The economic and social policies of the ULP government are having a serious damaging effect on today’s youths and the youths of the next generation. In SVG in 2006, 1 in 5 babies born were to teenage mothers. This is a startling statistic and clearly illustrates that the ULP government is ruining the life opportunity prospects of so many people.

Poverty, deprivation, poor educational achievement and low expectations are main factors contributing to high rates of teenage pregnancy in SVG. In SVG teenage pregnancy is more common among young people who are disadvantaged and have low expectations of education or job prospects. With little or no opportunities young people see no reason not to get pregnant. Young people are being failed by the ULP government.

Who suffers the consequences?

• As shown in the US, teen mothers are less likely to complete school and only about 1.5% of them obtain a university degree by age 30.
• Children of teenage mothers have lower birth weights, are more likely to perform poorly in school, and are at greater risk of abuse and neglect.
• In the USA, the sons of teen mothers are 13% more likely to end up in prison, while teen daughters are 22% more likely to become teen mothers themselves.
• Common medical problems among adolescent mothers include poor weight gain, pregnancy-induced hypertension and anaemia. Later in life, adolescent mothers are at greater risk of obesity and hypertension than non adolescent mothers.
• In the USA, nearly half a million children are born to teen mothers each year and it costs society over US$ 38 billionto provide support to families that began with a birth to a teen.

Preventing teenage pregnancy
ULP policies are not providing enough opportunities for young people. Reducing teenage pregnancy is essential to reducing poverty in future generations and increasing educational attainment. SVG Green Party is very aware of this issue and our 2005 manifesto was formulated to deal with this issue. We outlined that to succeed we would work with and for young people to reduce teenage pregnancy. SVG Green Party would change the circumstances of poor girls’ lives until their most rational choice is to put motherhood off until later when they’re educated and more financially stable. This means:

• providing young people with obtainable opportunities to raise expectations;
• fighting the detriments to health for poor people such as poor quality food, pollution, VAT on electricity, low incomes and high unemployment;
• making a university education and attractive career paths a real opportunity for all, not just a government-chosen handful;
• fighting the sexism that holds women back, such as no women on statutory boards.

 
For poor teenagers the opportunity costs of early childbirth are low, as they see that their chances of affording a university education followed by a high-paying, high-status career are low under the ULP government. SVG needs a new government that can create revenue and solve these social issues. SVG Green Party offers that.

Signed…………………………..
Ivan O’Neal  BSc(Hons), MSc, MBA, Leader and Co-founder of SVG Green Party