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Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider Alarming growth of adolescent pregnancies needs to be addressed

Alarming growth of adolescent pregnancies needs to be addressed

Published Feb 8, 2021 05:43 pm

“In 2019, 2,411 girls considered as very young adolescents aged 10 to 14 gave birth,” this was part of the report released by the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) over the weekend.

According to the reports, the number of births from minors under 15 years old went up by seven percent in 2019 versus the year before. The numbers were provided by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). PopCom added, "In 2019, 2,411 girls considered as very young adolescents aged 10 to 14 gave birth, or almost seven every day. This was a three-fold increase from 2000, when only 755 from the said age group gave birth."

Regions Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and Central Luzon have reports of one in three birth among minors. Luzon, Cebu, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, and Cotabato follow next.

POPCOM said in a statement this is the 9th year the rate has increased since 2011, noting that one out of every 10 pregnancies in the Philippines has been among teenagers, as the trend of younger girls giving birth continues to rise.

Now on its ninth year of recording, PopCom sees the rise of teenage pregnancies as reason to act. Undersecretary of Population and Development Juan Antonio Perez III even confirms that teenage pregnancies still persists at an alarming rate. This issue has also been declared a national emergency.

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