You're right, jacqui, they have no idea how much work is involved in raising the child. In Canada, many teachers give their students an egg or other object that needs to be cared for as if it were a baby. The object has to be fed and the diapers changed at set times. There are other built-in needs so that they get 'the idea'.

Perhaps they should also introduce the financial component. In other words they should be given the same amount of money they would get on welfare and then have to pay for all the necessaties for two lives. Seems to me this would be a good course for all teen-agers.

The problem, of course, is that most of these pregnant girls have probably dropped out of school long ago. Seems to me that the real issue here, is education. What are they doing having unsafe sex anyway?

Instead of wasting time and money on trying to collect from 'dead-beat dads' they should transfer that money to the education system for educational programs aimed at stopping this trend. Is it just Britain or is this problem rampant in other countries with welfare systems? Just how prevalent is this problem or is it just another means of scapegoating?