TEENAGE PREGNANCY: A NATIONAL SOCIAL EMERGENCY

Teenage Pregnancy is a national concern especially in developing areas like the Philippines however, some of those who have been through this and are now successful may find these degrading as evident on some of the comments on a caricature posted on Facebook.  However, the caricature is not being used to mock or put down teenagers who got pregnant or those who have been through these rather raise awareness. It was a poignant image.

Teenage pregnancy affects the social, emotional, spiritual, health and financial well being of an individual. It carries risk to both the mother and the baby. Teenagers who got pregnant are not supposed to be mocked or looked down on rather we need to boost their morale.

Teenage pregnancy in the Philippines has been a concern for decades wherein according to survey teenage mothers are predominantly poor, have low educational attainment and reside in rural areas. Five years ago, Philippine Statistics Authority released an article about teenage pregnancy stating that one in ten young Filipino women age 15 to 19 is already a mother or pregnant with their first child which is more common with women who have less education than those with higher education. It was a comparison between teenagers who attained elementary education versus those who attained a college education. 

At present, according to the Population Commission (PopCom), almost 200,000 Filipino teenagers get pregnant annually and most of them are 15 to 19 years old. Twenty Four babies are born to teenage mothers every hour and the number keeps on rising, a reason why socio-economic experts teenage pregnancy a “national emergency”.  More and more youngsters engaged in early sex before the age of 18. POPCom is now looking at teenage pregnancy at the 10-14 age group where there is a gradual increase in pregnancy since 2011. As of 2019, the Philippines ranked as 13th among the most populated countries worldwide.

Just recently, Senator Risa Hontiveros authored Senate Bill No. 161 or the “Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2018” that addresses teenage pregnancy. This bill deals with the main cause of health and social problem, it also mandates social protection for teenage protections. Department of Health launched a program focusing on the emerging issues of adolescents, these include teenage pregnancy, which is 10-19 years old range. 

In Mountain Province, particularly the SABATABATU area (Sabangan, Bauko, Tadian, Barlig and, Tubo) they launched their indigenized program called SHOTA or “SABATABATU Health Og-Ogbo Tut-uya sinan Anan-ak”. One of the things it addresses is the prevention of teenage pregnancies and repeat teenage pregnancies.

Teenage pregnancy is indeed a public health concern.