Health Minister Ted Herbosa on Wednesday expressed alarm over the increasing number of pregnancies among children under 15 in recent years.

In an ambush interview, Herbosa said the country now had a “very high” rate of childhood pregnancy. He said based on 2022 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 59 children under the age of 15 became pregnant per 100,000 population.

Health Minister Ted Herbosa has raised the alarm that the country’s childhood pregnancy rate is “very high”. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/LfXoqpeeVw

— Giselle Ombay (@giselleombay_) 20 November 2024

Herbosa clarified that for the following 15 people, “teen pregnancy” was considered “childhood pregnancy.”

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, PSA’s data showed that among people under the age of 15, 39.39 per 100,000 people became pregnant. This increased to 44.06 in 2021 and 59.34 in 2022.

“We have a big problem with teenage pregnancy. First, ‘yan ang nagko-contribute to maternal deaths kasi hindi sila nagpapa-prenatal. “The condition we call eclampsia and bleeding during birth carries a high risk,” Herbosa said.

(We have a big problem with teenage pregnancies. First, they contribute to maternal deaths because they do not receive prenatal care. There is a high risk of eclampsia and bleeding at birth.)

“So kung ma-control natin ‘yan (if we control this), we’ll actually be able to reduce maternal mortality,” he added.

The health chief also emphasized that every childhood pregnancy, especially among children aged 10 to 16, is considered an unplanned pregnancy.

He also attributed the increasing childhood pregnancy rate to internet use, among others.

“First, our children are already exposed to the internet. We have discovered that the Internet has a huge impact on the sexual behavior of our young people. And of course there is peer pressure.” Herbosa said.

“Then socioeconomic classes. Many people in lower socioeconomic classes enjoy living in poverty and kanilang family. ‘Side, social factors, cultural factors… Education is talaga,’ he continued.

(Many people from lower socioeconomic classes want to get married and save their family from poverty. These are social and cultural factors. It is necessary to educate them.)

Total number according to PSA live births the number of teenage mothers (aged 19 and under) increased by 10.15%; It increased from 136,302 in 2021 to 150,138 in 2022.

The number of live births from pregnancy among girls aged 14 and under also increased from 2,320 in 2021 to 3,135 in 2022, an increase of 35.13%.

The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) therefore calls on the Senate to prioritize the passage of the law. Teen Pregnancy Prevention ActA measure aimed at helping prevent teenage pregnancy and institutionalizing social protection for teenage parents.

–VAL, GMA Integrated News