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Education and male and female opinions on abortion.

Izzy Smallman, Bea Farrell and Asha Rai.

 

This article will discuss the difference in opinion between female and male views on abortion. Abortion is not widely discussed in schools today as it is illegal in many countries and is an incredibly sensitive topic. We think it is important to discuss these topics because young adults need to be educated about the topics that people can’t necessarily talk about with their parents or family. We also believe that abortion should be discussed in schools because it is such a major topic in the news and media now and children should know what is going on in the world. In total, there were 191,014 abortions notified as taking place in England and Wales in 2015, this statistic shows just how essential it is to explain to our generation about the world and its major topics. In this article, we will look at the education on abortion in schools in the UK for people aged 14-20, we will research the different opinions that the genders have towards abortion and finally we will look at what our school is doing to teach children about these topics.

Most children in the UK will only learn about abortion when they are age 12; just fewer than 30% had not learnt anything about abortion at school.  In fact, the majority of people who were taught about abortion only learnt about it in Years 10-11. Most people, who do learn about abortion will learn about it in an RS lesson, PSHE, and citizenship. A few had covered the topic in science lessons. 21% had a lesson on abortion delivered by an external speaker. Those said by name were EFC, Brook, Lovewise, CedarOaks and Girl Talk. Most of the speakers were pro-life and were religious. Young people have a right to learn about issues that affect their lives and the lives of many others around, including sexual and reproductive health. The most recent statistics for under-18 pregnancies in England and Wales show that over 34,000 young women became pregnant in 2010, and half of those pregnancies ended in abortion. At least a third of women will have had an abortion by the time they are 45. Unplanned pregnancy and abortion are part of our lives, and can affect people of all faiths and cultural backgrounds. It is crucial therefore that young people’s education on pregnancy options is sensitive and relevant to their experiences, as well as medically accurate.

A 2012 poll found that women were more likely than men to call themselves "pro-choice" and that men were more likely than women to call themselves "pro-life." A study of unmarried men living with female partners found that most would prefer input on decisions about terminating an unexpected pregnancy, and most men said their own views would depend more on personal circumstances than any religious or political stand. A 2009 poll found that 40% of men and 37% of women felt abortion should not be generally available while 20% of men and 24% of women felt that abortion should be permitted.

In our school, we learn about abortion in Year 9, which is, on average, a year before other schools. We have multiple discussions in RS on abortion law, pro-life, pro-choice, your own opinions and the ethics of abortion. We also learn about abortion from many religious points of view and it is part of the GCSE course. We did a survey: 85% of the 20 boys and girls we asked don’t learn about abortion until GCSE, as there is a stigma around it and it is an uncomfortable subject. However, in NHEHS, it is an open discussion with no awkwardness, but we discuss it sensitively as obviously it is a delicate subject.

In conclusion, the opinions between the genders vary largely and the education in most of Britain is satisfactory; however, we believe that our school has exceptional abortion education and the uncomfortable vibe that surrounds the issue is swept away.