Sensible attitude to sex drives Dutch teen pregnancy rate to record low

Just 2,365 girls under the age of 20 had a baby in the Netherlands last year, the lowest figure ever, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS.

This means fewer than five teenage girls in every 1,000 became a mother last year. Forty years ago, the figure was four times higher.
Girls with an Antillian background are much more likely than others to have a baby while still a teenager but this figure drops sharply for second generation Caribbean immigrants, the CBS said.
The Netherlands has one of the lowest teenage birthrates in the world, a fact which is widely attributed to its open attitude to information about sexuality and contraception. Most parents are also happy for their teenage children to sleep with a partner in the family home.
Surveys show the majority of Dutch teenagers have sex for the first time around their 17th birthday, usually with a steady partner. They almost always use contraception.
Teen pregnancy rate low in sleepover country of the Netherlands.
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