Adolescent pregnancy rates in three European countries: lessons to be learned?

Adolescent pregnancy and abortion rates in the Netherlands, France, and Germany are lower than rates in the United States and the mean age of sexual debut is later. Contributing factors include philosophical differences about the rights and responsibilities of adolescents, access to contraceptives, sexuality education, and mass media campaigns. The data used in this article were gathered from meetings with health care providers in the three European countries studied and from published reports. While it is not possible to impose practices from one society upon another, nurses in North America may want to consider implementing some of these ideas in their practices.