"The education should be specific as to when sex is permissible....."

In B.C. we do teach our children (from K-12) that its O.K. to say no and how to get help if you needed. I think thats a very different topic than concensual sex. Trouble is, when they get to be teen-agers, the hormones do not pay any attention to what is socially permissable.

I, too, have worked with teen-agers and have found that most of these kids need a 'reality check'. They need to understand that a baby is not a 'get home free' card. The best way to do that is to give them a 'fake' baby for a couple of weeks and see if they can keep it alive.

Number 6 - Can you please explain in more detail the programs that are available in NB? I would also be interested in the stats before and after the program was introduced. When I talk to kids about the 'fake baby' program and the 'roots of empathy' program, I have heard only positive comments. The kids actually get attached to the babies and begin to care about the needs of others.

I don't think the problem will ever vanish but I do think that we can do alot to educate kids about the realities of parenthood. Perhaps another positive step would be to make a parenting course mandatory for anyone receiving social assistance. I think we are guilty of throwing money at these kids and then sending them away to deal with their problems in isolation. Its just a little too easy to give them money and think that this will solve their problems.