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Abstract
Research on the decision to continue or terminate a teenage pregnancy is sparse. This paper seeks to address this gap in research by analysing the educational dimensions of the decision to continue or terminate a teenage pregnancy using data collected in a purpose specific survey in Australia. The paper begins by exploring the timing of pregnancy, abortion and birth in relation to leaving or finishing high school. It then examines the associations between education factors and the decision to terminate or continue a teenage pregnancy. Completed level, school marks and subject preference were all found to discriminate between those who continued and those who terminated their pregnancies. The findings suggest that young women who have a stronger attachment to school are more likely to terminate than continue their pregnancies, particularly for young women in rural and regional Australia.
