Introduction
Teenage pregnancies are on the rise in contemporary times, whereby teenagers are getting pregnant either for their fellow teenagers or with people older than them. There are different causes for teenage pregnancy, with the society bearing much of the blame for the issues experienced. One of the reasons for adolescent pregnancy is the curiosity that comes with the stage of life that the teenagers are in. Adolescence and teenagehood is a time in life whereby the young people have raging hormones which lead them into doing a variety of things ranging from rebellion to the advice not to have premarital sex or the need to experiment as a result of the peer pressure that is usually very active at this stage of life. The socioeconomic status of the teenagers has a significant role to play in the possibility of one getting pregnant in their teenage years, with the people in the lower socioeconomic status experiencing most of the adolescent pregnancy compared to their counterparts in the middle and high social classes. There are also instances of sexual abuse leading to teenage pregnancies, with the additional possibility of the teenagers contracting venereal diseases and mental health issues as a result. While the causes of teenage pregnancies vary in nature and cause, there is a general agreement that the practice causes adverse effects in the people who experience it and the societies that they are in. This being so, this paper will examine the different peer-reviewed articles on the impact of teenage pregnancies, the rise existence of teenage abortion cases, means of prevention of the rise in the number of teenage pregnancies, the role of the education system in preventing teenage pregnancies and the debate on whether or not to give teenagers contraceptives as a way of avoiding the influx in teenage pregnancy numbers.
Goonewardene, I. M. R., and R. P. K. Waduge. “Adverse effects of teenage pregnancy.” Ceylon Medical Journal 50.3 (2009). P116-120
This article discusses the adverse effects associated with teenage pregnancy. Among the consequences of teenage pregnancy is the disruption of their childhood since pregnancy means that the children will be thrown into adulthood, which may also bring with it some adverse effects on the physical, mental and emotional health of the teenagers concerned. Pregnancy also has health complications, which it brings to the teenagers concerned since it poses a health threat to the teenagers themselves and the fetuses that they carry. Teenagers’ bodies are not physically ready to carry a pregnancy since they, too, are developing at this stage. Therefore the teenagers are in health risks when they get pregnant because their bodies will be under too much pressure to adapt to the expected changes that come with pregnancy, and this may lead to them experiencing health complications as a result. The fetuses that they carry may also suffer from the lack of the required nutrients and physical conditions in the mothers’ bodies to survive, increasing the possibility of the children being born with health complications and disabilities. Finally, the mental health of the teenagers is under siege from the increased likelihood of the teenagers suffering from the issues associated with the stigma that comes with becoming pregnant in one’s teenage years as well as the pressure that comes with the realization that their lives may have come to a standstill on account of their pregnancy. The risks of contracting postpartum depression are higher in teenagers than in people who get pregnant in their adulthood, hence meaning that the mental health of the pregnant teenagers is at a higher risk of loss than in any other pregnant woman.
Odland, J. Ø. (2018). Teenage Reproductive Health: Pregnancy, Contraception, Unsafe Abortion, Fertility. P1-4
The increased numbers of teenage pregnancy have resulted in an increased need for abortions. Some of the abortions are procured legally, while others are procured illegally. The reasons for the procurement of abortion services vary. There are legal grounds for abortion, with the main exception being the possibility of the pregnancy causing health complications and the possibility of death on pregnant teenagers. When a pregnancy puts the mother at risk of health complications or death, then they are legally allowed to procure an abortion. Additionally, if the pregnancy was a result of rape, then the law can enable the teenagers to obtain the abortion services to save them from living with the effects of the abuse that they were subjected to. In the states where abortion is illegal, the teenagers have to procure unlawful abortions which may lead to the possibility of the abortions leading to complications due to the secrecy in which they are done creating the likelihood of people who are not health professionals undertaking the process, leading to future health complications or the death of the teenagers.
Wood, Lesley, and Farah Hendricks. “A participatory action research approach to developing youth-friendly strategies for the prevention of teenage pregnancy.” Educational action research 25.1 (2017): 103-118.
The rising numbers of teenage pregnancies have brought the need for the society to formulate ways through which they can be prevented to divert the possibility of the adverse effects of teenage pregnancy affecting the lives of the teenagers. However, there is a need for the teenagers to be involved in the strategies formulated to prevent the rising number of pregnancies, since the teenagers are the ones on whom the prevention programs are to be applied. There have been prevention strategies such as the use of speakers to speak to the teenagers in their schools and communities on the ways through which they can avoid getting pregnant in their teenage years such as abstinence for those who can manage it and the use of contraceptives should they engage in sexual activities. The teenagers should also be taught on the ways through which they can resist the influence of their peers on the need to engage in premarital sex and the urge to engage in drug and alcohol abuse, which are some of the avenues which lead to teenage pregnancies.
Masilo, Daniel Tuelo. Development of teenage pregnancy prevention model for learners in schools in North West Province: Implications for policy and practice considerations. Diss. University of Limpopo, 2018. P136-151
There is need for the school systems to teach the students on the risks associated with teenage pregnancies and the ways through which they can avoid being part of the statistics on the teens who get pregnant in an increasing manner which poses a risk to the social and mental wellbeing of the teenagers in question. Since the schools are where the students spend large parts of their days, the school systems must look for ways through which they can address the teen pregnancy issue through including the lessons in the school curricula for the students to undergo mandatory education on the possible ways of prevention of the possibility of falling pregnant in their teenage years and how to avoid the influences that may lead to getting pregnant.
Hadley, Alison. “Teenage pregnancy: strategies for prevention.” Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Reproductive Medicine 28.4 (2018): 99-104.
There have been conflicting opinions on whether or not teenagers should be provided with access to contraceptives as a way of dealing with the increased rates of teenage pregnancies. Some factions argue that contraceptives should be granted because whether we admit it or not, premarital sex is happening in teenagers, and they are getting pregnant. Therefore, acknowledging the existence of the issue is the first step towards finding a working solution to the issue, compared to pretending that the problem is not there and in the process leading to increased numbers of teenage pregnancies. The other factions argue that the provision of contraception to teenagers will lead to increased rates of perverse behaviors on account of the provision of contraception, which will, in turn, increase the number of teenagers engaging in premarital sex.
Conclusion
This paper has visited the different aspects associated with teenage pregnancies in society. The adverse effects of teenage pregnancy have been explored, with the causes which lead to the possibility of the influx in teenage pregnancies being discussed. Additionally, the means of prevention of adolescent pregnancies has also been explored since there is a need to ensure that the possibility of teenage pregnancies is reduced, as are the preventable issues which lead to teen pregnancies. The school system has a role to play in ensuring the effectiveness of the preventive measures employed in reducing the possibility of teen pregnancies, with the possibility of provision of contraceptives to teenagers being reviewed.
