13yr-old father Alfie finds priests support
February 16th, 2009 - 1:25 pm ICT by ANI London, February 16 (ANI): Schoolboy Alfie Patten, 13, who is believed to have fathered a child at this tender age with his girlfriend Chantelle Steadman, 15, have found the support of a priest who says that it would be wrong to “point the finger at anyone”.
Father Seamus Hester said that Alfie and his 15-year-old girlfriend Chantelle Steadman should be supported, rather than blamed, after becoming parents to baby girl Maisie.
The priest presides over St Gregory’’s Roman Catholic Church, close to Chantelle’’s home in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
His support for the young couple has come at a time when their case has sparked a fierce political debate over the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the UK and the sexualisation of children.
He said that he commended the family for going through with the pregnancy.
“My immediate reaction is that we mustn”t point the finger at anyone. They didn”t go off to have an abortion to do away with the child, so obviously they have got respect for human life. Whatever their ages, I say well done for bringing the child into the world,” the Daily Star quoted him as saying.
Father Seamus even expressed hopes that those around the teen pair would support them.
“I expect social services will help and I would hope that they have got family and friends to help both of them. That is the most important thing in this situation,” he said. (ANI)
- 13-year-old boy becomes a dad - Feb 14, 2009
- 13yr-old Alfie Patten's daughter's father is another teen: DNA results - May 19, 2009
- 13yr-old Brit father wont be prosecuted - Feb 14, 2009
- 'In the name of the father': Chantelle Stedman baby has new dad - May 20, 2009
- 13yr-old dad Alfie may make millions revealing DNA test results live on TV - Feb 18, 2009
- Who's the dad? Teenage parents await DNA test results - Feb 18, 2009
- Another teen claims to be real father of 13yr-old Alfies daughter - Feb 15, 2009
- Brit boy who looks like an 8yr-old becomes dad at 13 - Feb 13, 2009
- Teen dad Alfie Patten is not the actual father, show DNA tests - Mar 26, 2009
- 13yr-old Alfies daughters nanny says DNA test will be for sake of the kids - Feb 17, 2009
- 13yr-old dad Alfies girlfriend ridicules claims she slept with other teens - Feb 16, 2009
- Brit man fathers child with stepdaughter - Mar 08, 2010
- Reid, Chantelle get engaged - Oct 09, 2011
- One in three British teenage girls 'sexually assaulted' - Mar 05, 2012
- Couple plunges 350 ft by driving over suicide cliff - Aug 19, 2011
Tags: abortion, baby girl, becoming parents, daily star, east sussex, eastbourne, family and friends, girlfriend, hester, patten, political debate, priests, roman catholic church, schoolboy, seamus, social services, st gregory, teenage pregnancies, tender age, young couple