Teenage pregnancy can be defined as the pregnancy of women who are under

the age of twenty. It usually refers to teenagers between the ages of 15-19,
however it does include girls as young as 10 years old. Commonly girls have
not yet completed their education and are still completely dependent on their
parents, so they are unable to provide for their unborn child. We refer to these
pregnancies as teenage or adolescent pregnancies.

These pregnancies have serious effects on teenagers as well as the unborn

child. The first serious issue is the health of the mother as well as the child.
Pregnant teenagers are highly prone to experience high blood pressure
(preeclampsia), high levels of protein in the urine which can indicate organ
damage. In many cases pregnant teenagers do not seek healthcare attention,
and serious issues such as these do not get treated and the result is often fatal.
Pregnant teenagers are also prone to premature birth, as their body is still
maturing and not fully equipped for child bearing. This is a serious issue for
the baby, as they have not had enough time to grow, and often begin their life
with serious illnesses and difficulties. With regards to health statistics,
teenage pregnancy accounts for 10% of deliveries in South Africa, 45% of
maternal deaths are from the teenage pregnancy bracket of 10%. The second
effect of pregnancy on a teenage girl is that school becomes difficult to
juggle. With the increasing changes on the body and the time needed to take
off many girls end up dropping out. One In three girls do not end up coming
back to school. Although schools are not allowed by law to refuse a teenage
girl education due to pregnancy, there are other issues that girls face. Many
girl experience insufficient support from schools. Only a few schools have a
formal or effective mechanism in place to offer opportunities for girls to
catch up on missed work. The third impact that pregnancy has on teenagers is
that of social issues. Girls may experience stigmatism and discrimination,
They experience self esteem issues as transitions occur, transitions in their
bodies as well as socially. Many girls experience rejection from their family
and peers as well as the father of the child and this causes serious impact on
their self esteem and well being. In cases of Gender Based Violence the
impact causes a lot of emotional damage.
Satistics reveal that the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in school is very
high. In the first quarter of 2021, 36262 teenage girls gave birth. Of this
number 35209 were in the age bracket 15-19 years old, 1053 were in the age
bracket of 10-14 years old, that is lower than the age of consent. The graph
below reveal the statistics of births among adolescent girls and young women
from the years 2017 to the first quarter of 2021. The amount of teenagers that
gave birth in the first quarter of 2021 is 30,47% of the annual average, this
reveals to us that teenage pregnancy is a growing epidemic among young
teenagers.

Below are statistics revealed by the Department of Education on Adolescent

girls and young women regarding teen pregnancy.
This has a huge impact on young teenagers with regards to HIV and STIs.
Although this is a worldwide problem, the statistics above reveals the impact
this has on young women. One of the contributing factors of teenage
pregnancy can be seen in the fact that 46% of sexual abuse complaints are
teenagers, with 65% of teenage pregnancies being unplanned it is clear that
Gender Based Violence is a contributing factor. The HIV prevalence among
young girls are higher than that of boys, it is four times higher showing that
girls are not being protected as they should be.
poverty is a serious factor that causes teenage pregnancy, the highest rates of
pregnancy are in the highest rates of poverty. In these situations of poverty it
is common to find transactional relationship where a young girl will enter
into sexual relationship to gain financial relief. Age disparate relationships
are also common, where girls enter into relationships with men much older,
at least 5 years older. These types of relationships are some of the leading
factors in teenage pregnancies, as well as HIV and STIs. Gender Based
Violence is also a leading cause in teenage pregnancy, it is important to note
that in places where Gender Based Violence rates spike, so does the rate of
teenage pregnancy. Poor access to information is also a factor as many girls
do not have enough information regarding pregnancy, intercourse and
contraceptive. In many cases especially in rural areas the lack of access to
contraception is a cause for teenage pregnancy. Substance abuse is also a
cause for concern as a teenage girl is not able to consent in these
circumstances. Teenage boys are also not equipped to make good decisions in
these circumstances. Peer pressure is also an issue as these factors occur, the
culture among these young children allow these actions to take place and peer
pressure to fit in cause many girls to take on multiple partners causing
pregnancy.

Options that a girl has when faced with pregnancy is to first tell their parents
and get their support to begin planning the transition into motherhood. The
next option would be to see a doctor. It is important to be examined as early
as possible as the age of the teenager could cause various risk factors. There
are also options with regard to after the birth of the baby, that would be
adoption. A teenager could hand the child over for adoption either privately
or through the state. Entering a non profit program that assists with teenage
pregnancies and the associated transitions is also a good option. Most
teenagers who fall pregnant have multiple births thereafter, these programs
would help to educate and equip these young girls to better their lives and not
fall back into a cycle of poverty and dependence. Program such as Mamkhulu
and Save The Children are a good start.

The responsibility of the male in these situations is first before pregnancy

even happens is to ensure that he is well educated with regards to sex. A male
is also responsible to understand the meaning of consent and whether it was
given or not. The male is also responsible to treat the mother with respect, in
the act of sex, it is his responsibility not to pressure the girl into sex and to
understand the seriousness and ramifications of this act. It is the males
responsibility to understand his role should pregnancy occur. Not only has his
partner become a mother, but he has become a father and needs to usurp that
role. The male is also responsible to ensure that proper contraception is used.
In the case of pregnancy it is important that the male is present and
understands that it is his child too. It is important for the male to walk the
journey and transition with the mother. The male is responsible financially
for the child and the well being of the mother. The male is responsible for the
physical, financial and emotional consequences of the pregnancy. The
department of Health have revealed that their biggest problem with regards to
teenage pregnancy is information about father, this means that boys are not
facing the consequences of their actions and this needs to be changed. The
responsibility of the male is to face the consequence and realise the
pregnancy has impacted his life as much as the life of the mother.

Teenage pregnancy has a serious effect on the family. The pregnancy can
cause mistrust between parent and child. The reaction of the parent will
impact greatly on the family. Common reaction such as anger, denial, guilt
impact the family as these emotions are shared by the teenager. Depending on
the families religious beliefs and social netwok the fear of being rejected
come into play. Parents also perceive it negatively on themselves causing the
teenager to become depressed, which impacts the families well being overall.
In some cases the families reach a point of acceptance and this bring unity in
the family unit, especially as they await the arrival of the new addition. In
some cases this does not resolve and can even result in some parents
disowning their children leaving them alone and incapable of looking after
themselves let alone a baby. The effect of pregnancy also impacts the family
financially. The financial obligations of the pregnancy often fall onto the
parents as the child is still a dependent, most usually it falls onto the
responsibility of the mothers family. If the family is even on medical aid, it
wont usually cover maternity for a dependent and so the prenatal care,
hospital costs any medications and various health care costs will fall solely
onto the parents. Many girls who have dropped out of school and who live in
poverty repeat the cycle of poverty and increase the financial burdens to the
parents and grandparents. An important impact occurs due to the fact that the
teenager is not fully equipped to be a parent, as the teenager is still maturing
is not always able to handle the obligations of parenthood, would often hand
over the obligations to the parents or grandparents. This causing major
emotional and financial strain on families, especially in those living in
poverty.

Based on the statistics revealed, it is evident that pregnancy is a serious issue

in South Africa and needs attention. Due to the fact that 65% of pregnancies
are unplanned, this means that it could have been avoided. Proper plans need
to be made to educate teenagers about the dangers of entering into sexual
relationships. Young teenagers need to be educated about their roles in
relationships and how to love and respect one another and themselves. Young
men need to be educated about sex, and also what constitutes as abuse, the
need to be educated about the value of women and respect of women. They
need to have access to contraception should they choose to enter into sexual
relationships, however it is important to promote abstinence. It is interesting
that the age of consent is only sixteen, when a girls body is not even fully
developed and matured to have a baby, which ultimately is the primary
purpose of sex. Yet the age of consent for drinking is eighteen. Discussions
are being held to increase the drinking age to twenty one, yet there are no
discussions regarding the age of consent which too is a serious issue with
serious ramifications on society. It is important that South Africa focuses on
this real issue as successful plans would greatly benefit the next generation
emotionally, physically, socially and financially.
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