Teen Pregnancy Rate Declines In Iceland

There has been a significant drop in teen pregnancies in Iceland in the past ten years, reports RÚV.

The Directorate of Health reports that abortion rates among girls aged 15-19 years of age was 19.2 per 1000 girls in 2003 where as this number had shrunk to 13.1 in 2013. Additionally, the rate of teenage girls actually giving birth has dropped considerably.

Sóley S. Bender, Professor of Nursing who specialises in adolescent pregnancy says that although it is hard to pinpoint any single reason for the development “the decision to make emergency contraceptives such as the morning after pill available at pharmacies” and increased sexual health education has contributed to the drop in teen pregnancy rates.

While Sóley feels the development overall is positive, she believes more could be done, after all, Iceland’s teen pregnancy rate is still the highest among the Nordic countries.

“We do not have a comprehensive overview of sex education [in Iceland],” said Sóley. “We are not measuring what is being done and how effective the sexual education methods being used are. We need a coherent policy in relation to sexual health.”