Like Ai, a considerable number of teenage girls in China are suffering from unplanned pregnancy due to their failure to take preventive measures during sex.

Teen pregnancy has long been regarded as a serious issue in Chinese society, as it can bring troubles that will haunt the people involved for a lifetime.

The young pregnant girls normally get an abortion or desert the baby after giving birth, and if the school learns of their pregnancy, many of them will be expelled.

Unplanned pregnancy among teenage girls has also become a global concern. According to statistics, 14 million teenage girls give birth each year in the world, and an additional 4.4 million choose to have an abortion.

Since China opened its door to the outside world two decades ago, the concept of "sexual freedom" in Western countries has had a considerable influence on Chinese young people's attitude toward premarital sex.

Compared to the early 1980s, when only 10 percent of young people in China's urban areas had premarital sex, nowadays, more than 50 percent of them are doing so, and the proportion is even higher in coastal cities.

And, the average age for those having premarital sex is becoming increasingly lower.

According to Li Yinhe, a noted socialist, rather than blaming the teenager's sexual impulse, which is instinctive and natural, the failure of schools to teach them how to avoid pregnancy should bear the onus of responsibility for their unwanted pregnancy.

Experts on juvenile education have realized the seriousness of the issue and encouraged sex education in school.

For instance, Chongqing Municipality and Heilongjiang Province have distributed special textbooks on sex, especially offering instructions on how to avoid getting pregnant.

Ma Ning, an editor of the textbooks published by Chongqing University Publishing House, said it is the whole society's responsibility to help the teenagers learn more about sex and establish a correct attitude toward it.

Society should not just criticize those involved in unplanned pregnancy, but help them remedy their misconduct and give them warm care, said Qin Qiwen, a psychology professor.

Fortunately, Ai Hehe heard that a special conception control center in Chongqing could handle her problem and went there to seek help.

The center provides free service to teenage girls who want emergency aid to avoid pregnancy.

The center also offers a 24-hour service to help those already pregnant have an abortion.

(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2003)