Teenage Pregnancy

Name: Cherrylou D.
Buday Date: February 22, 2021
Teenage pregnancy had always been a cause for alarm in the Philippines, despite it being a country that
is almost 80% of the population is Catholic. Recent World Bank data shows that the Philippines has 47
births annually per 1000 women aged 15-19, higher than the average adolescent rates globally at 44 and
33.5 in ASEAN regions, resulting in the country having the highest teenage pregnancy rates among the
ASEAN member states. The aforementioned data entails that 500 Filipino adolescent girls are getting
pregnant and giving birth every day. Teenage pregnancy is one of the most pressing issues the Filipino
youth is facing right now and I believe that the alarmingly increase rates of the latter in the country is a
national emergency because 1) childbearing in adolescents carries an increased risk for poor health
outcomes for both mother and child, 2) it lowers educational attainment and employability, causing an
economic loss to the country, and 3) it often results to single parenthood which catalyzes conditions that
renders the mothers to become irresponsible.
The younger the adolescent, the greater the risks – childbearing in adolescents carries increased risks for
poor health outcomes for both mother and child. Pregnancy during adolescence is associated with a
higher risk of health-related problems like anemia, sexually transmitted infections, postpartum
hemorrhage, and poor mental health outcomes such as depression, and even suicide. Adolescents who
become pregnant at an early age have associated risk factors such as having greater age differences with
their partners, which may put them at greater risk of domestic violence, as wells as acquiring HIV and
other STIs. According to World Health Organization, early pregnancy and childbirth complications are
the leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19 years globally, and some 3.9 million unsafe abortions
among girls aged 15-19 years occur each year, contributing to maternal mortality, morbidity, and lasting
health problems. In the Philippines, children born to adolescent mothers are more likely to die
compared to children of older mothers. Adolescents are often unprepared for the realities involved in
parenting an infant and often, complex relationships, financial burden, social stigma, and parenting are
stressful and can put a newborn at risk.
Teenage pregnancy does not solely affect the family of the adolescent but greatly affects the economy
of the country. This issue can be regarded as a national emergency for it is one of the causes of huge
economic loss to the country. According to the UNFPA, a commissioned study in 2016 revealed that
those adolescents in the Philippines who have begun childbearing before the age of 18 are less likely to
complete secondary education compared to those who have not begun childbearing. The non-
completion of secondary education impacts employment opportunities in the future and the total
earnings of families. The study shows that completing high school education increases the daily wage
rates of women by 300 pesos. At age 20, a girl who began childbearing before age 18 may only earn
about 46 pesos a day, compared to the 361 pesos per day estimate for someone who completed high
school and did not get pregnant early. The net estimated effect of teenage pregnancy due to loss of
opportunities and foregone earnings can be as high as 33 Billion pesos annual losses for the country.
In the majority of cases, adolescent parents are not married and the discovery of pregnancy is
unexpected. Too often, teen fathers abandon their parenting responsibilities due to fear and inability to
adequately provide for their child, leaving the mother with even less social support and financial
resources. Unfortunately, adolescents who become parents often have a shortage of key life skills and
other resources that are vital to the parenting process. Research shows that, on average, children who
are born to teen parents are likely to ever reach their full potential. According to the Urban Child
Institute, adolescent parenting is one of the major risk factors associated with early childhood
development. In addition to other effects, teen parenting is likely to hinder a child’s social and emotional
wellbeing. For example, when a baby is born to a teenage mother, he is likely to have more difficulty
acquiring cognitive and language skills as well as social and emotional skills like self-control and self-
confidence. Studies on early childhood development find that adolescent mothers are less likely than
older mothers to engage in emotionally supportive and responsive parenting. They tend to have less
knowledge about child development and effective parenting that they often misjudge their infant or
toddler’s ability to adapt and learn. Further, research also found that teen parents are more likely to
engage in harsh parenting practices like yelling and spanking. Having few life experiences and coping
skills compared to older parents can make it harder to handle the irritability and frustration that arise
when caring for a new baby.
Conclusion:
Teenage pregnancy is a global problem but occur mostly in developing country such as the Philippines.
Despite being a conservative country, teenage pregnancy in the Philippines is progressing with 11.4%
livebirths annually according to UNFPA. This problem continues to have major economic, social and
medical impact in the country resulting to as high as 33 Billion loss annually. There are several factors
that causes teenage pregnancy including lack of knowledge about sex or contraception, poverty, and
being a victim of sexual abuse.
However, most cases of teenage pregnancy occur with those adolescents that lack knowledge about sex,
since sex is taboo in such countries like ours. We rarely talk about sex because we find it inappropriate
to talk to publicly with others and it drives the conversation awkwardly, making sex one of the things
that most humans do but never speak of. The fact that sex is such a taboo topic hinder the teens to ask
their parents about their sexual curiosities for we were never assured that this topic is appropriate to
talk to. The lack of parental supervision often leads to teens satisfying their curiosities through
experience. Without the guidance of the parents and the proper knowledge about contraception, unsafe
sex occurs leading to unexpected and unintended pregnancy.
Adolescent and youths deserve to enjoy the full extent of their rights and to enjoy their youth without
having too much responsibility such as having a baby. We need to stop romanticizing teenage pregnancy
by saying that a baby is a blessing. Indeed, pregnancy is a gift and babies are blessings, but only to those
who expected it and planned it in the first place. Hopefully, the rising number of teenage pregnancy
rates in the country have a chance to end through offering a comprehensive sex education. It is
important to provide teens broad information on how to use various contraceptive techniques and be
exposed to extensive information on various forms of birth control and other preventive methods
available. Educating not just teens but also parents with necessary information so they can provide
proper knowledge to their teenage children. Teens should also comprehend the underlying harsh reality
of raising a baby at an early age before engaging into some unfortunate actions that will they will
eventually regret. If we really want to end this issue, we need to start talking about it now, take action,
educate ourselves and support government and organizational movements in concluding teenage
pregnancy.

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Name: Cherrylou D.

Buday Date: February 22, 2021

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