Checking Teenage Pregnancy

Mr. Edward is a professor of medicine in a reputable University while the wife is an accountant in a Bank. They had three children; two boys and a girl and they live in the Lecturers’ quarters of the University.

The boys are brilliant, studying in the university where their father lectures. The elder one is a fourth year student in the Faculty of Engineering, while the brother is a second year student in the faculty of Law. Their only sister, Esther is an SS2 student at a co-educational Federal colleges in city.

One morning, their mother noticed that Esther was vomiting. Thinking it was malaria she gave her some anti-malarial tablets. As the vomiting persisted, she took her to the hospital. After some texts, the mother was alarmed when the doctor informed her that her 17-year-old daughter was pregnant.

Today, teenage pregnancy has been on increase and effect of civilization is one of the reasons. It was a taboo for a girl to lose her virginity before marriage, but today, being a virgin from age 14 is regarded as being old-fashioned, timid and unexposed.

Television and video films with episodes about sexual escapades are televised and pornographic films are sometimes bought by parents (which these teens secretly watch). The teenagers are influenced and feel that having sex is as common as saying, ‘good morning’’. Resultantly these inexperienced teenage girls get pregnant while practicing what they see on the screens.

Influence of peer group and poverty are other reasons for increase in teenage pregnancy. A teenage girl whose parents may not be able to cater adequately for her may decide to seek help elsewhere. Also, some teenage girls are not content with what they have. They want to be like the ‘Joneses’, forgetting that all fingers are not equal.

Parental neglect is another contributing factor. Many parents neglect their children as they run about in pursuit of money. These children who are not properly taken care of by their parents grow up to become irresponsible teenagers. A teenage girl may have all that she needs to enable her grow up into a responsible adult, just like Esther, the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward but may become a big disappointment to everybody, later in life.

The increase in teenage pregnancy ought to be checked because they have far-reaching consequences. The teenage girl may be forced to abandon school due to her condition and many never continue with it after delivery.

As a young single mother, she may later find it hard to get married and if she does it may be due to necessity and not because of love. She faces emotional, psychological and social problems due to stigma attached to teenage unwanted pregnancy. It therefore becomes very important that parents have close watch on their teenagers, there is nothing wrong in providing sex education early. They should also spend more time with their teenage children, watching all their movies and the friends they keep. Parents should also know the type of films they keep in the house, as well as the cable network they subscribe to bearing in mind that they have teenage children.