Teenage Pregnancy
Essay from Jeremiah Lucas Opira Memorial Contest 2023
Maturu Stephanie Kimberly
5th runner up, Category 1
Teenage pregnancy is the type of pregnancy that occurs in people aged 13-19 years. Teenage pregnancy has affected many lives of teenagers in our country, Uganda.
In the first place, I would like to talk about the most significant causes of teenage pregnancy. These causes are the reasons why there are a lot of teenage pregnancy cases. These are: Peer group influence. This makes teenagers start getting involved in bad things such as early marriages. Sexual abuse, for example, leads to unwanted teenage pregnancy.
Secondly, the outcomes and problems have affected the lives of people in our country. These are: school dropout. This prevents the affected teenagers from acquiring an education. Early marriage will lead to the birth of underweight babies and obstructed labor.
Thirdly, now I would like to say something on how to prevent teenage pregnancy. The government of Uganda should enforce laws about rape and defilement and the community should guide and counsel children. The media should broadcast educative teachings against the dangers of teenage pregnancy and what it leads to.
As concerned advice to my fellow teenagers, I say the following to them:
Firstly, they should resist bad peer groups. This will help them to resist bad things.