Solving the stigma of children having children
Teenage pregnancy has undeniably become a social stigma that have long defied the idea of the youth being the hope of our nation.
It slowly robs the future and dreams of young girls, in which due to curiosity and temptation, they commit themselves to lustful acts that may have been caused due to their ignorance of sex acts. It further robs the nation of its potential leaders as it gives alarm to the society by teenagers acquiring risks in their health.
It is both frustrating and alarming that our country, the biggest catholic country in Asia, is where teenage pregnancy is the most rampant. Teenage maternal deaths are increasing that even the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recorded that 10 percent of pregnant teenagers died in the past year. Data from the World Health Organization also show a high and increasing incidence of fetal death in Filipino mothers who are under 20 years old.
Many reasons have been cited on why teenagers engage themselves on premarital sex. These include lack of information on safe sex, breakdown of family life, peer pressure and unplanned sexual encounters (“getting caught up in the moment”), and lack of good female role models in the family and absence of accessible, adolescent clinics or counseling clinic. While teenagers from poor backgrounds are the highest percentage among pregnant teenagers, it also perpetuates the cycle of poverty and inequality because most pregnant teenagers have no source of income and face greater financial difficulties later in life. It is also one of the reasons why many have argued that teenage pregnancy should be understood as a symptom of dire economic conditions rather than a cause of it.
In Legazpi City, Albay, members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan were alarmed by the recent statistics revealed by the Albay Population Management Division Office (PMDO). It stated that 1,668 teenagers that are between 14 and 19 years old, got pregnant in the year 2014. These negative consequences extend to young people’s families and future generations, and can perpetuate a cycle of poor health and dangerous disadvantage as it could lead to unwanted pregnancies and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).
The never-ending increasing statistic of teenage pregnancy, sadly, causes population growth rate in the society. And as we all know, many babies being born from it are no longer being ideally cared due to limited resources. Teenage pregnancy one among the many reasons why there are so many school dropouts. Teenage moms do this to avoid shame thus putting into neglect the government's efforts on providing education for all. Many of those involved in teenage pregnancy die off prematurely mainly because of lack of proper medical attention caused by lack of money. For this problem, what we obviously need is an action.
For starters, no one should give birth to a child without adequate preparations. Our schools and NGOs should engage students in sex education. We should also recognize the influence of our religious dogma to help us enlightening our minds and soul. The churches should continually preach the good virtues of their respective gods to our teenagers for character reformation. Of course, the participation of the youth is important because without the discipline from the teenager, any solution is meaningless. It is the discipline born out of decision that says no to present pleasures, lust and sexual satisfaction that will make our teenagers great for our country. It is a fact that during the teenage period of any human, curiosity comes in mind, especially the desire to experience sex.
Even though it is a natural phenomenon for anyone, especially to the youth to harbor sexual feelings, it is of utmost importance that discipline should be on top of their minds in order for them to conquer those feelings. If all the anti-premarital sex fail to realize, the least the youth can do is to use contraceptives whenever they plan to engage in sexual activities. As humans, we are bound to cooperate with the needs of our body just as we are bound to fulfill our duties in life.
If anything, discipline rules the mind, and eventually, it will rule our thoughts and emotions. It scraps out peer pressure and causes one to wait patiently until the right time. There might be many forums and campaigns all over the country to educate the youth on teenage pregnancy, but all will be of no use, if the youth do not take the advice given to them seriously.
