Dao Catholic High School, Inc.
Felicidad St. Poblacion Norte,
Tobias Fornier Antique 5716
Contemporary Issue of Teenage Pregnancy
(Research)
By
Dan Gervie Ballescas
Grade 10- St. Catherine of Alexandria
Dao Catholic High School, Inc.
Tobias Fornier, Antique
March 17, 2019
Dao Catholic High School, Inc.
Felicidad St. Poblacion Norte,
Tobias Fornier Antique 5716
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM AND HYPOTHESIS
1. Should teenagers have more freedom???
2. I sex permitted before marriage
3. Is teenage pregnancy risky
Introduction of the Study
Teenage pregnancy is a serious issue in our society today where people
become pregnant because they are not informed.
The Philippines had the greatest amount of pregnancies. Teenage
pregnancy affects not only females but males as well; it causes serious
health and education problems.
“Nearly 4 out of 10 girls become pregnant at least once before the age of
20.” () Most teens get pregnant because they want to know what it feels
like to raise a child or because they see others with children and they
find them cute and want them to themselves. Others get pregnant
because they don’t know about the different ways of contraception and
ways to stay safe. Many girls struggle with teen pregnancy because of
their low confidence and self-worth.
Risks that are greater if you are pregnant before the age of 15 or you do
not seek prenatal care: low birth weight/premature
birth. Anemia (low iron levels) high blood pressure/pregnancy
induced hypertension, PIH (can lead to preeclampsia)
Dao Catholic High School, Inc.
Felicidad St. Poblacion Norte,
Tobias Fornier Antique 5716
RELATED LITERATURE / ARTICLE
FROM ARTICLE The Pregnant Teen: A Growing Problem?
TEEN MOM — Nineteen-year-old mom, Dennise Gacutan carries her 1
month old son, Deejay Baciera, during an interview in Intramuros,
Manila. (Camille Ante)
They say numbers don’t lie. According to the most recent National
Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2017) from the Department of
Health (DOH), the incidence of teenage or adolescent pregnancies
remains at a considerable rate. Overall, some nine percent of women
from the age of 15 to 19 have already started childbearing.
Compared to the past NDHS, which was conducted way back in 2013,
this figure is actually lower, albeit only by one percent. In fact, on global
scale, teenage birth rates have gone down from 6.5 percent in 1990, to
4.7 percent in 2015.
It’s a glimmer of hope that the government or private institutions and
non-government agencies — or a combination of these — are doing
something to keep the numbers down. But the one percent difference
from 2013 to 2017 could also be just a negligible fluke in statistics, one
that comes expected in any survey.
But compared to the overall adolescent pregnancy rates in Southeast
Asia, the average rate in the Philippines is almost twice as high.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 4.5 percent
of teenage girls in Southeast Asia have already given birth. In the
Philippines, seven percent of teenage girls have already given birth at
Dao Catholic High School, Inc.
Felicidad St. Poblacion Norte,
Tobias Fornier Antique 5716
least once. This higher incidence rate may be indicative of a growing
adolescent pregnancy problem in the country.
Regardless of the reason, this one percent difference isn’t really that
much of a hope when one considers the other data. For instance, there
remains a clear connection between teenage pregnancy and education.
The former is also considered by many experts to be a symptom of
poverty. Of the teenage girls pregnant in 2017, 26.2 percent finished
primary education, while only four percent had gone to college.
Furthermore, there are more cases of teenage girls getting pregnant in
rural areas than in urban centers.
“Because of this,” the senator continued, “I filed a bill in the Senate that
aims to solve the problem of teenage pregnancy. Senate Bill no. 1482,
more commonly known as “An Act Providing for a National Policy on
Preventing Teenage Pregnancies, Institutionalizing Social Protection for
Teenage Parents, and Providing Funds Therefor” seeks to decrease
teenage pregnancy incidence. This bill will allow for the development of
a comprehensive education for our youth. It should be age and
development appropriate, and should be made mandatory in all schools.
This education should be medically accurate and should not promote
discrimination.”
On the contrary, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) does not take teenage pregnancies lightly. Its approach on the
issue has always been more focused on character development.
“Common sense and rational thought demand that we address the issue
of teenage pregnancy and HIV-AIDS rise with proper values education,”
Dao Catholic High School, Inc.
Felicidad St. Poblacion Norte,
Tobias Fornier Antique 5716
said Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP’s Permanent
Committee on Public Affairs.
If there is one thing that both sides agree on, it’s the value they put on
the youth.
CONCLUSION
1. Teen pregnancy is a crisis that concerns the baby, parents, other
members of the family, as well as resources of the community.
Every year, approximately 750,000 women aged 15 to 19 become
pregnant every year.
2. Nevertheless, despite the numerous elements that can influence
teen pregnancy, for many teenagers, the lack of safe sex education
from schools, parents, or otherwise is the root cause of teenage
pregnancy. Generally, teenagers are not taught regarding the means
of birth control and how to respond with friends who compel them
into having sexual intercourse before they are prepared.
3. Teen pregnancies carry additional risk equally to the health of the
infant and the mother. On the average, teen pregnancies are more
expected to result in low-birth-weight babies and premature births.
This is because pregnant teenagers often do not obtain the timely
prenatal care required. In addition, the aforesaid teenagers have a
higher risk of high blood pressures associated to their pregnancy
and other related complications. Further, teenage mothers are less
Dao Catholic High School, Inc.
Felicidad St. Poblacion Norte,
Tobias Fornier Antique 5716
expected than other women to complete or attend college, and
divorce is more expected to result from their early marriage.
Abortion is another effect of teenage pregnancy.
4. Given with these numerous effects of teenage pregnancy, I think
that the society here in the Philippines still does not accept this
issue. Especially the Church. Having premarital Sex is wrong in
any aspect, it is forbidden. Since the Philippines is considered as a
Christian Country.
Source:
The Nation's Leading Newspaper Manila Bulletin
