It has been going on for decades and still the taxpayer underwrites their costly activities.

Teenagers having babies is not new I know. But's it's children having children and it's just plain hard work for everyone involved from here on in.

I know the National government has been tough in this area and good on them I say. Numbers are down and so they should be. There's no reason for teenagers to be having babies in this day and age. There are more forms of contraception available than we know what to do with.

If teens are having babies then they are wanting to have them. And we all know why.

The reality is babies cost a lot of time, money and energy. Everyone knows it.

And yet, still children are allowed to have children to the cost of every single one of us.

New Zealand needs more workers, not more single mothers, and I'm not just bagging the women here. The boys involved in this are just as much to blame.

The ongoing social and human costs of these activities are immense, to the tune of billions of dollars every year.

Yes, we need to have babies, but we also need to plan for them and be able to afford them.

G Martin, Brookfield (Abridged)