and straight varies internationally. Unsurprisingly countries with more repressive regimes, gender inequality and homophobic values tend to criminalise homosexual sex while fixing the age of consent for girls at a young age. Go figure who this benefits.

Other definitions refer to more ambiguous concepts such as ‘early sexual debut’ or ‘first sexual encounter’. Even within this what is defined as ‘underage sex’ varies depending on different research projects or educational interventions with some referring to sexual contact and petting which includes penis/vagina intercourse, while others present it as specifically about penis/vagina sex.

Critics have complained the focus of both research and education in this area has focused predominantly on problem based or sex negative consequences for heterosexual audiences. The specific issues of sexual debut for LGBT youth is frequently overlooked, while the experiences of certain BME groups is under researched or based around racial stereotypes.

Seeing underage sex purely in terms of penises in vaginas has been identified as unhelpful for a variety of reasons, most of which are summarised in this excellent discussion from Scarleteen. There is the assumption from many parents, practitioners and the media that if a young person has sex before the age of consent they continue to have regular penis/vagina sex from thereon in. This may be inaccurate as some young people may have ‘sex’ before the age of consent but not have it again until they are older. Linking of penis/vagina sex also tends to focus more negatively on young women – particularly around the idea of ‘losing’ virginity and ‘breaking’ of the hymen – an idea which current research disputes on medical grounds seeing it more as a cultural and religious construct rather than any real physical one-off event.

Why are we so anxious about this issue?
Clearly thinking about young people’s wellbeing is important, but it is often unclear in debates about underage sex what is the specific issue adults are most anxious about? Are they worried about pregnancy risk? Of a young person requiring a termination or having a child when young? Or a young person catching a sexually transmitted infection? Do they fear it may lead to promiscuity? Or are they seeing as an adult a situation that is exploitative but that a young person perhaps does not recognise as such (or maybe is aware of as abuse but is still subjected to)? All of these are reasonable fears and ones parents and teachers do raise. They also talk about fears of their child or children in their care getting a reputation (more so in the case of girls) or their being judged as an unfit parent or teacher if they are associated with a young person who has underage sex. As this issue is so often framed as a moral debate it makes it very difficult for us to articulate exactly what our specific anxieties are about underage sex.

Why do young people have sex before age of consent?
Reasons Young People have sex before the age of consent varies. It can include curiosity and experimentation to wanting to experience pleasure or feel close to a boy or girlfriend. It may be something they feel they need to get out of the way or believe everyone else is doing. Or it may be down to feeling coerced, being forced or just being bored. We generally focus on the more negative issues, particularly in relation to age gap relationships (or relationships that are unequal in other ways). Discussing more positive aspects of underage sex tend to be avoided for fear of encouraging sexual activity, seeming to endorse such practices, or the concern among adults that they are potentially abusive or attracted to children. This, accompanied by a media which is largely negative about teenagers having underage sex, makes it very difficult to have a clear conversation about this issue in a balanced way.

What are the risks to young people?
Clearly it would be remiss to present this discussion without looking at the specific problems linked to young people and underage sex. The well documented negative issues include:
STIs
Unplanned pregnancy
Young parenthood
Regret
Risks to reputation (particularly for girls and for LGBT youth)

However this is still very much focusing around penis/vagina (heterosexual) sex. Discussions with young people about kissing, cuddling, communicating desire via text or talking, and masturbation (alone or with a partner) tend to be a lot more positive. Where the focus is on penis/vagina sex under the age of consent there are subdivisions of problems – so unplanned sex with casual partners where condoms or other forms of contraception are not used are seen as inherently more risky than sexual activities which are part of a longer term relationship with a cared for person and where contraception is used.

Given the stigma associated with the first three issues it is understandable people want to prevent them, but sometimes in focusing on them so negatively there can be unforeseen outcomes. Not least those who do seek terminations or become young parents feeling judged negatively, or perpetuating the myth that any sexual encounter will result in either an infection or pregnancy. Such messages give young people false ideas about sex and make it less likely for them to use contraception (particularly condoms) which in turn has the additional effect of making it more likely they may get an infection or become pregnant. So clearly simply focusing on negative outcomes without putting them in any real context or providing advice about prevention is unhelpful.

Moreover it ignores that many young people are exploring sexual experiences with their peers that they enjoy but feel they cannot discuss for fear they are breaking the law, or feel anxious about as they are led to believe any sexual activity under the age of consent automatically is either abusive and/or has negative consequences.

Are particular young people at risk?
Evidence suggests there are particular groups of young people who are more likely to experience underage sex, although they may differ from the stereotypes we expect from the media. The kinds of things that would make it more likely you have sex underage include:
Lack of parental supervision and support*
Lots of pocket money, lots of free time
Lack of hobbies or after school activities
Reduced aspirations
Exclusion from school*
Socio-economic disadvantage
Low educational achievement*
Being from particular ethnic groups (e.g. in the UK African Caribbean boys and White girls are more likely to have sex before the age of consent)
A large age gap relationship*
Peer pressure/bullying
Low self esteem*
Lack of sex education from home or school
Being in looked after care
* also related to not using contraceptives or getting contraception advice/support

So the issue is not just about having sex before the age of consent, it’s related to how young a person is, how in control of the situation they felt, whether they consented to the encounter, whether they enjoyed it, and whether contraception was used (or the sex was planned). The context of the relationship also matters – in terms of whether it was with someone they felt affection for, how soon into a relationship they had sex, and when/how it ended. Many of these factors interact, so lots of free time + a lack of supervision + a lack of hobbies + few aspirations can work together to create situations where a young person might have sex before they felt ready. However other factors can produce contradictory results so while being disadvantaged economically may seem like a very big risk it tends to only be a real problem if accompanied by low educational achievement. So a young person from a poor background who is in a supportive home and being encouraged to achieve at school plus has aspirations and interests will be less likely to have sex underage than a young person who is from a poor background but also is excluded from or doing badly in education.

Prevention – do we need to make kids ‘just say no’?
Clearly situations which are abusive, coercive or unequal are a problem – particularly those that end in violence, unplanned pregnancy or STIs. Simply focusing on negative outcomes is not particularly helpful as already mentioned, and prevention is not likely to be effective if only couched in negative terms of focused specifically on penis/vagina sex. What would help young people is better sex education that focuses on relationships issues and addresses feelings, emotions, confidence, respect, assertiveness and communication skills. Education that focuses on relationships skills as a lifelong learning experience rather than one-off lessons or ‘big talks’ is vital. Delivery from parents and teachers is considered important, and peers are also very helpful. Shifting discussions from this issue from a moral debate to one about empowerment and wellbeing is vital – and our media could do a lot more to assist on that score. Finally reframing this as a youth wellbeing issue rather than a sex one is really important so we focus on aspirations, goals, interests and activities – supporting young people and making them feel valued and respected. Most importantly listening to young people is essential – and often a lot more reassuring than you might imagine.

‘Sexual Readiness’ – a more accurate measure than age of consent?
Research has indicated that a focus on chronological age within a legal framework does not adequately represent sexual maturity. ‘Readiness’ or ‘preparedness’ for sex may be equally important indicators for sexual debut. Meaning not all young people will be sexually mature at any given country specific age of consent. Some 16 year olds may well feel ready and interested in exploring a sexual relationship but not all will. And what constitutes a sexual relationship may vary among young people. Focusing on feeling prepared for a relationship, being able to negotiate with a partner, plan contraception use and be aware how to explore intimacy together is not something that can simply be expected to happen when a young person passes a particular age. Instead we should focus our attention on multiple factors that include physiological, psychological and biological maturity – and how young people feel about their experiences.

Because the focus of research and teaching practice in this area is negatively focused (often for well intentioned reasons) it means we know very little about what young people think about their sexual experiences. Given many fear they will be judged for admitting to underage sex often they tend to focus on (or be asked about) purely negative outcomes. Although controversial if we do not ask young people about a range of experiences they have encountered relating to sex, then we will not be best placed to offer them the in depth sex education they need. It also makes it difficult to differentiate between consenting and coerced experiences and makes it more difficult to safeguard young people most at risk from exploitation or abuse.

What’s the role of parents here?
Parents are often anxious to discuss sex and relationships issues with young people for fear of encouraging early sexual behaviour or being judged by other parents. It is important to talk about sex and relationships issues (see sources of advice below for more on how to do it). Focusing on the positive aspects of relationships a young person can expect to look forward to as they get older is more useful than simply warning about the bad things that may happen – infections, pregnancy etc. Threatening these are inevitable consequences of underage sex, or implying a young person will be criminalised for having sex underage may make it less likely your teenager will talk to you. Remember, a young person who has questions about sex is not necessarily having sex and may be looking for information or reassurance. If they are considering an intimate relationship then discussions with you can help identify who they are in a relationship with and any causes for concern you need to be aware of (age gaps, potential exploitation, issues of control and contraception). These are not always easy issues for parents to consider and you may find talking to other parents, to your child’s school or college or getting advice from your local outreach/health promotion services could be of use in such a situation.

Parents know their children well and are often excellently placed to put advice and education in context. You may be aware your child is interested in adult relationships and will want to prepare them for this and answer their questions while highlighting what positive and equal relationships are about. Or you may notice your child does not seem to be keen on discussing such topics and you may want to reassure them about relationships at a level appropriate to their maturity – not avoiding topics but ensuring they are covered in a way that best suits the needs of your child. Again, reflecting on the messages you are sharing with other parents or friends can be very useful to ensure you are pitching things at just the right level.

Certainly don’t leave any ‘sex talk’ until your child is over the age of consent for your country or state, they will need information well before this. And remember just because they’ve not asked you doesn’t mean they’re not picking up ideas about sex and relationships from other places (like the media and their peers). Talking about sex and relationships spans your child’s life – it doesn’t have to wait until their 16 and doesn’t stop once they pass this age.

Sources of advice/help
This previous post addresses what young people want in relation to sex education and includes evidence about what young people want to learn about positive relationships. It also links to other posts and resources containing advice on how to talk to young people about sex and relationships.
Hawes, Wellings and Stephenson’s excellent review ‘First Heterosexual Intercourse in the United Kingdom: A review of the literature’ (2010) Journal of Sex Research is essential reading for anyone wanting a systematic overview of the literature on this topic, which clearly outlines the different studies addressing sexual behaviour in young people.

Why is there all this fuss about sex education? Is it really a problem?
In the UK we clearly have issues that need addressing through sex education. The ones you are most likely to have heard about are high rates of teenage pregnancy, rising rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and problems around coercion and sexual violence among young people. However there are also wider problems you may not be aware of. Young people have complained existing sex education focuses too much on the biological aspect of reproduction and not enough attention has been paid to tackling feelings, emotions and negotiation – and the practicalities of enjoying a relationship.

The needs of lesbian, gay, bi and trans teenagers have not always been adequately met although homophobic bullying is recognised as a problem within schools. Teachers have complained they don’t always feel supported to confidently deliver sex education, particularly once it moves past the biological basics. Parents, generally, are in favour of sex education (despite what you may have read in the media) but worry they don’t know how to adequately deliver this in what they perceive to be a highly sexualised modern culture. And there’s been an ongoing concern that sex education has been delivered in a haphazard manner with different schools offering different approaches. Meaning some young people get excellent sex education, others get patchy advice, and some get nothing at all.

As a result there are problems around what is being taught, the quality of teaching and issues about the underlying messages of sex education which often remain negative and are based on warning youth against pregnancy or infection rather than preparing them to anticipate sex as something pleasurable to enjoy when they are older.

For these reasons it’s been recognised that sex education needs to change and be delivered in a far more effective manner.

What’s actually happened with sex education in the UK?
Over the past few years there’s been an ongoing consultation about sex education. This has involved contributions from the public (particularly parents and young people), faith groups, teaching and healthcare organisations and academics involved in researching sex education and youth culture. It has also involved expert input from a core group of professionals involved in researching or delivering sex education within schools.

This has fed into the Children, Schools and Families Bill 2009-2010 which seeks to make sex and relationships education (SRE) a statutory part of the school curriculum. You can see the progress of the bill here and here and view the actual bill here. The parts you should focus on in relation to sex education are sections 11-14 of The Curriculum. In particular point 13 which details the provision of SRE and 14 which outlines exemption from SRE.

This week the bill passed its first reading in the House of Lords where it was agreed that sex education would be compulsory for all schools. Faith schools will have the right to explain their view on key issues (although they’ll still have to teach all aspects of the SRE curriculum), and parents will have the right to withdraw their child from sex education up until the age of 15.

There are additional readings of the bill to follow over the coming months so it is not completely guaranteed these suggestions for SRE will be upheld.

Is sex education now compulsory in schools?
At this time all schools in the UK are required to teach SRE within the context of biology (basic reproduction). They are able to opt out of teaching topics they may not agree – homosexuality, abortion, contraception for example. School governors can also restrict what can be covered, who delivers sex education and what they talk about. Many schools do already offer good quality sex education.

I heard Catholic schools will be able to teach abortion, homosexuality and contraception are wrong. Is that correct?
There has been some controversy this week where Minister Ed Balls was seen as backtracking when he explained faith based schools would be allowed to teach SRE “in a way that reflects the school’s religious character”. Mr Balls stated “There is no opt-out for any faith school from teaching the full, broad, balanced curriculum on sex and relationship education and that is a huge step forward…Every school will have to teach the full curriculum in a balanced way that respects equality and is not discriminatory, but of course what we are saying is they can explain the views of their faith…Catholic schools can say to their pupils that, as a religion, we believe contraception is wrong, but what they can’t do is therefore say they are not going to teach about contraception.”

Secular groups have been understandably upset by what they feel is a climb down over sex education, while sexual health and LBGT groups have expressed concern this will lead to schools being able to promote homophobia or incorrect messages over abortion or contraception.

It is disappointing this decision was taken, but it is my understanding it was made after considerable pressure was made by faith groups (particularly the Catholic Church) against the proposed bill. There was a fear that this might derail the bill completely. So although this is a compromise it may have been made to ensure that compulsory SRE could still be assured.

Before we panic over this issue, it’s worth noting that whether this compromise had been made or not, there is no guarantee that teachers at faith or non faith schools would deliver SRE effectively – even if it was mandatory. After all ‘compulsory’ is not a byword for ‘good’. There are plenty of teachers delivering compulsory subjects on the curriculum in substandard ways. Even if a school delivers sex education well, a child will also be exposed to negative messages from their peers, parents, or their Church, Mosque or Synagogue.

And let’s not forget the media here. While the press was shouting against Ed Balls it seemed to escape everyone’s attention that by far the biggest voice against SRE in the UK is the press. So even if schools are delivering sex education well, the media are likely to continue in their efforts to scupper it.

My hunch is rather than faith based schools delivering a class on abortion or homosexuality as prescribed, following it up with ‘well that’s bad’, we’re more likely to see these topics covered but in a lacklustre or inaccurate manner. And sadly that may apply in non faith schools too. The challenge will be to identify where poor practice is happening and work to rectify that when the time comes.

Given we live in a multicultural society with different faiths and views about relationships it’s not unreasonable to have this reflected in our teaching of SRE. That is not, however, the same thing as allowing faith groups to decide what can and cannot be taught, nor to undermine basic teaching that is essential to the psychological and physical wellbeing of young people.

If I don’t want my child to have sex education, will I have the right to stop them going to lessons?
Once sex education becomes compulsory you will be able to withdraw your child from lessons up until they are aged 15, after that you will not be able to do so. This age seems very late to many educators as many of our most vulnerable youth are sexually active much younger than this age and they need help far earlier. However, currently parents will be able to opt out up until this age.

I hope that parents won’t want to do this. Here’s why. School sex education is an additional source of information for your child. Sometimes hearing someone other than a parent talk about a topic can help a child appreciate an issue. It also means if you and the school are talking about sex and relationships then the likelihood of your child picking up misinformation from peers or the media is reduced. We must remember that for many vulnerable children it is not possible to talk to a parent, or that often very well meaning parents simply do not feel able to talk about sex with confidence. Sadly sometimes parents, with the best intentions, provide misinformation about sex.

Most schools show parents what they will be delivering to young people in SRE before the children see it, giving parents the chance to ask questions and be aware what their child will want to know about. Organisations like the Family Planning Association and Parentline Plus offer additional support and classes to parents, as do many Primary Care Trusts. So the aim should be for schools and parents to work in tandem. If that isn’t happening currently you should speak to your head teacher about it.

Parents I talk to worry that schools will teach too much too soon or be explicit or rude. It’s easy to believe this from the media, but this should not happen in SRE. Young children are not going to be taught about using condoms or sexuality, but they will be told how to name their body parts, how a baby is made and introduced to gender differences and ideas about friendship and respecting others. As they grow information will be added to suit their developmental needs.

So rather than seeing the school as undermining you it’s better to think of them as an ally in raising your child.

Whether parents or teachers talk to young people about sex and relationships, kids are definitely talking to each other about it. So to ensure they’re on the right track we need to be there to answer their questions and explain what positive relationships look like.

If sex education isn’t compulsory yet, will there be any classes covering sex education issues?
Yes. Schools are already covering SRE to varying degrees and this will continue. You may expect to see some schools working to improve what they are already delivering in the run up to SRE becoming compulsory (anticipated in September 2011).

What’s actually going to be taught in sex education?
At this point the SRE curriculum is still being debated. It will definitely include topics like contraception, STIs (including HIV), coercion and abuse, and pregnancy. But it is also expected to cover sexuality, pleasure, delaying sex, confidence, communication and positive relationships. The consultation on the curriculum is open until 19 April 2010 and you are invited to have your say on what may be covered. If you are interested in SRE do please take the time to read and respond.

Why has sex education failed in England?
It’s wrong to say sex education as ‘failed’, or that it is taught badly. The problem we have in the UK is our sex education has never been valued or well funded. There’s never been an effort to deliver it in a compulsory manner and so what has been taught and the standard of teaching has varied widely. Unfortunately because we provide some sex education the media and some faith groups claim this causes teenage pregnancy and STIs. In truth we have problems with teen pregnancy and STIs for numerous complex and often interrelated reasons – poverty, poor education overall, the exclusion of young people, barriers in accessing contraception and healthcare services, lack of family support, aspirational limitations.

There are plenty of dedicated practitioners, teachers, parents and researchers all working to ensure young people learn more about sex and relationships. Young people themselves are not passive in this process and also usually seek out information. Simply providing SRE is not going to tackle wider social issues so we also need to invest in tackling those. However, not providing SRE (or delivering inadequate messages) is not going to help young people manage a commercialised sexual culture which they may not always know how to negotiate.

Often when we hear the sex education has failed mantra it’s a precursor to ‘so we should stop it completely’. The answer to our problems with SRE is not to ban it, but to ensure it is delivered to a high standard to all young people.

My husband thinks if we teach sex education it encourages young people to experiment or take risks, is that true?
This isn’t true, but it’s again something the media and some faith groups claim is a by product of SRE. If you simply tell young people not to have sex, or that they must wait until marriage for sex (but provide no other SRE information) then often young people do have sex – and are less likely to use contraception. If you talk to young people about sex as something to look forward to in the future and provide them with information about contraception, talk about negotiation and safer sex, confidence and delaying until they feel ready, then yes they may have sex but they are more likely to use contraception – and wait until they are older.

Young people do ‘experiment’ – I’m sure we can all remember lustful teenage feelings even if we didn’t act on them. And while we as parents often worry that teenager are all involved in sexual activity it is worth remembering the majority do not have sex until they are over 16 and most do think about contraception and safer sex.

As parents we want our children to grow up to enjoy positive relationships and pleasure. We want them to be confident and able to avoid coercive situations and toxic relationships. We don’t want them to be abusers or victims of domestic violence. We don’t want our children to have sexual problems when they were adults because they were not given enough information about sex or taught it was dirty or shameful. Young people have the right to know about sex and relationships and we have the responsibility to deliver that information in supportive ways.

If we introduce compulsory sex education, what difference will that make – and how soon will we notice it?
It is hoped that sex education, if delivered uniformly and to a high standard, will:
Reduce STI and teenage pregnancy rates
Reduce the number of terminations young people are having, and in the future prevent rising levels of infertility
Increase young people’s uptake of contraception services
Reduce coercion, abuse and exploitation
Tackle homophobic bullying and reassure young people about sexuality
Improve young people’s confidence to talk about sex and negotiate relationships
Highlight the importance of positive relationships

The difficulty with some of these issues is we won’t notice any changes for a long while (for example tackling future infertility). And sometimes if you do introduce more education you see a rise in the uptake of services so it could be likely we see a rise in STI rates for a while.

Even if we do introduce really great SRE across the UK it will take time to bed down and we will need a period of support for teachers and parents. We will be learning throughout this introductory process and undoubtedly there will be some quick wins and stumbling blocks. But SRE is only one part of the puzzle and we will only see benefits if we also tackle other issues around access to reproductive healthcare, reducing poverty and dealing with other inequalities.

What is the biggest barrier you see to SRE provision?
The media. We’ve had endless negative coverage about how dreadful we are at tackling teen pregnancy, STIs and other anti social behaviour among young people. The media has for the most part stood in the way of every initiative to try and improve SRE when they could have supported ventures. Instead we’ve had judgemental pieces most of which end up in girl blaming and hysterical misrepresentations (shag bands, anyone?). Specific editorial decisions are made to be unsupportive and we must not lose sight of this.

Journalists frequently cite the Netherlands as a gold standard of good practice, complaining how we fail in comparison. Never noting the reason the Netherlands do so well is partly cultural, partly about education, but mostly because their media are supportive of SRE.

What’s going to happen next?
The bill is still going through the Lords so there will be more discussions. I will update on those as they happen. In the meantime we can expect to see more efforts in training the trainers activities and support for parents.

Hopefully that’s answered your questions about SRE in the UK, but if you do have any more please let me know.

I’ll be returning to some of the issues raised here in future blogs, particularly around training for sex education teachers and nurses and what parents can do to talk effectively about sex and relationships.

Here’s a roundup of some of the sex/science stories that I’ve been following this past week.

I’m sure pretty much everyone tuned in to see Question Time last Thursday, and to find out what British National Party leader Nick Griffin had to say. I found the programme a bit disappointing, although Griffin did manage to give us a few gems. Including his dislike of school based sex education (he doesn’t agree it ought to be taught to primary school children). And homosexuals, or rather the ‘militant homosexuals’ (seemingly mild mannered ones are fine in Griffin’s book). Men kissing. He doesn’t like that. He finds it ‘creepy’. So if you want to bring down the BNP a well organised gay male snogathon might be a good place to start.

During Question Time Griffin is he tried to discredit Islam by discussing its approach to women. While Islam may be problematic in its treatment of women in places, the BNP hardly does well in this area. Witness their Family Law White Paper (which incidentally also returns to Griffin’s bete noir – the homosexual – as the BNP propose dissolving gay partnerships). Or you might want to see what policy resolution they proposed for teenage mothers at their recent conference:

‘Teenage mothers – the problem and the solution

If an 18-20 year old pregnant woman is married [marriage should not be an option available to 16/17 year olds, even with parental consent] and her husband has a job, then she will be exempt from going in to one of the homes.’

[A reader got in touch asking whether I agreed with the BNP policy for teenagers. The answer is no. They also wanted clarification about why the suggestions above are problematic. Firstly, the BNP state sex education won't make a difference to teen pregnancy rates, yet evidence clearly indicates it does. Secondly they outline a pattern of activity (different babies by different dads to upgrade accommodation) that doesn't happen in reality as much as the tabloid's would have us believe. Many teen mothers live with their families or the baby's father, or if they are in social housing often are placed in bedsits or flats. The most vulnerable mothers are often placed in the most inappropriate housing. I do agree that some young mothers can end up not being mature enough to parent effectively and this plus poverty can cause problems to mother and child(ren). However maturity isn't age related and while some teen mums can struggle, not all do. Mothers who are older may also lack the maturity or social support to parent effectively.

Thirdly, the BNP's report describe teen mums as feckless queue jumpers who get housing above those who've been waiting longer. Although there's no evidence for this happening on any large scale - again often teen mums are housed in bed and breakfast or shared accommodation rather than a home of their own. Withholding to young mothers (single mothers under 21) means they will have no independence or the opportunity to enjoy life. Enforcing a dress code is impractical and patronising (also if you're a young mum then a below the knee skirt and top where no cleavage is on show is not a great outfit when you're busy with a baby and might be breastfeeding). These suggestions imply young mothers will be being punished for having a baby. Parenting classes and support are ideas that are good, but these are already on offer and in most areas considerable effort has been put into providing these for young parents. Certainly the idea that those who do not confirm will be imprisoned and have their baby put into care is draconian and unworkable.

My main concern with the policy is it's not considered evidence, it has not researched what actually happens to young people, and has only focused on teenage girls - ignoring the roles and responsibilities of young men.

This is also discussed over at Lancaster Unity and Sim-O's Good Old Fashioned Values. The issue of what to do about teenage pregnancy is an important and emotive one. I'll be writing a future blog about what contributes to teen pregnancy/motherhood and what we can do about it]

Back to Question Time which also featured Sayeeda Warsi who has opposed gay marriage and school based sex education. In 2007 she said “I will campaign strongly for an end to sex education at seven years and the promotion of homosexuality that undermines family life”. So while Warsi was placed on the programme to challenge Griffin, there was little opportunity for the audience or other panelists to identify that sadly it’s not just the BNP who are promoting homophobic or sex negative policies.

Staying with the topic of bigotry, Jan Moir has tried to explain her recent column about the death of Stephen Gately. Moir’s most recent response does not fully apologise for her column, nor does it put right the inaccuracies about sudden death or sexuality she described. Perhaps it might have been better for Moir to issue a genuine and short apology, or say nothing at all.

Still on negative stories, Ben Goldacre over at Bad Science alerts us to The Spectator’s plans to screen the AIDS denialist movie House of Numbers as a means of encouraging ‘debate’ about AIDS. Goldacre’s blog highlights the problem with the movie (and links to numerous blogs who’ve been challenging the film and how it’s been accepted/promoted by people who ought to know better). Although gossip now suggests the event may be off.

On a more positive note, Halloween is just around the corner (although I promise not to mention the (over 18s) Pumpkin Dildo again this year). So in the run up to the event why not think about something suitably supernatural and consider dating a (real life) vampire? Actually I’ve done little else but fantasise about Edward Cullen of late, so this guide is useful in case he tires of Bella and comes for me. Join me, and check out the Twilight series, or tuck into Susie Bright’s Bitten – a great new gothic erotic anthology.

And if you want some super sex education this week the Kinsey Institute’s running a Sex Research Live event on 28th October where you can find out about your sexual personality and find out more about how we research sex. Or pop to London’s Science Museum (also on 28th) from 6.45pm where you can find out more about sex – including a chance to test your own sexual knowledge. And I’ll be telling you exactly why scientists study sex.