Pregnancy prevention programme fails, according to Science (AAAS) News and The Lancet 25 August 2016.
A group of public health researchers in Australia have carried out a study of the Virtual Infant Parenting Programme (VIP), a course designed to discourage teenage schoolgirls from getting pregnant by giving them a life-size robot doll to care for. The doll, known as an “infant simulator”, cries, and must be “fed, burped, rocked, and have its nappy changed”.
The study was carried out in 57 high schools in Perth, Western Australia, and involved teenage girls aged between 13 and 15 years, who were then followed up until the age of 20. The VIP programme was run in 28 of the schools (known as the Intervention Group), whilst the other 29 schools conducted the standard health education curriculum (the Control Group). Altogether 1267 girls took part in the Intervention, and 1567 were in the Control Group.
In spite of the aim of the programme, the rate of pregnancy was higher in the Intervention Group – 16.5% in the Intervention Group, compared with 10.7% in the Control Group. In the Intervention Group there were 97 births and 113 abortions, whilst in the Control Group there were 67 births and 101 abortions.
The researchers concluded: “The infant simulator-based VIP programme did not achieve its aim of reducing teenage pregnancy. Girls in the intervention group were more likely to experience a birth or an induced abortion than those in the control group before they reached 20 years of age”.
The Science News item is entitled: “Virtual babies don’t discourage teenagers from wanting real ones”.
Editorial Comment: Note one very important and sad detail – the media did report this study, but downplayed the fact that the girls in both groups had more abortions than births. A better conclusion would be that they and/or their boyfriends wanted sex, rather than babies.
There is only one way to prevent teenage girls from becoming pregnant before they are married, and that is to do things God’s way, i.e. save all love making for within marriage as God intended.
Studies show that an incredible number of young women who have had abortions later regret taking a life. The only ‘fix’ here is to share the good news that there is forgiveness and new life to be found if they repent of the killing and put their faith in Christ the Creator, Saviour and giver of life.
Evidence News vol. 16, No. 16
14 September 2016
Creation Research Australia
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