In 2007, over 20,000 teenage girls had an abortion in the UK. It is one of the most sensitive subjects students will come across at school. In this programme, aimed at pupils being taught PSHE at Key Stages 3/4, we take a look at young people’s attitudes towards abortion. We talk to students from both faith and non-faith schools about their opinions and experiences of abortion and the way it is taught in PSHE lessons. One north London comprehensive is consulting its students about how the teaching of SRE and abortion education could be improved in their school. In the course of making this film, we talked to many young women who have had to make the difficult decision of whether to have an abortion. In order to describe their experiences without revealing anyone’s identity, we engaged the help of an actress. We follow the character Emma as she visits a sexual health clinic to talk through her options with an adviser.

Video Series: KS3/4 PSHE
Release Date 2008