Teenage Pregnancy

By: Shannen Navalta

When I was reading stories about
teenage pregnancy, one story
caught my attention. A female
teenager named Angeline Quiming
had her first child when she was
just 13 years old. She was not
aware that she will be a mother at
such a young age. Angeline tried to
study and work again but
unfortunately, she had to stop
again because she wanted to be
with her child. When she found out
that she was pregnant, she did not
know whom to approach. Since she
was afraid to tell her parents, she
approached her friends for some
advice. Without much money, she
didnt have her regular check up
and buy medicines. This article will
help you know what is teenage
pregnancy, causes and effects, and
solutions. Teenage pregnancy is
defined as a teenage girl, usually
within the ages of 15-19 years old,
becoming pregnant. Data from the
National Statistics Office showed
that 8 percent among 1.7 M babies
born in 2004 were born to mothers
15-19 years old.

According to Philrights, there are

areas in the Philippines where the
incidence of births below 19 years
old is higher than the national
average. The region with the
highest incidence is CARAGA region
(15%) followed by Davao
region(13.8%)and
SOCCKSKSARGEN(13.6%). Other
regions that have high incidence
are Northern Mindanao( 12.9%)
and MIMAROPA (12.8%). There are
many different ways that can cause
teen pregnancy. One way is that
school and parents are lacking to
educate their kids about this issue.
Another way is that the media
influence teens lifestyle. And
lastly, peer pressure from their
friends. I will discuss each cause.
First, lack of sex education. Teen
pregnancy happens more often
nowadays because of lack of sex
education. Teens should not be
ashamed or afraid to talk to their
parents about this issue. No parent
wants to come to dind out that
their child is pregnant or got
someone pregnant. The soulution
to this problem is that we should
be open to our parents. Parents are
the best teachers when it comes to
sex. Second, the media. The media
have plenty of shows that involve
sex, which teens may find
interesting. TV shows like 16 and
Pregnant and Teen Mom
encourage teens thinking that
teenage pregnancy is cool. This
may lead to teenagers wanting
experience sex. The solution to this
problem is that the media should
put up more educational shows to
influence teens to do something
with their lives for the future. Last
but not the least, Peer pressure.

Teens get influence by many things

in society weather it may be good
or bad. Parents should help teens
on making responsible decisions
about sex because it will help teens
make wiser choices. After knowing
some causes of teenage
pregnancy, I will now discuss the
effects to the society. First,
teenagers have to stop their
education. According to research,
most pregnant teenager will drop
out from school because of the fear
embarrassment. Second, the
country being overpopulated
because of unintended childbirth.
Lastly, death rate. Due to poverty,
teenagers who belong to the low
class society , dont have much
money to buy medical needs. As
the effect, the baby and the
mother can encounter problems
affecting their health. My propose

solution is that parents should

guide their child by educating them
about sex. Its better to be safe
than sorry. In conclusion, teenagers
should wait for the right time to
have a baby. Marriage before sex
should be our motto. Remember,
were supposed to be changing ..
not changing diapers !!