Pretoria -
There is no scientific evidence to support claims that child support grants are driving a surge in teenage pregnancies, says government.
It says the main driver is a lack of family planning, according to briefing notes handed out at a social protection, community and human development media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday.
“There have been wild claims that the key driver of teenage pregnancy is the child support grant. There is no scientific evidence to back this.
“We have always argued - and the United Nations Fund for Population Development has backed our argument - that one of the main drivers of teenage pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa is the lack of family planning.”
This had led to “exploding numbers” of teenage abortions.
According to the document, of the just over one million women who fall pregnant in South Africa each year, eight percent (about 80 000) are girls younger than 18.
Sapa