Cause & Effect: Adolescent Pregnancy and Childbearing
Teen pregnancy is the term used in reference to those young ladies who get pregnant before attainment of legal adulthood that is between 13 and 18 years age group. It is a circumstance under which a teenager becomes pregnant unintentionally affecting her life-span development. Teen pregnancy is a prevalent factor among many teenage women especially in their 16th to 19th birthday. Pregnant teenagers are today faced with many obstetrics problems similar to those of the women in their age gap of 20s and 30s. Additional medical concerns are experienced by pregnant teenagers in the developing countries especially women aged 14 or younger.
Every day, 5 girls aged 10 to 14 become pregnant or give birth in the Philippines. Commission on Population (PopCom) Executive Director Juan Antonio Perez III said they saw in recent years a rise in the number of teenage pregnancies in the country – from 1,700 cases in 2014 to 1,986 cases in 2015. (Geronimo, 2017)
According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in the Philippines Klaus Beck, teenage pregnancy remains a challenge here despite the country's "already strong support for family planning”. (Geronimo, 2017)
Government data from 2012 show a large number of multiple teen pregnancies where girls have one or more children while still in their teenage years. More than 18,400 women between the ages of 15-19 had two children, another 2,800 had three and an estimated 300 had four children. (Santos, 2017)
“Teen pregnancy is not only a public health concern. It is a social development concern” says Perci Cendana, commissioner of the National Youth Commission, a government agency that lobbies and advocates for youth-friendly policies. (Santos, 2017)
The Causes of Teen Pregnancy There are many different situations that teenagers get themselves involved in that can lead to teen pregnancy. Teens do not think of the consequences of their actions. They do not think that the aftermath of their irresponsibility can lead to pregnancy. Having a child comes with a lot of responsibility
Absent Parents Teen girls are more likely to get pregnant if they have limited or no guidance from their parents. Providing the guidance and support that their young daughters need to make good decisions on issues such as sex is one of the causes of early pregnancy. The teen more likely to turn to their friends for direction on whether or not to have sex because some parents forbid talking about sex or because they are not around.
Teenage Drinking Many teens experiment with drugs and alcohol with their friends at social gatherings and parties. Drinking lowers a teen’s ability to control her impulses, contributing to 75 percent of pregnancies that occur between the ages 14 and 21. Approximately 91 percent of pregnant teens reported that although they were drinking at the time, they did not originally plan to have sex when they conceived.
Glamorization of Pregnancy, sexual abuse, inadequate sex education among the teenagers, lower education levels, and higher poverty rates are some of the factors contributing to teen pregnancy in the developed countries. However, this is different in developing countries from which teen pregnancies are highly contributed by the financial constraints, sexual or domestic violence, media through the exhibition of phonographic and sex. Together with others, some of these factors may lead to dropping out of schools by the pregnant teenage as she is required to play the role of mother to the unborn baby.
The Effect of the Teen Pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy causes emotional and psychological trauma to the mother exposing her to the risks of suicide especially in the conservative families of developing countries.
Mother
Teenagers getting pregnant at an early age will get lower grade in higher education due to extra responsibility, which increases the rate of literacy in society. And some teens even decide to drop out of their high school and find a job to supplement themselves. Causing to lands up in a poorly paid job. The teenage mother has to face several social obligations like not getting a good job, not getting respect from friends and family members.
Child
The child of a teen mother is very likely to live in poverty because of its mother’s lack of financial resources. Essentially, the birth of this child becomes the beginning of a perpetual cycle in many cases. The child is likely to endure many of the same issues its mother did in her childhood. The health of the baby might be at risk because of a mother’s body is not as developed as that of an adult. Moreover, a teenage mother lacks knowledge about how to take care of the baby.
Society
Society usually considers teenage pregnancy a social dilemma and young parents have to face huge humiliation and negative remarks from people causing Emotional stress, financial crisis, and societal alienation are some of the main contributing factors that trigger suicide among teen mothers.
How to AVOID it?
Being a Teenager is the best thing you experience in life yet the toughest. One thing is FAILURE, here you will learn a lot of things from bad to good. But it is based on how you lived with it.
Abstinence
Abstinence from sex (oral, anal or vaginal) is the only behavior that is 100 percent effective at preventing teenage pregnancy. In fact, the National Campaign stresses that abstinence from sex is the best choice for teens as it avoids early pregnancy, parenthood and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Planned Parenthood reminds teens that remaining abstinent is a behavior choice and it can be difficult for some people. (Summers, 2017)
Contraceptives
Besides abstinence, using contraception during sexual intercourse can also prevent teenage pregnancy. Whether using barrier or hormonal methods, contraception can help to avoid pregnancy. StayTeen.org reports that one-third of teenage girls did not use any form of contraception the last time they had sex and 52 percent of sexually active teens reported a primary reason for not using contraceptives is because their partners did not want to. Educating teens about contraceptive methods may help to change attitudes and behaviors toward safer sex practices. (Summers, 2017)
Communication
Preventing teenage pregnancy may also come down to overcoming parent-child communication barriers. The National Campaign reports that teens say their parents influence their decisions about sex, love and relationships the most; even more than the media or their peers. Starting a conversation about sex early and often may prove beneficial. This conversation should ideally begin well before a child's teen years. In fact, the National Campaign encourages parents to talk early and let kids know that they can ask you anything. Remember, this is ideally an SPG conversation, not just one talk. (Summers, 2017)
REFERENCES
Geronimo, J. Y. (2017). Health experts push for PH policy on teenage pregnancy. Retrieved from Rappler; https://www.rappler.com/nation/175290-world-population-day-2017-teenage-pregnancy-philippines Santos, A. P. (2017). Philippines Sees Rise in Multiple Teen Pregnancies to Older Men. Retrieved from NewsDeeply; https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/articles/2017/08/21/philippines-sees-rise-in-multiple-teen-pregnancies-to-older-men Summers, S. (2017). Ways of Preventing Teenage Pregnancy. Retrieved from LIVESTONG; https://www.livestrong.com/article/97113-preventing-teenage-pregnancy/
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