Written by Deborah Ellul
Along the years, teenage pregnancy has carried a lot of negative connotations with it, which gradually altered the perception of people and created many opinions. As a result of these new assumptions, teenage pregnancy has been categorised as a taboo to many people but, with due time this particular subject has started to come to fore more often, instigating with it a new perspective on the experience.
What can lead to Teenage Pregnancy?
To become more aware and elucidated on the subject, it is good to know the circumstances that often start this pregnancy. At times adolescents unfortunately would not know the right education on the subjects and this can also include a lack of information on certain anatomical parts. Other times there might be an absence of contraceptives available, due to financial problems, or for the simple reason that one cannot buy them. Adversely to this, in underdeveloped countries the most common underlying cause of teenage pregnancies is poverty and a lack of accessibility to adequate sex education.
As a continuation to the above is sexual violence. More often than not, we tend to view such a topic by giving importance to the lack of basic things such as contraceptives. However, sexual violence is quite a common causing agent of such pregnancies, especially in those still to be developed countries. When such a horrific act is done, most likely contraceptives were neglected which can easily get the person pregnant. In countries such as Africa, women that are victims to such violence also face a high risk of morbidities.
Apart from this, teenagers might be subject to peer pressure from their friends which can lead to them exploiting sexual behaviour to feel more recognised inside their social group. With this can unfortunately arise substance abuse of alcohol and drugs and which could lead to a teenage pregnancy.
How it became a Taboo Subject
Teenage pregnancy has been both socially and culturally viewed as a taboo in the past recent years. Due to this reason, it was seen as something to be kept in secret and was shunned from the public, which managed to lead to a lack of awareness. Furthermore, when such a subject is evaded harmful misconceptions and stigmas originate. Some of the main reasons that led to this taboo were:
- Fear of social alienation – Teenagers that end up pregnant may be estranged from society and even their own families which can ultimately lead to discrimination.
- An absence of understanding – Societies were not always so keen on being educated on this subject. For this reason, there was never a good base of understanding about the intricacies of teenage pregnancy and the underlying causes of it.
- Religious and Moral principles – These factors have affected many people as sometimes religion was misinterpreted and used as way of discriminating due to it being seen as an act of premarital sex.
Offering Support
Providing support has to be considered for both the mother, the partner and the relatives that are present. This assistance should involve the appropriate resources needed to secure their wellbeing and health. Additionally, the unborn child is also to be considered in this holistic care.
The primal things to consider are:
- Healthcare – These woman should be provided with all the essentials such as
prenatal care, support and also counselling. When assisting we should be non –
judgemental and be open to any other assistance they may require. - Emotional support – Both the parents and the mother may feel incredibly
overwhelmed as it may have happened suddenly without a plan. Therefore, support
groups can be recommended, and we can also go with them if need be. - Childcare – Childcare centres can be a big step in gaining more time for themselves
and to maybe continue their studies. There are many affordable child care centres out
there and these could also be a great help if the parents would like to work to support
their child.
Support after the mother gives birth is also immensely crucial as sometimes they might find
the situation challenging. Thus, psychological assistance should still be provided at this time
as anxiety may start to arise and post – partum depression can easily develop. Additionally,
educational and career goals should be periodically encouraged as they can be put on hold
due to parenthood. Therefore, we must promote this awareness and education to not only
prevent this social inequity but to create a better world for all of those who find themselves
discouraged and alone in such a complex time.