Real Talk
Awareness is Key to Fighting Teenage Pregnancy
DKT shares with us an alarming news in the hopes of empowering female adolescents with awareness to avoid teenage pregnancy.
Teenage pregnancy is a nightmare we wish never happens to our kids. When the news hits that it does, it can be traumatic. There’s a lot of shock, anxiety, and doubt when the question lingers — what will happen to our kids’ future? Over the years, many of us worked with sex being taboo to avoid it. But DKT’s recent study shows that awareness and learning family planning are better than avoiding the topic of teenage pregnancy.
Family planning should be a thing
Many of us learn that there’s a natural method for Family Planning. But having different health profiles means that some won’t work as well as we believe. But that doesn’t mean our kids should believe they’re out of options. DKT reveals that there’s a method that many of us aren’t aware of: the Yuzpe Method. By using Emergency Contraception pills in combination with another form of birth control, it can keep the number of unwanted pregnancies down. DKT says that if it’s taken within 72 hours, there’s an 88% chance of success.
“These pills fill a need when sex is infrequent or unexpected, which is often the case for people just entering their sexually active years,” explains Foundation Chairman Hyam Bolande. “Emergency Contraception (EC) pills can provide the last line of safe defense against unwanted pregnancy when the male partner doesn’t use a condom.”
Abstinence doesn’t always help
Some of us fear the pills because it doesn’t agree with our religious beliefs. Either that, or there’s an underlying medical issue. But for those who fear it out of religious belief, DKT wanted to spread that it didn’t cause abortion. The World Health Organization (WHO) clears that up in one of their fact sheets. “Emergency contraceptive pills prevent pregnancy by preventing or delaying ovulation and they do not induce an abortion.”
The pill, Postinor, had its approval reversed in 2001 by the Bureau of Food and Drugs because we believe it induces abortion which we’re not comfortable with. But sadly, this left almost 32% of Philippine doctors and nurses unaware that a method like this exists.
More awareness means avoiding the stress of teenage pregnancy
Kids are a welcome sight but not for our teens who are still studying. They’ll feel depressed, scared, and be extremely vulnerable because they’d be afraid to tell us. It’ll be our first instinct to get angry but we’re the last safe place they have. Keeping them informed and aware of how to avoid teenage pregnancy doesn’t mean we have to insist on one way but offer several options on how they can keep safe.
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