Scotland and Teenage Pregnancy
By Taylor P.
Teenage females living in a deprived area are 4 times more likely to experience a pregnancy. Dumfries and Galloway recorded the lowest rate of teenage pregnancy in the under 18 age group with 18.9 per 1,000 population. Whereas Fife recorded the highest rate in bother under 18’s and under 20’s age groups with rates of 31.6 and 48.4 per 1,000 people respectively. Fife is the 3rd most deprived area in Scotland whereas Dumfries and Galloway is the 27th most deprived area in Scotland according to recent records.
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Back in 2005 the city of Dundee had 96.3 per 1,000 women under 20 fall pregnant which is considerably higher than the Scottish average rate in 2005 what was 57.7 per 1,000
However the strain is not just on the teen mother, most young fathers do not stay in long term or committed relations with the mother of their child this means the child is more likely to grow up without a father figure which leads to more stress on the mother which can cause, anxiety depression and an unhappy home environment. Some teenage parents can face a lot of negative opinions from family and friends and face a lot of discrimination from society. Fathers also have the right to ask for a DNA test to see if they are the biological father of the child. However pre- birth the father does not have the right to dictate medical treatments for the mother, including the mother’s decision regarding abortion.
While some people may feel that this topic is outdate teen age pregnancy is still a very modern concern. 11% of all babies worldwide are born to girls aged 15 to 19 years old. 3 million girls aged 15 to 19 undergo unsafe abortions every year as they don’t have the mean , funding or support to raise a child at such a young age. Pregnant teens have a higher risk of having high blood pressure later in life compared to women who become pregnant in their 20’s or 30’s. Teenage birth can also be dangerous for the baby not just the mother. Babies born to a teenage mother are at risk of having lower than average birth weight which may mean the babies having to be put on to a ventilator in a hospital’s neonatal care unit to assist with breathing.
The good news is that across Scotland all three age groups (under 20’s, under 18’s and under 16’s) have seen a decrease in teen pregnancies:
- Under 20’s pregnancies have decreased by 40.9% going from 57.7 per 1,000 in 2007 to 34.1 per 1,000 women in 2014.
- Under 18’s pregnancies have decreased by 47.3% going from 41.9 per 1,000 in 2007 to 22.1 per 1,000 women in 2014.
- Under 16’s pregnancies have decreased by 45.4% going from 7.8 per 1,000 in 2007 to 4.2 per 1,000 women 2014.There are multiple teenage pregnancy support groups on the internet and in most local communities you can find some of these at http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/teenager-pregnant.aspx. However if there are no support groups in your area you can also contact the NHS by phone or email, the Samaritans or even Childline if you are under 18. There are plenty of people you can talk to, and talking with someone may help you process this stressful situation if you or someone you know is expecting a child. Support is not just for teenage mothers you can also find support for fathers here info@straighttalking.org.
