Review

Young, pregnant, doing OK

TOUGH CHOICES: Young women talk about pregnancy
Alison Hadley (editor)
The Women’s Press, 1999, £4.99

Teenage pregnancy in the UK has received much attention in recent years, prompting a government campaign to cut teenage pregnancies by 50 per cent by 2010.

As a nation we are preoccupied with eliminating teenage pregnancy – but who are we trying to kid? Teenage pregnancy is here to stay, so it is refreshing to find a book that will provide comfort to those who find themselves young, pregnant, and frightened for their future.

Tough Choices is a collection of the differing experiences of 24 young women. It not only deals with the emotional side of being teenage and pregnant, but also the practicalities – problems with housing and disruption to schooling. Each account also provides an update on what has happened since the pregnancy.

Teenage pregnancies tend to be seen both as a symptom and a cause of social inequality. However, any young girl, regardless of her background, is able to become pregnant, and I particularly liked the range of young women’s stories that were included here. Many of these girls were from ‘stable’ families, doing well at school, in what they perceived to be a steady relationship (think back to when you were 15 – didn’t we all think that it would last forever?)

We are given insights into how pregnancy and birth are seen through the eyes of a teenager. Intensely emotional accounts of abortion, adoption and giving birth to a handicapped child are included. These girls show that being pregnant is not always a wonderful experience, and not an easy way out. Life for them has been a struggle, but they are without regrets and have fulfilling lives, continuing their education and having been able to form stable relationships.

My only minor gripe is that it isn’t immediately obvious who this book is aimed at. I was further confused by the fact-file of advice about contraception, which sat uneasily alongside the previous accounts of pregnancy (the words ‘bolting’ and ‘stable door’ sprang to mind). Nonetheless, this book would be useful for girls who find themselves pregnant and are confused about their options, and for those who have been pregnant and need to compare their own feelings with those of others.