Glasgow Hospital studied their records showing birth control methods of those women requesting abortions and found that the rates of teen women who did not use contraceptives was about that same as those women ages 20 and older.
The hospital analyzed the records of 950 women asking for abortions. About 250 of them were teens and the rest were 20 or older. Some of them reported that their protection had failed.
But a large portion of them never attempted to use contraceptives at all. Fifty-seven percent of whom were ages 19 or younger and 51 percent of women were 20 or older.
Dr. Marco Gaudoin, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and study author said, "The findings demonstrate that not only do we have a long way to go in persuading teenagers to use reliable contraception but contraceptive education should also be continued in all women, regardless of their age."
The U.K. government has strived to bring the rate of unwanted teenage pregnancies down. Toni Belfield, of the sexual health charity FPA, said more funds should go toward increasing contraception services in communities throughout the U.K.
"These are all human beings, who can get carried away in the passion of the moment and not use contraception. It debunks the myth that teenagers are less responsible when it comes to contraception," she said.
