Motherhood in Childhood

suggest that between 38 per cent and 68 per cent
of women treated for complications of abortion
are below 20 years of age.” In Ethiopia, in
2008, “an estimated 52,600 women received care
in a health facility for complications of unsafe
abortion” (Guttmacher Institute, 2010). Given
that women seeking abortion in Ethiopia have a
mean age of 23, it is safe to say that a significant
proportion of those treated for abortion complications
in Ethiopia are adolescents (Guttmacher
Institute, 2010). A recent paper (Abdella et
al., 2013) estimated that the direct cost to the
national health system in Ethiopia for treating
post-abortion complications was between $6.5
million and $8.9 million per year. In some countries
in Latin America, hospitals are crowded with
adolescents needing treatment for complications
from pregnancy, childbirth, or abortion.
The costs are not limited to abortion complications
nor are they limited to developing
countries: “In 2008 [in the United States], teen
pregnancy and childbirth accounted for nearly
$11 billion per year in costs to United States taxpayers
for increased health care and foster care,
increased incarceration rates among children of
teen parents and lost tax revenue because of lower
educational attainment and income among teen
mothers” (National Campaign to Prevent Teen
and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2011).
Conclusion
Adolescent pregnancy and childbirth can have
negative consequences for girls’ physical and
mental health and social well-being, their educational
attainment, and their income-earning
potential. These impacts are rooted largely in
persistent gender inequality and discrimination
in legal, social and economic structures,
which result in stigma and marginalization and
“It is taboo to talk about sex. Sometimes,
there are programmes about contraception
on TV but young people do not pay
enough attention. We discuss sex among
ourselves, but we do not address the issue
with our parents. Most often, it is the
girls who ask the boys to use condoms.
The boys do not think to ask the girls
to take the pill or another method of
contraception.”
Ngimana, 17, Senegal
violate fundamental human rights. When girls
are denied the information and services they
need to prevent pregnancy, their autonomy is
undermined. When they become pregnant and
are forced from school, their rights are violated.
When they are forced to marry or are subjected
to sexual violence or coercion, their rights are
additionally violated.
When their human rights are respected, girls
are less likely to be stigmatized and marginalized
and are free to develop and maintain healthy
relationships with friends and peers. They have
access to sexual and reproductive health services
and are able to get an education, regardless of
their situation. They are better able to become
healthy, productive and empowered citizens
who can participate as equal members of their
households, communities and nations.
THE STATE OF WORLD POPULATION 2013
29