Seventeen-year-old Ai Li (not her real name) was four months pregnant when she decided to have an abortion. The high-school girl couldn't bear to tell her parents what had happened. "They had never tried to understand me in the past," she said, "I knew what they would say to me now."

Puppet love is increasing in China but there is little education at school. [File photo]

Young love is increasing in China but there is little education at school.

Ai Li is not alone: a growing number of teenage girls like her fall pregnant and go to back-street abortionists rather than face the public shame.

Now, though, there is a better choice. A special clinic opened at the Maternal and Child Care Service Centre in Beijing's Xuanwu District. It offers free professional advice to teenagers on sexual issues and performs abortions if necessary.

Doctors have tried to hold lectures on safe sex in schools but some parents say this encourages irresponsible behaviour. However, many experts believe that the lectures are not enough.

"We need more than just sex education among teenagers," said Li Yuan, director of the newly opened clinic.

"Society as a whole should look at this problem more sensibly. We should be trying to help pregnant girls rather than treating them like problem kids."

According to a survey of several middle schools in Xuanwu District, 10 per cent of students have already taken part in sexual activities. Teenage pregnancy itself has become a global issue. About 14 million teenage girls worldwide get pregnant accidentally each year, and 4.4 million have abortions.

Underage abortion can be very harmful to a girl, both physically and mentally. The operation can result reproductive problems and the girl may not be able to have children in the future. It is one of many risks that come with unprotected sex. Others include sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS.

China's first sexual advice centre for teenagers opened in Chongqing earlier this year. There are others in Hangzhou, Jinan, Chengdu and Harbin.

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