By the Numbers: Sex Education and Teenage Pregnancy

Age doesn’t matter until it actually does.

Pregnancy among teens has been a concern in many countries and has even been declared a national emergency in the Philippines, which emphasizes the severity and urgency of the issue, which could be untangled by uprooting the causes that are interconnected to different issues in society.

Around 1,500 Filipino women aged 15 to 19 years old experienced pregnancy in 2022, as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), in which the survey presented 19-year-olds as the predominant age bracket of about 13.3%. While the rate of occurrence dropped from 8.6 percent in 2017 to 5.4 percent in 2022, it is still considered a large population to take note of and take care of.

At its core, sexual development starts during puberty. Hormonal changes in both genders can cause the youth’s natural curiosity toward sex. This normal circumstance, however, must be monitored within the household and school. This task is difficult to undertake as sex education is still considered taboo, brought on by traditional values and religious beliefs.

Undoubtedly, some parents lack hands-on, direct guidance on reproductive health, as many implement the “no boyfriends/girlfriends” rule as their most and only reminder to their children about preventing adolescent pregnancy. Adding to the fact that numerous children are uneducated and/or illiterate and that the curriculum for sex education was only recently added, teens have a knowledge deficit; instead, they try out and learn new things themselves due to curiosity and peer pressure.

Furthermore, unrestricted internet access is also an influence. Youth's early and repeated exposure to media with sexual content can lead to false beliefs about sex and unhealthy sexual habits like pornography addiction. Teenagers connecting through social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger can be a rabbit hole for hook-ups and other virtual sexual activities.

While the aforementioned factors play a role in early pregnancy, criminal acts such as pedophilia, grooming, abuse, incest, or rape may also be responsible for the situation. According to PSA, only one out of three partners of adolescent mothers is of the same age, with six to seven percent of fathers being more than 10 years older than the teenagers.

Adolescent pregnancy victimizes youth and can be a hindrance to their future, especially without the proper support and guidance of trusted adults. They are robbed of their rights to live freely and happily as children or of barely-legal age without life-changing commitments such as teenage pregnancy, early marriage, or surviving assaults. Mothers are even in danger, as pregnancy has a lot of medical risks, therefore having a higher chance of complications, especially at their age, that may reduce their life expectancy. 

Indeed, while there are other causes for these issues, such as cultural and religious beliefs in some parts of the country, there is an overall need for youth development and sex education to be improved and strengthened by the government and institutions. By educating teens and spreading awareness to everyone, we could expect a brighter tomorrow with an open-minded and knowledgeable community.