During a person’s teenage years, many teenagers are tempted to believe that they can do just anything without remembering that they are one way or the other depending on their parents to provide their needs. Due to their physical, mental, emotional and social developments, many teenagers forget this.
There are many causes of teenage pregnancy but one major one is poverty. In Ghana, many children indulge themselves in prostitution just because their parents do not have enough money to support their education or even provide three square meals for the family. They are then forced to go into prostitution to earn some money. Most people may argue about why teenagers go into prostitution in particular, but any one who will tell you the truth about the whole thing will tell you it is an easy and fast way of making money. Many other children also involve themselves in premarital sex because of their curiosity. As we all know, ones teenage years present such a person with various challenges relating to sex. A few teenagers are able to overcome the challenges but in most cases, many of them fall into it. In most Ghanaian communities, children are not allowed to discuss sex openly, unlike the olden days when they received sex education through the performance of puberty rites but due to urbanization and industrialization, these rites are seldom performed. Lack of parental guidance is another. At present, the only form of education these teenagers have from their parents or guardians is a warning to refrain from sex while the required parental guidance and discipline of adolescents is relinquished to teachers at school. Peer pressure is also another reason why many adolescents indulge in sex. Where an adolescent girl or boy has friends who encourage them to involve themselves in sex there is the possibility that they will heed to their words. As it is said, “birds of the same feather flock together”.
There are many effects teenage pregnancy may have on a girl. Social isolation is the first thing she encounters as soon as a teenager gets pregnant. As she is not of age, she hides herself and lacks courage to face society and at times becomes afraid of her own parents. In most cases, her friends are warned not to go near her. She then becomes a topic of discussion wherever people are gathered in the community. Teenage pregnancy can also interrupt a girl’s social and economic advancement. Although not officially required to withdraw from school, most pregnant girls do so voluntarily ensuring at least a temporary and usually permanent halt in education. Career opportunities are then cut off, thus exposing them to economic constraints. Mediaclly, antepartum hemorrhage, postpartum hemorrhage and postpartum fever, sexually transmitted diseases are some of the likely conditions that may affect the teenage mother.
There are many possible solutions to teenage pregnancy. Teenagers must be taught about sexuality and family planning, changing attitudes of early sexual involvement. The government can also help by improving the socio-economic status of the Ghanaian communities. The Health delivery system in Ghana should be improved even more. The government to cater for teenage mothers who are also school dropouts should build rehabilitation centers. At these rehabilitation centers, these teenagers should be introduced to small-scale industries. We must not ignore this problem because if we are to control our population growth then this is one way of doing it. The world is ours to care for and it is up to us all to make sure we do just that.
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