Mosada, Angelica
Bartolome, Roxanne
Teenage Pregnancy
Here in the Philippines, we believe in the saying of our national hero
Dr. Jose P. Rizal that “Youth is the hope of our Mother land”. In their hand
lies the future generation to follow.
But as we see from the situation nowadays, what we’re expecting from
the youth is the contrary of the saying. Teenagers are prone to pregnancy.
Almost every year there is a rapid increase on the number of pregnant
youths. One of the major causes of this problem is that most of the youths
nowadays grew up in broken homes. Parents either the father or mother of the
youths chose to leave their children behind because of the fact that they
cannot handle anymore their obligation as parents.
In relation to this problem, our government is now working on the
Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill) as one of the most effective solution not
only to teenage pregnancy but also to the increasing population of our
country.
This study answers the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is your opinion about teenagers who get pregnant?
What is the main reason why teenagers get pregnant?
How should a pregnant teenager handle the situation?
Whose responsibility it is if a girl becomes pregnant?
Do you think it is acceptable to have an abortion for an unwanted
pregnancy because of young age?
6. What should be done to prevent teenage pregnancies occurring?
Teenagers – they are the ones involved in this case. They could be helped
through this study. They could realize the negative effects of teenage
pregnancy and how it could change their whole life.
Society - it could lessen the percentage of single parenthood among the
community. It could orient family members on how teenage pregnancy can
affect the family most especially the teens.
Sources of Contraceptive materials – they may expect an increase in demand
due to the awareness of the teenagers on getting pregnant at an early age.
Local Government – they could be able to implement and facilitate projects
concerning the rate of teenage pregnancy issue. They could be able to
understand the deeper cause of this inflating rate of early pregnancy.
Community Members – they could build a strong alliance against teenage
pregnancy and they could be a more productive part of the community in terms
of cooperating in the alliance.
Parents – they could expect a better future and a progressive and a more
valuable and worthy support to their sons and daughters.
Non-Government Organization – they could more stabilize their goals on this
sector and comply an efficient purpose on execution of ideas from which this
study focuses. They could be more sufficient in terms of project planning
and data analysis of social factors of teenage pregnancy.
Others – they would get a broader knowledge on how the teenage pregnancy
work in the society.
Risks
There are many reasons teen pregnancies should be avoided. Here’s a low down
on the facts:
• Risk for malnutrition
Teenage mothers tend to have poor eating habits and are less likely to
take recommended daily multivitamins to maintain adequate nutrition during
pregnancy. They are also more likely to smoke, drink or take drugs during
pregnancy, which can cause health problems for the baby.
• Risk for inadequate prenatal care
Teenage mothers are less likely to seek regular prenatal care which is
essential for monitoring the growth of the fetus; keeping the mother’s
weight in check; and advising the mother on nutrition and how she should
take care of herself to ensure a healthy pregnancy. According to the
American Medical Association, babies born to women who do not have regular
prenatal care are 4 times more likely to die before the age of 1 year.
• Risk for abortion
Unplanned pregnancies lead to a higher rate of abortions. In the
United States, nearly 4 in 10 teen pregnancies (excluding those ending in
miscarriages) are terminated by abortion. There were about 274,000 abortions
among teens in 1996.
In the Philippines, although abortion is illegal, it would shock you
to know that we even have a higher abortion rate (25/1,000 women) compared
to the United States where abortion is legal (23/1,000 women).
For sure, there are more abortions that happen in our country that are not
even reported. Backdoor abortions are resorted to with untrained “hilots”
with questionable sterility procedures, increasing the possibility for
tetanus poisoning and other complications.
• Risk for fetal deaths
Statistics of the Department of Health show that fetal deaths are more
likely to happen to young mothers, and that babies born by them are likely
to have low birth weight.
• Risk for acquiring cervical cancer
The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually-transmitted, wart-forming
virus that has been implicated in cancer of the cervix. This is the most
common cancer in women secondary to breast cancer.
Women who are at increased risk for acquiring this are those who
engage in sex before 18, have a pregnancy at or younger than 18, or have had
at least 5 sexual partners, or have had a partner with at least
5 sexual partners.
If you start sex at an early age, you have a higher likelihood of
going through several sexual partners before you settle down, thus
increasing your exposure to acquiring the virus and acquiring cervical
cancer. The men can get genital warts from this virus and can certainly pass
it on to their partners, thus increasing her risk for cervical cancer. Is
that something you would want to gift to your wife with on your honeymoon?
There is a to test women (HPV Digene test) but no test for the man so you
can’t know if you have it. Using the condom does not confer protection
against acquiring this virus since the condom cannot cover the testes where
the warts can grow and proliferate.
(Conclusion)
• RISKS for the teen mother
Teen mothers are more disadvantaged, on average, than their same-age
counterparts.
Teenage pregnancies are often associated with an increased rate of
delinquent behaviors including alcohol and substance abuse.
To begin with, majority of them belong to the low income group. Teenage
births are associated with lower annual income for the mother, 80 percent of
whom eventually rely on welfare.
With early termination of formal education comes limited employment
opportunities. However, they have the responsibility of having to fend for
their children before they even ever planned to. In hiring, an employer may
lean toward someone without a child versus someone who is already with one
just because there are more chances of absences with the latter when her
child becomes sick.
They also face greater financial difficulties and marital conflict.
With a lower capacity for earning and less emotional maturity, relationships
are under more stress for breaking.
Young unmarried mothers also face social stigmas that can have harmful
psychological and social impact.
• Risk for the baby
Children of teen moms also face negative health, cognitive, and
behavioral outcomes. This may result from lack of maturity, and emotional
quotient or simply from ignorance due to a lack of life’s experiences.
Children born to teenage mothers are less likely to receive proper
nutrition, health care, and cognitive and social stimulation. As a result,
they may have an underdeveloped intellect and attain lower academic
achievement.
Children born to teenage mothers are at greater risk for abuse and
neglect.
Boys born to teenage mothers are 13 percent more likely to be
incarcerated whereas girls born to teenage mothers are 22 percent more
likely to become teenage mothers.
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
Educational failure, poverty, unemployment and low self-esteem are
understood to be negative outcomes of early childbearing. These
circumstances also contribute to the likelihood of teen pregnancy. For
example, recent studies suggest that most adolescent mothers have already
dropped out of school before they become pregnant. On the other hand,
adolescents still enrolled in school when they give birth are as likely to
graduate as their peers. It is not clear how well the adolescents with the
problems would have fared in the future even without early parenthood.
Following are some of the contributing factors or causes of teenage
pregnancy:
1) Lack of Parental Guidance: Most people evade their children from
talking about sex. In some cases, they provide false information
regarding sex and discourage their children to participate in any
informative discussion about sex. In some cases, teenage mothers are
not well educated about sex before getting pregnant and thus this
leads to lack of communication between the parents and the children.
2) Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Among the adolescents, peer pressure is a
major factor that encourages the teenage boys and girls to indulge in
sexual activities. Early dating, as early as 12 years of age, is
another factor that contributes to teen pregnancy.
3) Inadequate Knowledge about Safe Sex: Most adolescents are unaware of
safe sex. They probably have no access to the traditional methods of
preventing pregnancy. And the main reason behind is that they are
either too embarrassed or fear to seek information about it.
4) Exploitation by Older Men: This is another major factor that
contributes to pregnancy among the teenagers. Those girls who date
older men are more likely to become pregnant before they attain
womanhood. Rape, sexual exploitations etc. also takes place that leads
to unwanted pregnancy among teenage girls.
5) Socio Economic Factors: Teenage girls who belong to the poor families
are more likely to become pregnant. Researchers have found that even
in the developed countries teenage pregnancy occurs most commonly
among the deprived sections.
Respondents
The respondents of this research study are the teenage students of the
University of the Cordilleras and some parents that we’ve encountered.
SUMMARY
Specifically, the sought answers about the profile of teenage students
in terms of the age when they became sexually active, current situation in
the pregnancy, how the pregnancy was done – planned or not, thought of
aborting the baby, rate of substantiality of contraceptive materials,
effects of teenage pregnancy in the teen’s health, knowledge about the
availability of free condoms, how to support the child’s financial needs,
partner’s occupational status, management of the situation, pursuance of
education, and the dignity and respect of the teen’s social community.
CONCLUSIONS
The following conclusions were formulated based on the findings of the
study and are presented.
1. The rate of teenage pregnancy in Baguio City is very much alarming. It
has been observed that the rate of teenage pregnancy is increasing
because of curiosity and peer pressure.
2. Most female are sexually active at the age of 11-15.
3. Teenagers who are engaged at teenage pregnancy mostly are drop out of
school.
4. Teenagers are engaged in this activity due to lack of knowledge about
the consequence they are about to face.
5. Teenagers still depend on their parents.
6. They don’t know what kind of occupation they will have.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the conclusions on the study, the following recommendations
are hereby presented.
1. Every man and woman has the right to decide what he/she will take on
his life. Just be that you can stand all the consequences in your
every action.
2. Teenage pregnancy is not an easy thing. You should have the knowledge
about this and be aware that it has dangerous effects on a teenager’s
life.
3. There is no hindrance in anticipating in this situation.
Teenage pregnancy among today’s Filipino youth
The National Youth Commission, supported by the Department of Health
and the World Health Organization, convened the 2014 National Summit on Teen
Pregnancy last April 24. This summit, which saw the active participation of
adolescent youth, delivered a clear message: Adolescent sexual and
reproductive health (ASRH), or the lack thereof, is fast becoming the
defining issue of this generation of young Filipinos. Without a robust
response from all stakeholders, the Philippines is on track toward a fullblown, national teenage pregnancy crisis.
Staggering facts support this call for concern. Recent (2014) data
from the Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA) reveal that every hour, 24
babies are delivered by teenage mothers. According to the 2014 Young Adult
Fertility and Sexuality (YAFS) study, around 14 percent of Filipino girls
aged 15 to 19 are either pregnant for the first time or are already mothers—
more than twice the rate recorded in 2002. Among six major economies in the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines has the highest rate
of teenage pregnancies and is the only country where the rate is increasing,
per the United Nations Population Fund.
According to Josefina Natividad, YAFS coordinator and director of the
University of the Philippines Population Institute, young Filipinos have
limited access to sex education and ASRH services, especially if they are
underage and unmarried. Seventy-eight percent are not using any form of
contraception or protection against sexually transmitted diseases and
infections when they are having sex for the first time. While government
programs aim to delay the beginning of childbearing and hasten fertility
decline, teenage pregnancies continue to increase. Perhaps it is really time
for a new and more collaborative strategy?
Data show that pregnant teenagers in the Philippines are mostly 17 to
19 years old. They live with their mothers, parents, or relatives. The
father of the child is, in most cases, a teenage boy.
Reasons for becoming pregnant among teenagers include: unplanned sexual
encounters (“getting caught up in the moment”) and peer pressure; lack of
information on safe sex; breakdown of family life and lack of good female
role models in the family; and absence of accessible, adolescent-friendly
clinics.
Teenagers from poor backgrounds are disproportionately represented
among pregnant teenagers. However, experts have argued that teenage
pregnancy should be understood as a symptom of dire economic conditions
rather than a cause of it. Teenage pregnancy perpetuates the cycle of
poverty and inequality because most pregnant teenagers have no source of
income and face greater financial difficulties later in life. This is
because they drop out of school and are less likely to pursue further
education or skills training.
Teenage mothers face critical health risks, including: inadequate nutrition
during pregnancy due to poor eating habits; dangers associated with the
reproductive organs not ready for birth; and maternal death due to higher
risk of eclampsia, among others.