Not Dead Yet - Forum

A boy who became a father aged 13 has provoked a fierce political debate over the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the UK.
The case of baby-faced Alfie Patten - who was aged just 12 when the baby was conceived - exemplified the "complete collapse" of parts of society, it has been claimed.
Conservative leader David Cameron said it showed a worrying trend of "children having children" that had to be stopped, while Children's Secretary Ed Balls said it was "an awful case".
The furore was sparked after Alfie and 15-year-old Chantelle Steadman brought Maisie Roxanne into the world at the Eastbourne District General Hospital, East Sussex.
The UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Western Europe, but figures show the number of conceptions among under-16s fell by 1,000 in 2006 to 7,826, compared to ten years earlier.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, who runs the Centre for Social Justice think tank, said the birth highlighted another case of "broken Britain" where "anything goes".
He said: "It's not being accusative, it's about pointing out the complete collapse in some parts of society of any sense of what's right and wrong.
"There is no opprobrium any more about behaviour and quite often children witness behaviour that's aggressive, violent, rude and sexual. It's as if no-one is saying this is wrong."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown did not comment directly on the case but said "all of us would want to avoid teenage pregnancies".
Mr Cameron said: "It is really worrying that in our country today you've got children having children.
"Obviously we all hope that these very, very young children will grow up and be good parents, but frankly parenthood isn't something that they should have been thinking about. That's what's gone wrong and we've got to put it right."
Mr Balls said: "It's just an awful case. It's unusual, it's very rare, but you look at that young lad being a dad when he is so young - and also the teenage girl - and you think it's not right, this looks so terrible. It has got to be sorted out.
"I want those kids to be safe and also the young child as well, and I want us to do everything we can as a society to make sure we keep teenage pregnancies coming down."
"I think like most parents, like most people, I saw that photo today and I was appalled. It's just not right."
Eastbourne Tory MP Nigel Waterson said the birth raised "huge" questions about sex education and the sexualisation of British society.
East Sussex County Council said the teenage parents would be supported with intensive monitoring and health visitor support.

Topical this one Joe,
Totally unecessary too,no need at all for that baby to be born.
1 morning after pill
2 the pill
3 NO SEX.
They must have very low level intelligent parents.
I read the boy did an interview and he was asked,how is he going to financially support the child
his reply was `whats that mean` God help us !

I dont understand how these kids had the opportunity to have sex with-out any-one knowing what they were up to.
Or did the parents concerned just turn a blind eye to what was happening.

Pauline,you were young once its easy to steal time.
If the parents afre at work,of even if they dont work,the saying goes
where theres a will theres a way !

Well i felt sick in the  stomoch ..What sign is it  saying  to others all this ?i'm gob smacked ...If  someone  said this  lad  should be taken into  care   would they be  wrong? Has yet we havent  seen the parents...Bright  sparks, i bet ya  ...NOT :-X

I just couldnt believe this boy was 13 never mind  having sex , he looked a baby himself.  In this case i believe the girl is at fault , shes 15 a  age differance of 2 years , and girls mature quicker than boys , so mentaly and  any other way she is  a least ,4 year older , and should have had more sense , ..

I get the feeling here that maybe she was teaching him a thing or two.
And at 13 he should have known what is meant by the word 'financially' is he a little behind in his learning i wonder ..

Dont know about that I read today they live in a ?350,000
house so they cant be that daft.

BLIMEY   Pauline  i didnt  read that but never the  less, what  they did  was ellegal  . The  debate will go on is  the  social services   should  step in ...regardless of  how much money the  parent have.Tina  the  girl was also under  age for  sex ..its sick  to think a  child is born like this  in the  spotlight for all the wrong reasons >:(

i read today that the boy asked permission from the parents to sleep with her,,,,the mind boggles

If both sets of parents agreed that these two Children shared the same bedroom, then the parents should be up on charges.......shameful parenting :o :o :o

We dont know we only know what we read but.......
if its true
then let the parents keep the kid.......literally no help from the state.!

Joe i  know the girl was under age for sex at 15 , the point i was trying to make was , at 15 you are a lot more mature thinking than at 13.And she is just one year away from legal adult  sex.


i also read that the boy is now stoping over nights lets hope its not in the same bed.

   HEAD LINES  READING    .....ANOTHER  BABY   BORN
   

     ( i wonder why  says the  13  year  old  we where only playing   ugh

And now I read that several boys say that they could be the father, what on earth is going on.
Maybe they just want to get their name in the papers who knows

More than likely turn out that none of them are the Father!!!! ;)

I think you are right Chris

DNA to prove one way or other.

Make's ya  wonder  more  about the  girls conduct ...
   Seems  the parents  are  keeping  a low profile 
   Wonder if they get paid  for all this in the papers?

There seems to be an absents of Dads in this story!!!!! :-\

 thought she was more in control, thought it was odd she should be with a boy of that age and not one nearer her own , now seems she has any  boy going . what a start for the  baby .

So true Tine  they learn how to put a nappy on these days before  the times tables ....So much for sex education in our schools  but thats another  debate  on  how  old should our kids be  to know  when  an  how .... >:(
       its rediculous  this behaviour .

Children are taught at school the fundamentals of sex from an early age, its also shown on TV programs aimed at Children in as much that it is animals that do the business on screen, as was an example the other day.  It was a wild life program on at about five, and Myles wanted to watch it, naturally we had no objections as it seemed okay by the write up it had been given.

So it started, the voice said that a new lion had been introduced to the park and stated that it went straight to work, now picture this as he was speaking, the lion looks at a lioness goes over gives the female a sniff, mounts her and he has his way with her right there on the screen. Myles looked up at me and said Dad is that how lions make babies???? Who was I to lie to him????

I'm a country girl so as a child saw thing like that all the time, what we need to do now is teach kids that sex is  a part of a relationship which should be something that lasts longer than the few minutes it takes to copulate

Bang on Pauline, its the relationship problem that has to be sorted out before even the mention of Sex. :)

Sex, relationship, education. Just what does it mean to us all, if we do not have The Intelligence, to understand ??
 Preferbly, Education should come first, followed by  teaching communication and relationship. Sex education, should be introduced at an acceptable age ??  Not,as the first priority. There is already too much of this, quite literary, thrown at us when watching television, or even reading the newspapers. As a 'priority' I find it rather boring, as though there is nothing else as important:

Fully agree Pheonix, and then today we see that there are 8 other lads saying hey are the father of the baby,,,,,wow this is giving this young girl a bad reputaion! Unless its all proven to be true.

Thats very clever of these eight 'lads' ?? Did someone put them up to it, or did it come from their very own clever mind ?? --- Perhaps we should give them all a medal. I feel ashamed this was given so much publicity, as othere's may well follow. Well!! anything goes by news these days and I would rather sex goes into the back pages, along with football:

Surprise! surprise! The young boy isn't the father, it looks like it was just a way of getting publicity to say that he was, though why I dont know. The mind boggles!!!

Its the kind of news the tabloids like, it sells papers

Pathetic arent they !

i wonder who paid for the DNA test, i think it cost something like ?300 +

You and me Tilly

Who else!!!

All those Lucky Tax payers!!

Since the last post I believe that it has been proven that the lad is not the father! ???

Try and keep up Chris !!!
no he isnt the father.....lol
nice new piccie too !

I will try Cath !!!!! :o :o :-*

That's a good boy Chris!.... ;D