TEEN PREGNANCY A HEALTH HAZARD

Sir,

Many years ago, teenage pregnancy was a taboo in this country. Parents would disown their children and they would get kicked out of school, or drop out even before teachers found out. I suppose they still get kicked out, but teenage pregnancy has become so acceptable in communities that it shocks people that a girl can actually become an adult before getting pregnant. If you happen to take care of yourself enough to wait for the right time to start a family, then you ‘probably’ got an abortion, once or twice, it just does not make sense.

Statistics

That is just what it is in everyone’s head. I do not know the exact statistics on the rates of teenage pregnancy in the country, but everyone can agree with me that it is pretty high. The real issue that the nation should be concerned about when it comes to such issues is the burden this has on the health system of Eswatini, dysfunctional as it already is. Teenage parents are prone to poor antenatal health. Their health, and that of their children, is likely to be worse than average. Teenage mothers are less likely to finish their education, less likely to find a good job, and more likely to end up both as single parents and bringing up their children in poverty.

Risk

The children themselves run a much greater risk of poor health and have a much higher chance of becoming teenage mothers. Being aware of this makes one realise that ‘reputation’ should be the least of their worries! Too many campaigns tirelessly emphasise on abstinence when it comes to sex education. With the rate at which teenage pregnancy is occurring, it is clear that educators need to start calling a spade a spade and stop focusing on what does not really bring any positive results. If we are going to progress as a nation, then we need to get out of the box and look at such issues for what they really are. Teenage pregnancy is not just an individual problem, we cannot reduce it to just a dignity problem. It is a national health hazard that carries with it a high risk of disease and infection. Pregnancy only means that someone is having sexual relations without protection, and with the high prevalence rates of HIV in Eswatini, this can in no way be good news for our health system.

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