Pregnant Girl Research Articles

Marrying Unwanted Pregnant Girl Phenomenon in Indonesia: Is it in the Child's Best Interests?

This research aims to examine the dynamic meaning of ’the best interests of the child’ in Indonesia’s phenomenon of marrying unwanted pregnant girls. Using normative legal research, the data compiled on the parent’s reason and the judges’ considerations in granting child marriage at Wonosari Religious Court in four latest years (2019-2022). The results indicate that parents and partners tend to propose child marriage dispensation rather than preventing it, in case the partner is already pregnant. The primary reasons of the parent, such as religious principles, protecting the fetus, and the family’s good name, dominantly color the meaning of ’the best interest of the child’. These reasons were well supported by the judges.. This research contributes to the finding that external factors, such as local culture and religion, can influence the dynamic meaning of ’the best interests of the child.’
 Keywords: best interest, child marriage, local cultures, religious, unwanted pregnant

Unplanned Student Pregnancy: Should the University Be There for Its Students?

The issue of discouraging students from having an induced termination of pregnancy is still relevant. Studying at university is a socialization stage, coming after finishing school or college. In this period students may not only choose their future profession, but also their partner. Their relationship with the opposite sex may result in the unplanned pregnancy that can affect the student’s plans. In this case, owing to various reasons, the student is likely to seek a termination of the pregnancy. However, this medical intervention could result in negative reproductive health outcomes. Moreover, until now it has been carrying moral stigma. The present paper aims to research students’ opinions concerning support measures, provided to students by their universities in case of the pregnancy during their study. The results of the survey through the Google Forms have revealed the students’ need for these measures. Thus, 91,2% of 650 respondents stated that the university support is vital for both the pregnant girl and the future father. On the basis of the received answers the author suggests changing the policy of the universities by increasing their role in discouraging students from the termination decision and provide recommendations for the creation of the anti-crisis team, offering the support to the students in difficult life situations including cases of the unplanned pregnancy. In addition, the author deriving the conclusions from polling the students is the first to have suggested the various means of interaction between the university and other non-profit organizations that can provide assistance to pregnant women or mothers in need.

A Pregnant Adolescence with an Intact Hymen

Child sexual abuse is a public health problem due to both the act itself and its consequences, one of the most serious of which is adolescent pregnancy. Unfortunately, it is difficult to provide evidence of such sexual crimes by forensic gynecologic examinations based on only the visual inspection of genitalia. Moreover, anatomic variations of genitalia can make it quite difficult for a physician to make a diagnosis of rape. A 14-year-old pregnant girl presented at our hospital with the allegation of sexual abuse. Although her pregnancy was obvious due to shape of her abdomen, her hymen was determined to be intact after examination. She was examined in the gynecology department to check on the pregnancy and investigate her health status. Ultrasound imagining revealed that she was 4 months and 3 days pregnant. The goal of this presentation is to draw physicians’ attention to the anatomic variations of the hymen. Our findings indicate that it is not always easy to make a diagnosis of sexual intercourse; the practitioner must take a multidisciplinary approach and develop his/her genital examination knowledge and skills.

The impact of ‘grounds’ on abortion-related outcomes: a synthesis of legal and health evidence

Where abortion is legal, it is often regulated through a grounds-based approach. A grounds-based approach to abortion provision occurs when law and policy provide that lawful abortion may be provided only where a person who wishes to have an abortion satisfies stipulated ‘grounds’, sometimes described as ‘exceptions’ or ‘exceptional grounds’. Grounds-based approaches to abortion are, prima facie, restrictive as they limit access to abortion based on factors extraneous to the preferences of the pregnant person. International human rights law specifies that abortion must be available (and not ‘merely’ lawful) where the life or health of the pregnant woman or girl is at risk, or where carrying a pregnancy to term would cause her substantial pain or suffering, including but not limited to situations where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or the pregnancy is not viable. However, international human rights law does not specify a grounds-based approach as the way to give effect to this requirement. The aim of this review is to address knowledge gaps related to the health and non-health outcomes plausibly related to the effects of a grounds-based approach to abortion regulation. The evidence from this review shows that grounds have negative implications for access to quality abortion and for the human rights of pregnant people. Further, it shows that grounds-based approaches are insufficient to meet states’ human rights obligations. The evidence presented in this review thus suggests that enabling access to abortion on request would be more rights-enhancing than grounds-based approaches to abortion regulation.

We want ourselves alive and debt free!

Verónica Gago is Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina and author of Neoliberalism From Below (Duke 2017); Feminist International: How to Change Everything (Verso 2020); and, with Lucí Cavallero, A Feminist Theory of Debt (Pluto, 2021). She is an active member of the grassroots feminist movement Ni Una Menos, founded by a group of artists, activists and academics in Argentina. Ni Una Menos has described itself as a 'collective scream against machista violence'. It has regularly held protests against femicides, and has connected femicide to a range of other issues, including sexual harassment, abortion and reproductive rights, transgender and sex worker rights, the gender pay gap, gender roles, neoliberalism and debt. Its first demonstration was organised in the wake of a 14-year old pregnant girl, Chiara Paez, being beaten to death by her boyfriend, in Buenos Aires in 2015. This brought together 200,000 people. In 2016 the movement came to wider attention on social media through the hashtag #NiUnaMenos, and protests spread throughout Latin America, particularly in Chile, Uruguay and Peru, where it prompted what has been described as the largest demonstration in Peruvian history. In 2016 Ni Una Menos launched a national women's strike. After sustained campaigning, in 2020 abortion became legal in Argentina; and in 2021 a law was passed giving employment rights to travestis and trans people. Its campaigns to reclaim rights and resources continue. In this interview, conducted in July 2021, Jo Littler talks to Verónica Gago about Ni Una Menos, her work and activism.

Identification of Adolescent Reproductive Health Information Needs Using The Perspective of Adolescents With A Pregnancy Experience

Adolescence is a transitional period from childhood to adulthood. During this period, both physical and psychological conditions change. Adolescent pregnancy causes a higher risk for negative outcomes in terms of both physical and psychosocial aspects to the pregnant girl, baby, and husband. The research aimed to identify information needs for adolescent reproductive health using the perspective of adolescent with a pregnancy experience. The research used a qualitative design. The results of the study were divided into three themes, namely knowledge of adolescent reproductive health, access to reproductive health information, and reproductive health service providers. All the informants were under 20 years of age. In terms of education, most of the informants did not graduate from high school; even some of them graduated only from elementary school. In terms of knowledge about adolescent reproductive health, it was shown that adolescents did not have a comprehensive understanding of reproductive health, including reproductive organs and the process of pregnancy. Most of the informants thought that reproductive health was the health condition related to only the genital organs. They felt embarrassed to ask questions to their parents and they wanted to try something new. In terms of access to adolescent reproductive health services, access to information about reproductive health was still limited and there was a lack of information about how to access information about reproductive health. In addition, all of the informants said they did not know other programs due to lack of publications. Meanwhile, in terms of information needs for adolescent reproductive health, all the informants mentioned the need for information about adolescent reproductive health. These informants said that the presence of adolescent reproductive health information could prevent adolescent pregnancy. In terms of service recommendation, it can be in the form of continuous socialization at schools by teachers and health workers as well as consulting services at schools or at health centers.

Application of community dialogue approach to prevent adolescent pregnancy, early marriage and school dropout in Zambia: a case study

BackgroundAdolescent pregnancy carries both health and economic risks for the pregnant girl and resulting baby, and it is common in Zambia. Providing alternative methods of preventing early pregnancy than abstinence is regarded as culturally and religiously unacceptable in most parts of the country. The community dialogue approach is being tested to address norms and beliefs around early pregnancy, marriage and school dropout, and is based on Paulo Freire’s transformative communication approach. The objective of this paper was to understand parents’ perspectives on the application of the community dialogue approach in addressing adolescents’ early pregnancy and school dropout in a cluster randomized controlled trial in rural Zambia.Methods/designThis was a case study design. We nested the study in the community dialogue intervention arm of the Research Initiative to Support the Empowerment of Girls trial in Zambia. Dialogue meetings were held and economic support was provided for a period of 27 months from September 2016 until November 2018. We held focus group discussions in November 2018 with guardians/parents in six schools in Chibombo District of Central Province. All the discussions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.ResultsThe guardians/parents perceived the community dialogue to be a relevant approach for addressing social and cultural norms regarding early pregnancy, marriage and school dropout. It was embraced for its value in initiating individual and collective change. The facilitators’ interactive approach and dialogue in the community meetings coupled with the use of films and role plays with the parents, lead to active participation and open discussions about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) topics during the community dialogue meetings. Group interactions and sharing of experiences helped parents clarify their SRH values and subsequently made them feel able to communicate about SRH issues with their children. However, cultural and religious beliefs among the parents regarding some topics, like the use of condoms and contraceptives, complicated the delivery of reproductive health messages from the parents to their children.ConclusionThe study indicated that the community dialogue was appreciated by the parents and helped in addressing cultural barriers to discussing SRH issues between generations.

Teachers' perspectives on the implementation of teenage mothers' school re-entry policy in Eswatini Kingdom: Implication for educational evaluators.

In the global context, there have been high records of teenage girls drop out in schools than teenage boys. This ugly occurrence is attributed to teenage pregnancy and little or no concerns have been given to the school re-entry policy for such category of students especially in the Eswatini Kingdom, Swaziland. Thus, this study explored the perceptions of teachers regarding the implementation of the teenage mothers' school re-entry policy in the Manzini region of Eswatini. A qualitative research approach was adopted for the study using a sample of 15 participants. Data collection instrument a semistructured interview guide. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed. The findings indicated a lack of awareness and understanding of both the policy and its guidelines among participants. The results further showed that the implementation of the re-entry policy is crucial if a teenage pregnant girl child's education is to be realized in Eswatini. Without proper implementation of such a policy, the affected girls could end up, uneducated and poor. Thus, educational evaluators should come up with appropriate policy documents for girl child.

Exploring health-seeking behavior among adolescent mothers during the Ebola epidemic in Western rural district of Freetown, Sierra Leone

BackgroundFrom 2014 to 2016, the largest Ebola outbreak in history threatened Sierra Leone and its neighbouring countries, Guinea and Liberia. The Ebola outbreak impacted pregnant adolescent girl’s access to prenatal care during the pandemic. The aim of this study is to understand health-seeking behaviour among adolescent mothers who were pregnant during the Ebola epidemic in Waterloo, Sierra Leone.MethodsThe present qualitative study uses the “Three Delay” model, as a theoretical framework to understand and explore adolescent mother’s health-seeking behaviour through four focus group discussions with five participants in each discussion group. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsA multitude of challenges were identified following the Ebola epidemic. The fear of contracting Ebola was a common reason for not seeking care or utilising services. This notion was perpetuated by perceptions in the community and participants personal experiences. Quarantines, national lockdowns, roadblocks, loss of income and extreme poverty were also identified as barriers to accessing health facilities during Ebola. The different encounters with health workers and the challenges that arose at the health facilities were subsequently additional discouraging factors influencing participant’s decision not to seek health care.ConclusionMany of the pre-existing maternal health, societal and social-economic challenges were exacerbated during the Ebola. The epidemic also contributed new challenges such as public fear, mistrust towards health professionals and the health system. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on improving maternal care in general, but also improving preparedness for maternal care in case of future outbreaks, especially for the most vulnerable groups such as adolescent mothers.

\u201cAs a Young Pregnant Girl\u2026 The Challenges You Face\u201d: Exploring the Intersection Between Mental Health and Sexual and Reproductive Health Amongst Adolescent Girls and Young Women in South Africa

In South Africa, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are at risk of poor mental health, HIV infection and early pregnancy. Poor mental health in AGYW is associated with increased sexual risk behaviours, and impeded HIV testing and care. Using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, we explored subjective experiences of mental health and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) amongst 237 AGYW aged 15–24 years in five South African districts. Respondents shared narratives of stress, emotional isolation, feelings of depression, and suicidal ideation, interconnected with HIV, pregnancy and violence in relationships. Findings show that AGYW in South Africa face a range of mental health stressors and lack sufficient support, which intersect with SRH challenges to heighten their vulnerability. Framed within the syndemic theory, our findings suggest that South African AGYW’s vulnerability towards early pregnancy, HIV infection and poor mental health are bidirectional and interconnected. Considering the overlaps and interactions between mental health and SRH amongst AGYW, it is critical that mental health components are integrated into SRH interventions.

Sexually assaulted young pregnant girl presenting with self-poisoning; a case report

Sexually assaulted young pregnant girl presenting with self-poisoning; a case report

The Township, the Pregnant Girl and the Church: Community Dynamics, Gender and Social Control in Early Nineteenth-century Scotland

In 1814 in a small Highland township an unmarried girl, ostracised by her neighbours, gave birth. The baby died. The legal precognition permits a forensic, gendered examination of the internal dynamics of rural communities and how they responded to threats to social cohesion. In the Scottish ‘parish state’ disciplining sexual offences was a matter for church discipline. This case is situated in the early nineteenth-century Gàidhealtachd where and when church institutions were less powerful than in the post-Reformation Lowlands, the focus of most previous research. The article shows that the formal social control of kirk discipline was only part of a complex of behavioural controls, most of which were deployed within and by communities. Indeed, Scottish communities and churches were deeply entwined in terms of personnel; shared sexual prohibitions; and in the use of shaming as a primary method of social control. While there was something of a ‘female community’, this was not unconditionally supportive of all women nor was it ranged against men or patriarchal structures.

«Un démon dans mon ventre». Cortezia, amour, hérésie avant la Croisade albigeoise

«A Demon in My Belly». Cortezia, Love and Heresy before the Albigensian Crusade. In 1222 a pregnant adolescent girl named na Aimerzens Viguier was mocked by two «good women » for having a demon in her belly. The «good women » (or «good ladies ») were fugitive heretics and their insult was recalled by na Aimerzens two decades later for the inquisition in Toulouse. In the twelfth century there was no «heresy of the good women » or «heresy of the good men » between the Garonne and Rhone. Indeed, there were no heretics anywhere in Latin Christendom in the twelfth century, Waldensians included, if by that category we mean any individual purposely choosing to be labelled as hereticus or knowingly putting themselves at risk of persecution and punishment on account of what they believed or practiced. Of course, there were feverish accusations of heresy polluting the lands of the count of Toulouse by Latin Christian intellectuals in the twelth century, but such polemics, while sometimes efforts at explaining actual phenomena, were not, as modem scholars all too frequently read them, journalistic reportage. This does not mean I do not take such polemics seriously, I just do not think accusations of heresy, however sincerely believed by those making them, is the same as heresy actually existing as a historically verifiable entity. Moreover, accusations of heresy between the Garonne and the Rhône in the twelfth century rarely focused on the good men and good women, the targets being counts, bishops, abbots, wandering preachers, hermits and mercenaries. This diverse landscape of “heresy” is lost when we read backwards from the thirteenth century. This essay evokes the world of the good men and good women before the Albigensian Crusade, when they embodied cortezia, when they were not yet heretics, ultimately suggesting what it meant for an adolescent girl to be mocked in a time of holy war for having a demon in her belly.

Helplessness experienced by adolescent mothers and pregnant adolescents sheltered in institutions.

The experience of helplessness or abandonment during pregnancy affects the emotional state of women, hindering their disposition in taking care of themselves and their baby. The aim of this study was to understand the emotional experience arising from intra-family violence experienced by institutionally sheltered adolescent mothers and pregnant adolescents. This study is exploratory, descriptive, clinical and qualitive. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a psychologist from the institution and with six adolescents in the institution: one pregnant girl and five mothers. The data showed that helplessness was experienced by participants both during their pregnancy and throughout their lives. The institution was found to be the only place of protection, care and support for adolescents in the puerperal pregnancy period. The adolescents' mothers had also experienced abandonment by either their family members or their partners and the adolescents themselves repeated this abandonment with their own children. This study concludes that violence has consequences for the lives of adolescents, causing immense suffering and a transgenerational repetition of violence, demanding greater prevention and intervention.

The Case of the Ten and Half Year Old Pregnant Girl: Medico-legal Issues Involved

The Case of the Ten and Half Year Old Pregnant Girl: Medico-legal Issues Involved

Factors that hinder or enable maternal health strategies to reduce delays in rural and pastoralist areas in Ethiopia.

To document factors that hinder or enable strategies to reduce the first and second delays of the Three Delays in rural and pastoralist areas in Ethiopia. A key informant study was conducted with 44 Health Extension Workers in Afar Region, Kafa Zone (Southern Nation, Nationalities and Peoples' Region), and Adwa Woreda (Tigray Region). Health Extension Workers were trained to interview women and ask for stories about their recent experiences of birth. We interviewed the Health Extension Workers about their experiences referring women for Skilled Birth Attendance and Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Themes related to reducing the first delay, such as the tradition of home birth, decision-making, distance and unavailability of transport, did not differ between the three locations. Themes related to reducing the second delay differed substantially. Health Extension Workers in Adwa Woreda were more likely to call ambulances due to support from the Health Development Army and a functioning referral system. In Kafa Zone, some Health Extension Workers were discouraged from calling ambulances as they were used for other purposes. In Afar Region, few Health Extension Workers were called to assist women as most women give birth at home with Traditional Birth Attendants unless they need to travel to health facilities for Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care. Initiatives to reduce delays can improve access to maternal health services, especially when Health Extension Workers are supported by the Health Development Army and a functioning referral system, but district (woreda) health offices should ensure that ambulances are used as intended.

Prevalencia de gestación con recién nacido vivo en adolescentes de Tunja, Colombia, 2011-2015

<p><strong>Objetivo:</strong> estimar la frecuencia y las características del embarazo y el parto, con producto final vivo, en adolescentes; además, identificar algunos factores<br />relacionados con el embarazo con recién nacido vivo en adolescentes en la ciudad de Tunja durante el periodo 2011-2015.</p><p><strong>Materiales y métodos:</strong>estudio poblacional, descriptivo, de corte transversal. Se incluyeron los registros de nacimientos ocurridos en menores de 19 años en Tunja, durante enero de 2011 y octubre de 2015, a partir de la base de datos de la Secretaría de Protección Social municipal. Se evaluaron variables sociodemográficas de los padres, la atención durante la gestación y las características del recién nacido. Se estimaron las frecuencias absolutas y relativas de variables discretas. La información de las variables continuas se resume mediante medidas de tendencia central y dispersión. Se calculó la razón de gestantes con recién nacido vivo en mujeres en edad fértil y en adolescentes.</p><p><strong> Resultados:</strong> se presentó un total de 1518 partos en una población de 13.408 adolescentes (a mitad de periodo), lo que representa una prevalencia global de 11,32 %, que varió entre 10,6 % en el 2105 y 12 % en el 2011. Como factores asociados con el parto adolescente se encontró mayor proporción de afiliación al SGSSS por régimen subsidiado, bajo nivel de escolaridad de la gestante y la pareja, hábitat rural, carencia de pareja estable.</p><p><strong>Conclusiones:</strong> la prevalencia de embarazo adolescente llevado a término en Tunja es inferior a la media nacional reportada. Es recomendable profundizar en el análisis de los determinantes de la frecuencia de embarazo y parto en adolescentes, que podrían contribuir a mejorar las estrategias de intervención en otras regiones de mayor prevalencia.</p>

A complex crisis intervention for a 16-year-old pregnant girl after unaccompanied emigration from Eritrea

Unaccompanied refugee minors are frequently confronted with multiple, potentially traumatizing events; girls tend to show most profound traumatizations. A 16-year-old female refugee minor was admitted to a child psychiatric ward over the weekend for acute suicidal behavior. The girl had fled unaccompanied from Eritrea and was living in a shelter home for adolescents. Pregnancy (23 weeks p. c.) had been diagnosed the previous day, stemming from several rapes that had occurred on her journey through Sudan and Nigeria. The girl had repressed all signs of the pregnancy from her consciousness. However, when it became medically undeniably apparent, she tried to end her life by jumping out of a window. The shelter home staff requested a psychiatric indication for termination of the pregnancy. Implications of medical indications for psychiatric reasons at a pregnancy state of 23 weeks as well as ethical aspects and considerations with regard to posttraumatic symptomatology are discussed in the following case report.

Adolescents' Responses to an Unintended Pregnancy in Ghana: A Qualitative Study

Study ObjectiveTo investigate the experiences and perceptions of adolescents who have experienced a recent pregnancy and undergone a termination of pregnancy. DesignA vignette-based focus group approach was used to have adolescents reflect on scenarios that happen to others during an unwanted pregnancy. SettingThe study was conducted in public health facilities in the 3 major urban areas of Ghana—Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale. Participants, Interventions, and Main Outcome MeasuresAdolescents, aged 10-19 years, who had a recent termination of pregnancy were recruited from public health facilities in the 3 sites. Fifteen focus groups were conducted and digitally recorded in English, Twi, Ga, and Dagbani. Transcripts were transcribed and translated, and thematic analysis was used for the analysis. ResultsAdolescents reported that the characters in the vignettes would feel sadness, depression, and regret from an unintended pregnancy and some male partners would “deny” the pregnancy or suggest an abortion. They suggested some parents would “be angry” and “sack” their children for becoming pregnant while others would “support” them. Parents might send the pregnant girl to a distant friend or grandparents until she delivers to avoid shame and gossip. Health professionals might encourage the pregnant girl or insult/gossip about the girl. ConclusionAdolescent unintended pregnancies in Ghana are met with a range of reactions and these reactions influence the pregnancy choices young women make for continuation or termination of pregnancy.

Public perceptions of adolescent mothers in need of care and protection in Jordan: Could community-based alternatives to institutional placement reduce stigma?

Adolescent girls who become pregnant outside of marriage in the Middle East experience increased stigma, risk of social exclusion, and family violence. This study examined whether community-based foster care has the potential to reduce the stigma attached to pregnant girls placed in protective institutional care within an Arab context. Using data from a public survey of adults in Jordan, this study found that stigma was significantly lower when the pregnant girl was described as placed in foster care rather than institutional care. Findings indicate that foster care models may have the potential to lessen the stigma attached to these girls.