Society can never conclude any issues happening in its environment, given that people come from different ways of expressing themselves as a human who is just a human. The focus of our talk today is the causes and risk factors of teenage pregnancy, including the sector of education, economy, and health. The World Health Organization states, “Adolescent pregnancy is a global phenomenon with clearly known causes and serious health, social and economic consequences.”
Significant causes of teenage pregnancy are; lack of information about sex education, social pressure, sexual violence, forced marriage, family orientation, and history. Let us begin the discussion of the lack of education about sex. Unawareness of sex may lead to improper behavior and beliefs that can be possessed by a teenager, causing the person to be curious about things that are included in their limits. This reinforces taboos, unwanted pregnancies, abortion, transmitted infections, and sexual abuse. A person's family history can affect their generation; an example is the short story titled Footnote to Youth by Jose Garcia Villa—which tells a story of a 17-year-old boy named Dodong who decided to marry his loved one Teang. His father agreed because he could not do anything, Dodong had his own family, and his story was passed on to his son. The last cause to talk about is sexual abuse, one of the most sensitive topics regarding teenage pregnancy, because it can trigger the person's traumatic experiences due to its sensual form. Sexual abuse is a sexual act forced upon a woman, man, or child without consent. Sexual abuse causes teenage pregnancy and can lead to abortion, depression, isolation, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Other factors cited by the youth gov include being from a single-parent home, living in a house with frequent family conflict, early sexual activity, early use of alcohol and drugs, and low self-esteem. Lastly, a teen's race and ethnicity can be a risk factors for teen pregnancy.
Sociocultural, economic, individual, and health service factors were identified as the main determinants of adolescent pregnancy. Due to early pregnancy, adolescents are less likely to complete education and have a lesser possibility to earn more income, causing good economic losses to the country. Health services were identified as a risk factor for adolescent pregnancy because they are responsible for access to birth control pills and contraceptives.
In conclusion, teenagers who experienced early pregnancy are all victims of the lacking strategies of the community to address this issue, and include their perceptions are still part of what they have been through.