At 13 years of age, Alfie may be Britain's youngest father. Chantelle (the mother) is reported to have had numerous other boyfriends, so the fatherhood of baby Maisie is in question. Their story is another milestone in the disintegration of our society's moral stance on sex outside marriage.

Journalist Melanie Phillips criticises the opposition against anything that may be remotely perceived as moralising or passing judgment. Those who urge self-restraint and behavioural boundaries are dismissed as out of touch with reality. Alfie and Chantelle demonstrate that children are not mini-adults capable of responsible and well-informed decisions, but they are not alone.

There were 8,196 pregnancies among girls under 16 (legal age of consent) in 2007, compared with 7,826 in 2006. The government is likely to miss its target of halving teenage pregnancies amongst girls under 18 by next year.

'The Government's teenage pregnancy strategy has been a disaster for young people... The expansion of confidential contraceptive services for young people under the age of 16 is making it more difficult for girls to resist the advances of their boyfriends and is giving the green light for boys to pressurise girls into sexual activity', said Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust.

• timesonline.co.uk 2009; 26 February
• telegraph.co.uk 2009; 17 February
• dailymail.co.uk 2009; 16 February