Last week Wednesday we told you about a report which was released documenting the crisis of teenage pregnancies in the region.
Indeed, in Belize the 2010 Population and Housing Census stated that 3 4.4% of females, age 18-24 give birth before the age of 18. Additionally, teenaged mothers in Belize are responsible for 20% of all live births between 2004 and 2008.
It's a crisis and the CEO in the Ministry of Health concluded that something has to be done to provide young people with better education on sexual and reproductive health. He said plainly that the message of abstinence often does not work - and teenaged females need to know how to prevent pregnancies. Seems sensible enough, but in church managed schools it could be considered highly controversial, and we asked the CEO to defend his practical but possibly problematic position:..
Jules Vasquez
"Pre-marital sex is a sin, so we cannot teach anything other than abstinence in the church-managed schools. We cannot teach safe sex for people who are not married."
Dr. Peter Allen
"I think it's an excellent point and certainly I agree that education and information must be aged appropriate, but in hospitals and clinics around the country we see the reality of the failure of our current system at the moment, so we must do something to address it."
"We must respect people's religion; we must respect the fact that information must be aged appropriate. But, fundamentally we must respect the rights of our children and we must protect them in the very best way possible. The best way possible so far is through making sure that they are informed and educated and part of a nurturing and loving family."
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