Teenage Pregnancy in India: Outcomes and Prevention

by Sreehari Venat

People always think twice before having a baby, and they mostly prefer it around their thirties. Even at that age, pregnancy can stress out many couples. If this is the case with adults, conceiving a child at teenage is beyond imagination. Unfortunately, this crisis is being widespread in India nowadays. Children need to think clearly to get rid of this.

Giving birth to an infant is never meant for a teenager who has not even started life and

experienced several aspects of it. According to surveys, most cases of teenage pregnancy take place in the rural areas of India. The lives of teenage girls take a turn for the bad outcomes during this period. They become vulnerable, and it may put the health of their babies at risk, which leads to abortion and other after-effects. Other noted cases in surveys tell us that many adolescents are uneducated. Around 20% of them were not at all provided schooling. Around 20% of them were not at all provided schooling. Even in schools, the tutors often tend to skip the lessons such as reproduction. A society with this attitude can never bring even a slight change in things. When teachers snub portions like this, the worse the situation of the nation becomes.

According to the UN report, India puts up with an economic loss of 7.7 billion a year due to this crisis. The crisis is almost double in rural areas (9.2%) when compared to urban (5%). Teenage pregnancies create losses by consuming 12% of the GDP. The hardship of childbirth is one of the major reasons leading to the death of girls aged 15-19. Alongside this, countries with low and middle-income accounts for 99% of global maternal death of women aged 15-49. So this is a global issue that mostly occurs among the marginalized, who suffer from poverty, lack of education, and employment chances. The government of India did introduce the Prohibition of Child Marriage act in 2007. Various awareness campaigns were conducted regarding the outcomes of child marriage and pregnancy through mass media campaigns. It did help reduce the crisis in the nation by almost 50% but had no effects in some states like Assam. More elaborate stats regarding these can be checked out at:

https://feminisminindia.com/2021/01/19/what-contributes-to-teenage-pregnancies-in-India/,

https://www.orfonline.org/research/theres-a-need-to-end-teenage-pregnancies-in-India-its-harming-the-national-economy-60307/

Teenagers need to be educated about the adverse effects of this stage. Without proper knowledge about these, they physically interact without even caring about the outcomes. Many even do not use contraceptive methods, which is a piece of information they should know. Sex education in schools, providing kids with basic knowledge, is needed to overcome such situations.

To be continued with further elucidation on an another blog of YUNGBee. Till then keep reading and enjoying YUNGBee.