Michael Abrahams | Empathy for pregnant teens

Teen pregnancy is a global issue, as although the adolescent birth rate (ABR) has decreased, pregnancies among these youngsters remain a problem across the globe with serious health, social and economic consequences.

Two weeks ago, our country was saddened by the news of a 14-year-old girl who died following childbirth at a public hospital. While many mourned and shared the grief of her loved ones, there were remarks about her age and what business she had being pregnant. I mean, this is 2024. Kids that age should not be having sex, and even if they are, they must know about condoms, birth control pills and other forms of contraception, right?

There are a multiplicity of reasons why teenagers get pregnant. Ignorance and lack of education regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights, poor education, peer pressure, inadequate access to contraceptive and reproductive health services, sexual violence and other factors contribute to the problem.

In addition to the above-mentioned factors, the world we are living in today is very different from just a few decades ago. When I was in preparatory school, there was no way I would have been able to assess pornographic videos. At that time, video cassettes, let alone DVDs, satellite dishes or cable, were not around (yes, I am that old). Today, with the advent of the Internet, pornographic videos of people engaging in sex acts are freely accessible to children. Even if you police your children at home, you have no control over what they are exposed to when they exit your gate.

BOMBARDED

Our youngsters are bombarded with material with strong sexual content. Today’s popular culture is laced with sexual imagery, narratives and slang. Songs with explicit sexual content have become the norm. In 2020, one of the most popular songs on the Hot 100 Billboard chart was WAP (an acronym for wet-a** Pu**y), a song by American rapper Cardi B, featuring fellow American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Interestingly, the song sampled Frank Ski’s 1993 single Whores in This House. The song reached the number one position on the chart, and the accompanying video has amassed over 540 million views on YouTube. The same situation regarding sexual content applies to our local dancehall music as well.

Social media is an excellent avenue of exposure. Recently, OnlyFans model Lily Phillips had sex with 101 men during a 24-hour sex marathon. OnlyFans is an Internet content subscription service based in London, England, popular with a variety of content creators, including sex workers. The site is meant for persons aged 18 years and over, but more and more younger persons are accessing the site, as they are sites dedicated to pornography. As for so-called social media “influencers”, many of them are bad influences for our children, setting bad examples with their own sexual behaviour.

Some of us look disparagingly at pregnant teens, but they are just children. The adults among us run things, so we must ask ourselves where we go wrong when these pregnancies occur. One of the ironies I have found is that some of us who are quick to condemn these kids do not educate our own or other children about sex. I recall a teenager who visited my office several years ago for an obstetric ultrasound. After the procedure, she asked me a question that has haunted me ever since. She asked why it is that no adult ever spoke to her about sex and contraception until after she conceived, because following conception there was a flood of information regarding what to do and what not to do to avoid getting pregnant, along with reprimands and criticism.

EXPOSED TO RISK FACTORS

Many teens are exposed to risk factors that place them on a trajectory that often leads to sexual activity and, in the case of girls, pregnancy. Research has shown that girls whose fathers are absent from their lives or who have turbulent relationships with their fathers or father figures are at risk for early initiation of sexual activity and, therefore, teen pregnancy. Girls who are survivors of sexual molestation and assault, and rape, are more likely to be promiscuous too. Some youngsters in inner-city communities live in dwellings where there is not much privacy, and they are exposed to adults engaging in sexual activity. Unfortunately, many adolescent girls are dealing with all three of the above mentioned situations, and this, plus the influence of pop culture and peer pressure, along with the absence of rational and realistic conversations about sex, make for a toxic cocktail, placing these teens in harm’s way.

If we desire sexually responsible behaviour from our teens, we need to be sexually responsible ourselves, and not procreate with partners who lack the attitudes and aptitudes to be good parents, or procreate if we know we are not up to the task of raising children. If we have children, we must be prepared to make them a priority in our lives. We must monitor what they are exposed to, what they are watching, what they are listening to and who they keep company with. We must have one-on-one conversations with them about sex and all the things that are related to it, such as masturbation, contraception, STIs and abortion, in addition to discussing the benefits of abstinence until they are able to deal with the physical, mental, emotional, social and financial consequences of being pregnant. Some of these conversations may be awkward and difficult to have, but parenting is not easy. It requires a lot of time, energy and sacrifice.

When you see a pregnant teenager, be kind. Everybody has a story, including them, and sometimes theirs are traumatic. We all make mistakes, and in many cases, these youngsters were not the ones making the mistakes but were rather victims and survivors. They need our empathy and support, not our condemnation.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams