pregnancy age 11

[laurence2]

I wasen't syre where to post this, but felt i would get a better response on this site.

I,ve just heard that a Girl who became pregnant in Edinburgh at the age of 11 is set to break the record for being the UK's youngest mother.

She is due to give birth in the next few weeks, she became pregnant after a night on the town, apparently she was undre the influence of alchohol and smokes 20 ciggarettes a day, the father is 15 years of age, the girl has been quoted as saying that she is very excited by the prospect of becoming a mum as she's had experience bringing her younger brothers up.

Her mother says, shes not annoyed by her daughter, shes pleased for her for having the courage to keep the baby.

When is someone going to stand up and say ''Hold on a minute'' whos taking responsibility their, now i know this is a touchy subject, especially with young mothers, but i find this particular case quite disturbing.

Your comments please would be appreciated.

Ps, the only information i'm going on is via the media, so i apologise if some of the facts i,ve mentioned are wrong

[Pippa68]

Kind of warms the cockles doesn't it? wow..I bet they are so proud of the prospect of breaking a record.

My daughter is 16 & I can't even imagine her going 'out on the town', drinking alcohol & smoking 20 a day.

Some parents are idiots..the parents of this girl are morons. Surely nobody can condone an 11 year old having a baby? and to say that she has 'experience bringing up younger siblings' is pathetic. I was babysitting my younger brother & sister from the age of 10..but in no way did it help me when I had my first baby at 22 years old.

What on earth is going on????

[Amara]

This is a sensitive subject and lets not forget that this whole story has been given the so called "media" touch??!! It is strange how in other cultures it is perfectly fine for girls to have babies at such a young age but to the western world it seems so shocking. I am glad that she has a mother to support her and does not have to face this alone, but a question has to be asked why her mother did not steer her around this? As a mother to three children, and with a lovely partner to share the job I still find it the most challenging, tiring and downright difficult job I have ever undertaken. At 12 years old she is still a baby herself and it is sad that she will never have the chance to live her life before becoming another baby's caretaker. I will certainly be advising my own daughter to take a very different path. But I wish her luck and love, because she will need it. - Amara xx

[mccfluff]

we've just been discussing this at work, and can't get my head around an 11 year old being sexually active let alone the rest of it, i'm not that old (33) but i don't remember being that interested in boys when i was 11, i certainly wouldn't oof been allowed to go out and get drunk!

[JudgeJ]

Why is this such a �touchy� subject? Assuming what has been reported is true, both the children are guilty of sexual offences and the boy should also be charged with rape. This is because the girl is under thirteen and is, in law, incapable of giving her consent to sexual intercourse.

The mother of the girl should be appalled at the behaviour of her child and ashamed of herself for allowing her to behave in such a way. There is a good case for charging her with neglect and taking the child and the new grandchild into care.

Of course it is extremely doubtful if any of this will happen. The new child will have to be kept by the taxpayer and it is probable that the existing families are also so kept. This is why the consequences of their appalling behaviour never really hits them. The full panoply of state support will swing into action to look after another new generation of supplicants.

Unless this type of thing receives the condemnation it deserves this country will never prosper.

[jno]

just a couple of weeks since AB users were protesting about a 63-year-old getting pregnant. But which one will make the better mother? I think I know.

[malaise]

Heard about the Labour MP who recently suggested "Let's put contraceptives in the methadone to stop junkies having babies!"

OK so it's illegal an unethical to covertly administer contraceptives, and the guy got massively slated for it, but in a way he's on the right path. Something needs to be done. It's simply not acceptable that we live in a culture where children are behaving like adults. That said, I am sure it will always happen, and I'm also confident that this might be the first media-publicised pregnant 11 year old, but I'm sure it's not the first.

[loobie]

The bit that got me was that she said:

"I can give up smoking at any time, but I don�t find it affects my pregnancy.�

Um, I think the baby might have a different view on that!

I was definately not thinking about sex when I was 11, let alone drinking. I think I was playing out on my bike!! I just don't understand how anyone can think that they won't get pregnant on their first time no matter what age they are. And why on earth was she allowed to be out getting drunk anyway?!! Are the police not gonna get involved in some way? Two under age people not only having sex but bringing a baby into the world? Oh and drinking underage as well?

[kevb0444]

I feel sorry for the child (the un-born one i mean) Plus what about the father. Won't he get done for statutory rape. I mean sleeping with a 10/11 year old when she's drunk. Also isn't her baby gonna be at primary school when she'll be getting ready for her GCSE's. Thats if she stays on at school.

[gessoo]

I agree entirely with JudgeJ. Why should this be a sensitive subject? I find it quite appalling and think the child and her child should be taken into care away from the 38 year old grandmother (who also allows her 11 year old to smoke 20 a day?). Before the girl is 16 she will probably have another two or three children for the state to support and her children are likely to go on and behave in the same way.

[caz21]

I think it is particularly disturbing they are calling it a record as if it is a good thing or a competition! was harold shipman branded a record breaker as well by any chance? will she go into the guiness book of records and get a gold medal as well? where does it end?

I also do not understand why we have underage sex laws if they are not upheld! what more proof do the courts need that these children have been having sex than she is pregnant! but no, she's a record breaker after all it wouldn't be right to arrest her and the 15 year old rapist! Her parents should be utterley ashamed not proud! IMO!

[malaise]

I could be wrong, but doesn't the 11-y/o / mother have to want to press charges for the boy to be convicted? Either that or they can choose to keep his identity secret. The mum sounds like too much of a complete twit to see the illegality in what's happened.

Out of interest, what age is the mother? 24 or something?

[gessoo]

Malaise, 'Granny' is 38 apparently.

[metagirl]

a girl in my junior highschool had a baby at the age of 12. it was the most amazing thing that hit our school - such controversy! She ended up leaving before she really started showing and as fate would have it she and her family ended up going to the same church as us years later. Her mother had eventually adopted her child and she treated him almost like an older sister.

it is very disturbing - i agree - and i hope that the people involved are a bit more ashamed and humble than the press are making them out to be!

[Maggie-Mae]

I disagree with the suggestions that the boy should be charged with rape. Even if the girl "in the eyes of the law is to young to give consent", from her reaction to this situation, I think that is exactly what she has done - had sex with consent. Its not right that the boy be charged in a situation where it is quite obviously sex by mutual consent. It is quite obviously not rape in the true sense of the word. The fact is that too many children arent made to take responsibility for their actions. The same as too many young fathers leave the young mothers to deal with the babies on their own, too many young fathers are also accused of somehow leading these young girls astray. Unless it is an actual case of rape then both the fathers and the mothers should be made responsible for their actions. People seem to think that children are innocent little things these days and they're not. Children of this generation know alot more about sex than I did at that age - the problem is they are taught in school how its done, theres not enough eduction on the realities of life such as the emotional side of relationships and the responsibilities of having children. And giving this young girl the title of being a record breaker just seems to justify the situation even more.

[funkymoped]

that sort of thing may be allowed and legal in some parts of the world.... to me its disgusting ! cant for the life of me fathom out how her parents can praise her for her condition or allow her to live the life she has...

laurence, this is a tad worse than disturbing....

[beale]

Maybe the answer is to sit around moralising on the internet about people and a situation we don't know. Mm?

People have been getting drunk and getting pregnant at all ages forever - just because we belong to a society that says 11 year old chavs shouldn't do it doesn't mean it can be stopped. It's the way it's always been, not a case of the country going to the dogs.

Incidently, heroin addiction isn't necessarily hereditary is it? Not that that has anything to do with this subject. All you proponents of eugenics out there should realise that covert and overt sterilisation in the name of 'something should be done' has been tried and been a disaster on numerous occassions. These issues are to do with socialisation - sterilising your local council estate won't help.

[JudgeJ]

Fortunately, Maggie-Mae, the law does not quite see it your way. The girl may well have consented, but legally such consent is invalid.

Yes it is true that both are guilty of offences and I am in no way suggesting that the girl was innocent and led astray. However, whatever anybody says, it is obvious that this sort of occurrence is completely unacceptable in this country. It may well be acceptable elsewhere in the world. Bigamy is acceptable in some countries; the age of consent is lower in some countries; stoning to death for adultery is accepted practice in some countries. But what we have to consider is the law in the UK.

The root of this problem is that increasing numbers of children are generally not provided with clear guidance concerning the acceptability or legality of their behaviour. Children cannot be expected to understand the potential consequences of their actions. That is why we have such laws which must be outlined to them as part of their upbringing. These two obviously thought what they did was, if not quite in order, certainly not too serious. They will continue in this belief with the preposterous support provided by the girl�s mother and the absence of any action being taken against any of them.

As I said in my earlier post, unless these attitudes are changed, such occurrences will continue. I do not wish to live in a country where children are being born to children. I particularly do not want to have to pay for the privilege. The law needs to be made clear to parents and their children. If action is taken and is successful against these stupid children and their ******** parents, then I�m all for it. I�ll say no more on this topic.

[JudgeJ]

The word starred out of my last post was an eight letter word beginning in F. The next three letters were ECK and it finished in LESS. It means �feeble, weak, improvident, irresponsible�. Yes, I did check to see I had not used U in place of the first E, so quite why it was edited out is anybody�s guess. Perhaps this is too touchy a subject to use such a word!

[Pippa68]

I completely agree with everything you have said in your posts JudgeJ.

My two older children are teenagers & constantly go on about how horrible life must have been for me as a kid of the 70's and a teen in the 80's. I always tell them I had it good..& I will never change my mind.

[gessoo]

JudgeJ. Again, I give full support to your wise words.