Teen mums wary of change

A group of teenage mothers say pregnancies could become even more difficult for some girls if their parents had to be informed they were seeking an abortion.

Pupils at Sunset Junior High School's School for Young Mothers in Rotorua were wary of a proposed law change by National's health spokesperson Judith Collins, which would require parents or guardians to be told before a girl under 16 is referred to a consultant.

In the case of Rotorua's Ruihi Winiata, who was 14 when she discovered she was pregnant, no one needed to inform her parents - her mother guessed a baby was on the way before she could summon the courage to tell her family.

Ruihi - who attends the School for Young Mothers - said her mother gave her full support throughout the ordeal.

Four years on, Ruihi is the proud mother of Latisha, who accompanies her to Sunset Junior High each day.

Ruihi never considered having an abortion, but respects the right of other young women with unplanned pregnancies to choose that path.

Like most other students at the school, she opposes a move to make it mandatory for parents to be told if their daughter, under 16, is seeking an abortion.

The young women say if the proposed law change is passed, it could force some girls out of their family homes and on to the streets, where they could be preyed upon.

Others say girls could end up harming themselves or their unwanted babies.

Most girls spoken to at the school had stories about difficulties in telling their parents they were having a baby.

One said she avoided telling anyone in her family until she was seven months pregnant as she was "in denial".

All the girls knew of others, including friends and family members, who had had abortions and agreed it had become "socially acceptable" to terminate a pregnancy.

Although having an abortion no longer carried a stigma, 19-year-old Kiri Campbell said many young women still felt too scared to tell their parents they were pregnant and wanted a termination.

Melissa Black, 19, said being able to turn to a health professional for confidential help and advice was important.

"I think if the law change went ahead it would mean more girls would have babies they didn't want because they'd get pressured into it by their parents."

But as the mother of a 19-month-old girl, she said she would want to know if her daughter ever wanted an abortion.

"I think because we've had our babies young we know what it's all about."

- NZPA