THANK heaven that Eric Hester and family and Youth Concern have brought the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy to the public notice.

It is a strategy that isn't working in Bolton, as your report in the Bolton Evening News last month showed -- abortion up to 5.7 per 1000, 272 teenagers pregnant between 15 and 17 years old, and these figures will not include the girls who sought out the morning-after pill, with or without parental consent.

Schools should not be wholly responsible for sex education, and certainly not helping children to access contraception, often without parental knowledge (schools aren't even allowed to give paracetamol without parental consent). Much of the material used in schools is totally unsuitable, and, rather than lowering pregnancy rates, it increases children's sexual awareness, along with all the media exposure though TV and magazines etc, which, in turn, often promotes and encourages earlier sexual activity.

We are selling our children short if we do not encourage chastity. Surely the average teenager should be thinking about their education, sport, music and other more wholesome activities, and not worrying whether they are pregnant, carrying a sexually transmitted disease, or considering an abortion, all of which can cause long term problems for all parties involved.

It is a well known fact that sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase especially chlamydia and these can cause infertility, but still the authorities keep plugging "safe sex". The only safe sex for young, single people is "No Sex". We encourage them to say no to drugs and smoking, so why not the same message for sex? Do we have so little faith in all our young people? They are under enough pressure today, so surely it is our responsibility to lift one more burden off their shoulders by teaching them the truths about sex outside marriage and the harm it can cause both physically and mentally.

It would be interesting to know which parents and other "concerned bodies" were consulted before these strategies were put in place. Was there a fair representation of people, or did it only include those with a "hidden agenda"? What criteria have been laid down to show whether or not the strategies are working, and do these include the physical and mental well-being of our young people in the future? I suspect that they are just a short-sighted quick fix to fulfil Government targets with scant regard for the long term damage they will inflict on our youth and family life.

Concerned mother of four

Mrs M Smith

Halliwell Road

Bolton