Scheme ‘unsuitable’

Press, 30 December 1988, Page 3

Scheme ‘unsuitable’

PA Wellington An American scheme in which teenage girls were paid a dollar a day not to get pregnant was not likely to catch on in New Zealand, the Minister of Health, Mr Caygill, said yesterday. He had not heard details of the scheme but did not think it sounded sensible. The system was introduced in Denver, Colorado, three years ago and supporters claim it is highly successful in curbing the teen pregnancy rate. Eighteen teenagers who had had children took part and only three of them had a repeat pregnancy. To earn their money all they had to do was show up once a week at a clinic for a group session. A spokeswoman for the Wellington

Family Planning Association. Dr Margaret Sparrow, said she thought the group sessions were likely to be the most important aspect of the scheme. The sessions probably helped solve problems of loneliness and provided a framework in which to explore issues such as unwanted pregnancy. Dr Sparrow said she had reservations about putting a monetary value on something that had more to do with self-esteem and relationships. People usually got pregnant for reasons other than money, she said She thought it may be worth considering establishing discussion groups for teenage solo mothers as a means of avoiding more unwanted pregnancies.