The govt's rationale for younger "sex ed" is illogical -- they should be thrilled that teen pregs are down & what do they care about a small rise in abortions?? Have they turned Pro-Life?!

The push to speak to even our 5-yr-olds about "relationships" sounds more like the homosexual agenda to me.

Christina, Northern Ireland, UK

can girls and boys go in the bedroom and shower and have sex under 16 ?

Aimee, kent, England

we should follow the American example and tackle teenage pregnancies from a moral viewpoint and accompany sex education with promotion of 'the silver ring thing'.
regulation of magazines and tv programmes to restrict sexual content.

Liz, Horley,

Sex Education to children in primary school to be stopped. Prime responsibilty of schools is to churn out good, intelligent citizens who respect their fellow humans. The Government and the society should let the schools perform their responsibility. This will curb gang cultures,broken homes,suicides

esther , london, uk

As sex education (+ media sex ) + availability of condoms have increased so too teenage abortion + STDs*. Amoral message: use a condom + it 's OK. Once baby born it is wanted - natural human instinct. *Growing infertility = more adoptive parents avail. for ' unwanted' infants - so obvious!

Mrs Pippa Smith, Dorchester, UK

A good strt would be to stop teens drinking so much

william shepherd, zoeterwoude , netherlands

The "simple" solution to unwanted pregnancies and under age sex is to stop all the handouts.If teenagers knew that their parent(s) would have to foot the bill for abortions and babies they would think twice about having unprotected sex.they should have 5yrs of NICs before being eligible for benefits

Kenneth O'Boyle, Perth, United Kingdom

Sex education is obviously not the answer. Stop the benefits.

Kate, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England

If kids think something is bad and wrong, they will want to do it more. Drink/Drugs/Smoking is "frowned" upon, so of course they are going to want to rebel and do it. The more you say no, the more they will say Yes Yes Yes!! It's such simple Child Psychology.

Seetal Udeshi, London, UK, UK

Teenagers are educated about sex, but every teenager I've ever known who has had sex at a very young age has done so because they are miserable, they think that no-one, (especially their parents) love them. I don't know how you change that?

Liz, Ely, Cambridgshire, UK

Having sex with a girl under the age of 16 is illegal. It is also child abuse. The boy/man responsible for this illegal activity should be prosecuted. In these days of DNA sampling it should be easy to prove who the responsible male is - so why aren't they prosecuted?

S.Hill, Prague,

instead of bringin sex ed so early you should teach VERY clearly teenagers how to read the girl's ovulation. they should be much more awear of the woman's fertility and the clear indicators of ovulation. Why teach in such a detail the wight of a sperm and you skip each stage of the ovulation.

Maria Jerez, London,

the big problem is that you teach sex way to early "under a loving relationship" why is it so dificult to give them the guideline at school and the teaching that sex is for marriage!
It my be utopic for you but at least set a standard at school!!!
trying to be pc's you are actually killing babies!!

Monica, Glasgow,

And why should 'Teens' care,?
We recently with ease, passed being able to have an Abortion up to 24weeks, we kept this Law the same.

We make it look easy to have an Abortion in the UK!
(and so it is)

Sex Education is a waste of time, when we make 'Abortion' look and is so easy.

Charles Linskaill, Edinburgh, UK

Any abortion is a tragedy. Isn't moral guidance more important even than sex education for everyone? My heart weeps for them, partly because there's no encouragement to develop self-control and other strong moral values, enabling them to avoid the situation in the first place, and be stronger women.

J Long, York, North Yorkshire

Sex education has demonstrably failed to reduce underage pregnancy. The relativism that pervades almost every aspect of modern life has eliminated the consquences of such action. Isn't sex under 16 illegal? A return to condemnation and elimination of excess support would soon bring the numbers down

Bob Finbow, Haverhill, England

Increasing sex education at school has nothing to do with it, what is provided is more than adequate. Moral values and self worth has gone down hill and this problem will only get worse unless parents and society are allowed to parent as they should: with values like love, respect, dicipline, honour

Chin Swain, Ashwell, UK

Why are we not hearing of any prosecutions agianst the men getting these girls pregnant? If a girl has a child at a young age it's splashed all over the papers and glorified - it's against the law to have sex before 16. We are reeping what we have sown now!!

karen, poole,

Sex education to little childen is not necessary. The sooner the government realises that the better it is. Early sex, pergnancy, abortion all lead to emotional imbalance, broken homes, gang culture, drug, self harm, suicides etc., Hope the Society and the Government wake up .

rosalind, london, uk

Children are naturally curious about "grown up" things and some parents give little guidance. Commercial interests then sexualise tiny children by manipulating peer pressure through tv adverts. No wonder they fall pregnant believing they are grown up and in love. Let them be kids for God's sake.

Sonny B, Whitley Bay, United Kingdom

There has been a rise in knife crime among teenagers too. Should we therefore be teaching them how to avoid the consequences of weapons, such as safer knife handling, and how to avoid arrest?

Nick, Rotherham, UK

More sex education = more sex. The figures prove it

Phil, Preston,

I can't elieve why there is any need to teach 5 year old's about sex education. I have a five year old lad and would not think it appropriate for him to have such a education at his age. Let children be children.

Kash, Birmingham

Kashmir Rai, Birmingham, West Midlands

Teaching sex to children of 5, you are asking for trouble. But then again our Marxist establishment think its fantastic.

The country is run by idiots, we however are the real idiots for letting them stay in power.

Mikek, Liverpool, UK

Understand what you're reading:
Teenage pregnancies down from 4.66 to 4% while the abortion rate increases.

So less teenage girls are getting pregnant, and fewer still decide to carry to term.

The target has not been met, but there is an improvement.

So perhaps education does work...

Jon Dawkins, Bristol,

Children at 5 is innocent why teach them of sex. I believed that many teens here have no concept of having baby after sex and the responsibility to be a parent. Everything goes with joys & curiosity which are the big problems. They will think twice if they know the consequence to bear later.

j, aberdeen, UK

More sex education? A person in today's society who does not realise that having sex can let to pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease must have been living in a cupboard for the past 20 years.

G. Beattie, Worcester,

uh - as the start of this article states, teenage pregnancies are DECREASING and live births from these young potential mothers are decreasing even further, due to abortion. Surely this is a trend in the right direction?

Ann, Cambridge,

In the 1930s (say) there was very little in the way of sex education and very few teenage pregnancies. Now, the kids can't go through the school gates without being asked to put a condom on a banana and teenage pregnancy is at record levels.

Craig , Liverpool, UK

forgive me if i'm wrong, but at the top didn't it say that the number of teenage pregnancies (including those which are terminated) have fallen?
isn't that a good thing?
surely it shows that sex ed has helped and less teenagers are getting pregnant

Ross, Thornbury, UK

I think it's not a problem for UK only. Many kids get education from TV, Internet, newspapers, etc. So the problem will not be solved. Everybody says sex is a great thing. But no one says that sex is just a part of love, sex is responsibility. No one says that the main reason for sex is making child

Andy , Moscow, Russia

Sex competes with the arms, drinks and tobacco industries. When mags, films, videos, TV, papers etc do everything to encourage as much sex as possible it is not surprising children copy their peers. Love has nothing to do with it and teaching it at an early age exacerbates the problem.

peter fieldman, paris, france

Our world is so upside-down! Teenagers getting pregnant and aborting their babies and couples in their 30's and 40's desperate to conceived their own babies at any price. We need to encourage adoption in both cases. What a great chance to give LIFE!

Kathryn , Sydney, Australia

You Brits need to read one of your own or perhaps two of your own. Read C.S. Lewis in his Mere Christianity or Abolition of Man. And read G.K. Chesterton's Everlasting Man.

You blokes had it right years ago but seem to have lost whatever it was that you all had.

Wally Longshamps, Atlanta, U.S.A.

A look at the figures will show that the countries with the LEAST sex education in schools have the least number of teenage pregnancies.

Teaching sex normalises it - surely we should be shielding kids from sexual promisicuity not promoting it.

Kevin, Workington, UK

Education, education, education...
<br/>&quot;I'm but a simple country girl with no experience of men. Why I hardly know the difference between a ..... and a ....&quot;
<br/>The argumentation for immigration is an aging society, yet a homegrown solution is frowned on. Or am I confusing apples with oranges?

Andrew Milner, Karuizawa, Japan

Children are pure,they should be taught some knowledge about science at school .And their parents should tell them how to communicate with others and how to take care of themselves.I think it is unnecessary to tell them anything about sex when they are very young.

Wang Bingyi, Enshi,Hubei Province., .China

The more aex is highlighted and discussed at schools, the more kids will try it out. With no stigma or punishment attached to having under age sex and kids as likely to listen to contraceptives advice as much as they listen to advice on under age drinking and smoking, we will always have problems.

James Bradley, Eastleigh,

There has never been more sex education around than today, and teen pregnancy rates just get worse. I wish politicians would resist the impulse to just 'do something', and find out exactly why this is happening.

And just what 'facts' are they planning to teach 5 year olds? I shudder to think.

David, Melbourne, Australia