Antenatal clinics could be set up in schools to care for pregnant teenagers, the health watchdog has said.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) wants midwives to be able to go into schools to offer advice to expectant young mothers and carry out health checks.
But critics said the idea could "normalise" teenage pregnancy and increase the problem. Evidence shows that pregnant under-20s often feel excluded from mainstream antenatal care or judged by their peers, Nice said.
The clinics would be part of a wider package of care aimed at women from deprived backgrounds, including those suffering social deprivation, domestic abuse, drug or alcohol misuse and women who struggle with written and spoken English.
Experts behind the guidance, which applies to England and Wales, said services should be tailored to the needs of women in each region, such as providing "one-stop shop" antenatal care in areas with high teen pregnancy rates.
But Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, said: "The more that schools are called on to shoulder the burden of problems created by a permissive society, the more they will lose their focus on imparting knowledge and teaching children to think in a rational and logical way."
