Bermuda recognised Teen Pregnancy Prevention Day today, with Health Minister Zane DeSilva calling on Bermudians to “take charge, not chances”.Although the Island’s number of under-20 pregnancies has halved over the past two decades, Mr DeSilva urged young people to complete their education before starting a family. A child born to an unmarried teen mother who fails to graduate from high school is nine times more likely to live in poverty than a child born into a stable marriage of two high school graduates, he said.Bermuda had 140 teen pregnancies in 1990, but between April, 2009 and March, 2010, only 71 were reported.Mr DeSilva said the focus of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Day was on reducing all unplanned pregnancies.He said: “In fact, the vast majority of unplanned pregnancies in Bermuda occur in women of age 20 to 30, and not in teenagers at all.“These unplanned pregnancies represent a significant challenge for young women, their partners and for society. You may be surprised to know that many of the same negative outcomes for teen pregnancies apply to unplanned pregnancies in women of any age.”Government Senior Medical Officer Cheryl Peek Ball added that Government was devoting the rest of the year to pushing the message.“For this month we will have radio advertisements, public service announcements and a CITV interview.“What we are most excited about is our open house day at the Maternal Health and Family Planning Clinic in September,” she said.“That’s in our Hamilton Health Centre, and it will specifically target high school seniors.”Both male and female condoms are available free at the Health Centre on Victoria Street, as well as through Teen Services, and Government’s clinics in Somerset and St George’s.Useful web links: www.thenationalhealthcampaign.org, www.stayteen.org, www.cdc.org