Teenage Pregnancy

Gone were the days when teenagers were still playing street games like patintero and luksong-tinik and when they were running after one another playing hide and seek.

Teenagers seem to be more engrossed with a lot of other things – technology and internet, malling and night-outs, shopping and make-up and love and romance.

These days, teenagers look very open and proud holding hands in public places and publicly displaying affection anywhere. They seem to have lost the sense of discretion and modesty that at a very young age they are not afraid at all to do PDA’s even if old folks are around.

Go to the town plazas and parks and you will see at lot them who are still wearing school uniforms late at night roaming around with a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Some are even hiding in the bushes doing more than what we could imagine.

As a result, teenage pregnancy seems to be a common thing. We can hear of a 7th grader or 10th grader who would eventually stop school to give birth to a baby out of marriage – and the father is also a teenager like the mother.

Teenage pregnancy is soaring to 9% of women aged 15-19 already becoming mothers as of 2018. Statistics would show that at this rate, this early pregnancy is one of the teenage problems that should be given top priority solutions.

There are many factors that can contribute to early pregnancies as such, family support, financial status, values system, home and community environment, social media and personal preferences.

It is very important that educational institutions do their part religiously in order to educate these young people with proper manners and attitude and help in strengthening family values.

The family and the school are the prime social institutions to educate these young people about the pros and cons of early pregnancies and how they can divert their attention to other more important priorities in life.

Latest posts by Aileen Villanueva, RN

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