SITUATION ANALYSIS
Teenage pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant of adolescence aged 10 to 19. Those who are affected are the girl herself up to the national society. The victims of teena ge pregnancy are the girl herself, her child, her parents and relatives and the national society as a whole. It will also probably make her economically vulnerable. Teen pregnancy is a communal problem, a family problem, and a personal problem all rolled into one. It frequently goes hand in hand with premarital sex. Problems come when the news needs to breach each eac h parent’s party. A spring of thought flash before one’s eyes, and registers only two; whether, to back the hell up up – – abort abort the child or carry on with the pregnancy but sign up for adoption - or get the hell in – in – have have the child with all its perks and consequences alike. After which, these impressions simply serve no purpose but to put th em off, and deduce to mere nuisance to them when the truth of their situation slowly sinks in. How do the y provide for the child if their parents cut them short financially? Will the y be able to go to grad school? What will become of their future? What will become o f their child’s future? By this time, they would have to contend with w ith the pressures of parenthood. What’ll truly bother bother them in the long run is the reality of whether or not they the y can fulfill their obligation as parents, and the security of their child’s future. Teenage pregnancy is becoming a societal problem that branches out to other problems. 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 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 be ginning of childbearing and hasten fertility decline, teenage pregnancies continue to increase. 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. Teenagers from poor backgrounds are disproportionately represented among pre gnant 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 the y 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. Alarmingly, while maternal deaths are decreasing in the Ph ilippines, teenage maternal deaths are increasing. Ten percent of pregnant teenagers died in the last year, according to the
PSA. Data from the WHO also show a high and increasing incidence of fetal death in Filipino mothers under 20. In the face of numerous challenges that Filipino adolescents face every day — discrimination, gender-based violence, harmful gender stereotypes — they must be equipped with the life skills and assets to help them make the best decisions for themselves and their community. When adolescents choose to have sex, they have a right to access not just information but also inclusive ASRH services. At the end of the day, when an adolescent, especially a girl, knows her rights, is empowered to choose, and is heard, she can improve not only her life but also the life of her immediate and future families.
