Gabriel, Noreen Hannah H.

September 14, 2021

A2D-RCC-E OB GYNE
Who do we blame?

One afternoon, my mom was busy giving out instructions in the kitchen to our helper who
appeared to have a big problem as she was looking very pale. Perhaps Ate’s problem carried
over to the food she prepared--menudo too salty, rice half-burnt. My mom simply gazed at Ate.
Later that night, I asked my mom what our helper’s problem was. Mom whispered to me and
said Ate’s 14-year old daughter was pregnant.

Mom later said, “Ganoon talaga kapag walang pangarap, kapag masaya na sa ganoon na lang.”
I can't quite remember how I reacted after hearing this. Maybe I was too confused, angry, and
frustrated to remember. Questions filled my mind that night: Who should be blamed? The kid’s
boyfriend? Ate as the mother? My mom for hiring Ate and making her unavailable to her kid?
Me, who’s been studying for years but seemingly of little impact to “real world” problems?

This incident made me realize how problematic the world that we live in truly is. And that there is
an apparent need to make it a better place for our youth.

Earlier in our class, our professor emphasized to us that teenage pregnancy is a growing
epidemic and is considered as a high risk pregnancy. The topic enlightened us on the current
events, main risk factors, causes, possible health risks both for the mother and baby,
prevention, medical and nutritional interventions, and what our role is as physicians. These are
relatively easy to learn and to answer in examinations, but the bigger challenge is practical
application. Are we really ready to advocate and actively take part on the issue of teenage
pregnancy? The hurdles are not hard to identify, from the Philippines being a conservative
country, to other often polarizing issues such as cultural and generational gap, and even socio-
economic factors.

Of course, not all of us aim to be obstetricians and gynecologists in the future, but we should at
least be accountable for future generations. For now, we can start small. We could start at our
own homes and families by helping them understand how this issue could have been easily
prevented with holistic intervention rather than being judgemental and condescending. Now that
we live in a digital age, we could simply share, click, like, and inform through social media. The
various online fora where we can disseminate correct and scientifically accurate information
about teenage pregnancy is something we should take advantage of, to reach people from
different parts of the country and even across the world. Who knows, maybe someday we can
be advocates for responsible pregnancy, conduct sex education campaigns, and even establish
institutions to help those in need.

Now, my mind no longer dwells on the question of “Who should be blamed.” Now, I ask myself
what I, in my own little way, can do to help. In the end, it all boils down to understanding the
youth, and finding the root cause of teenage pregnancies. As a generation, we have to
acknowledge the youth’s abilities and help them dream again. We must help them realize that
being poor and uneducated, or rich and indifferent, does not and should not define what they
can and cannot do.