Teen pregnancies increase significantly after Valentine's Day, especially in poorer communities, according to MPs.

Although no statistics are yet available, MP for Kpando, Mrs Della Sowah, said yesterday in parliament that "a cursory look at the results reveals an interesting correlation between teenage births which occur nine months or so after every Valentine's day".

Mrs Sowah attacked the media for failing to educate the public on the real essence of the occasion and for instead promoting promiscuity.

"With the media constantly bombarding teenagers with sexual messages, those in poorer communities, it appears, are initiated into sex at slightly younger ages and early pregnancies and inevitable," she said.

Valentine's Day is named after Saint Valentinus, a Roman saint, and is a recognised feast day for several religious communities.

Another MP, Ursula Owusu, from Ablekuma West, called on parents to avoid exposing their children to domestic abuse at home as children may carry out such behaviour in romantic relationships later on in life.

Conversely, another MP from the Akim-Abuakwa district was more concerned about the behaviour of mature people, especially women, rather than teens on Valentine's Day. He said it was pathetic that some women used their bodies to gain material wealth.

Mr Akim-Abuakwa said Valentine's Day had lost its real essence and society should find ways of dealing with promiscuity.