#GirlsNotMom: Eliminating Teenage Pregnancy in the Philippines

  A Threat to the Economic Growth of the Country     

  One of the most pressing issues that the Filipino youth are facing today is teenage pregnancy. A UNFPA-commissioned study in 2016 revealed that those adolescents in the Philippines who have begun childbearing before the age of 18 are less likely to complete secondary education compared to the adolescents who have not begun childbearing. The non-completion of secondary education impacts employment opportunities in the future and total life earnings of families. The net estimated effect of early childbearing due to lost opportunities and foregone earnings can be as high as 33 Billion pesos annual losses for the country. In the Nairobi Summit in November 2019 that marked the 25th anniversary of the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the Government of the Philippines expressed a strong pledge to recommit the country to the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action that promotes sexual and reproductive health (SRH), reproductive rights, gender equality, and empowerment of adolescents and youth. Without ensuring full and equal access to sexual reproductive health and reproductive rights for all Filipinos including the adolescent and youth, young Filipinos will not be able to fulfill their full potential and the country will risk missing a demographic dividend.

Poorer Health Outcomes Related to Teenage Pregnancies

Childbearing in adolescence carries increased risks for poor health outcomes for both mother and child; and the younger the adolescent, the greater the risks. Pregnancy during adolescence is associated with a higher risk of health problems like anemia, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), postpartum hemorrhage, and poor mental health outcomes such as depression, and even suicide. Adolescents who become pregnant at an early age have associated risk factors such as having greater age differences with their partners, which may put them at greater risk of domestic violence, as well as acquiring HIV and other STIs.  

Vulnerabilities of Filipino Adolescents

Closely-spaced pregnancies. Adolescents in the Philippines are also at risk for multiple and frequent pregnancies. The following factors contribute to shorter birth intervals and multiple pregnancies in adolescence: 1) lower educational attainment and economic status; 2) poor access to contraception exacerbated by legal barriers to access modern contraception; 3) challenges in the implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (see below); and 4) limited service delivery points providing adolescent and youth-friendly sexuality and reproductive health services. 

Contributory risk behaviors. Adolescent mothers are more exposed to domestic violence. Global data shows women who experience intimate partner violence have a 16% greater chance of having a low birth-weight baby, and are more than twice as likely to experience depression – all factors that can negatively impact the child’s development.