Teenage Pregnancy

My topic is about teenage pregnancy.

A teen pregnancy occurs when a woman under the age of 20 becomes pregnant. It
mainly refers to teenagers aged 15 to 19. However, it can involve females as young as 10 years
old. It's also known as adolescent pregnancy or teen pregnancy. It is one of the most
concerning issues in today’s world. Teenage pregnancy is not a new issue here in the
Philippines because it has been a rising concern for the past few years and one of the major
factors influencing population growth in the country.
Teenage pregnancy occurs due to a variety of reasons such as lack of education and
information about sexual intercourse, peer pressure, lack of attention of the parent, underage
drinking, and early engagement of sexual activity. In particular, a major concern in the
Philippines is a lack of sexual education because most of the schools do not have in-depth
sexual education. Although some teenage pregnancies are intentional, the vast majority are
accidental and result in a variety of unfavorable results for the adolescent mother, the child, as
well as other family members and peers.
Furthermore, because of their undeveloped bodies, pregnant girls and adolescents face
additional health risks and problems. Babies born to younger moms are likewise more
vulnerable to these health risks. Adolescents commonly resort to unsafe abortion in countries
where abortion is illegal or severely limited like the Philippines, putting their health and lives at
risk.
According to statistics, teenage pregnancy in the Philippines remains alarming and even
increased during the pandemic. In June 2021, President Duterte declared teenage pregnancy a
national priority. The state acknowledged the need to "carefully coordinate, rationalize, monitor,
and assess the efforts of concerned government agencies" in order to reduce the number of
young females giving birth.
In order to reduce teenage pregnancy in the country, there should be accurate and
consistent access to sex education, increased access to reproductive health services, and more
social support from families.