Most teenage girls would be horrified to learn they are pregnant. In Britain, however, reports indicate that some teen girls are desperate to get pregnant. “Girls as young as 14 are seeking fertility treatment on the nhs [National Health Service] because they have been unable to become pregnant after up to two years of sexual activity without contraception” (Daily Telegraph, London, July 4).
Four 14-year-old girls entered one clinic wanting in vitro fertilization—a treatment that health officials say should be given only to women ages 23 to 39.
The Sunday Telegraph explains: “Young girls want babies [and sex] in most cases as a personal solution to the radically chaotic and loveless world in which they have been brought up …. They want something upon which to confer their unexpressed capacity for love, and they want unconditional love in return” (July 4). Because they aren’t getting enough love from their parents, teens are looking for it elsewhere.