By the end of this chapter, the readers should be able to:
1. Explain pre-marital sex and the factors that influence the behavior.
2. Analyze the consequences
of pre-marital sex and suggest ways of preventing pre-marital sex.
3. Examine factors leading to adolescent pregnancy.
4.
Identify dangers associated with adolescent pregnancy and the consequences.
5. Examine criminal abortion and its effects on the adolescent
Meaning of Pre-Marital Sex
It is the act of involving one's self in a sexual act or intercourse before marriage.
Causes of Pre-Marital Sex
i. Peer Pressure
Peer pressure has been identified as one of the very important factors driving the sexual behavior of male and female adolescents. Peer pressure is manifested in adolescents engaging in sexual activity to raise their ego among their peers. There is a misconception that adolescents who do not engage in sexual relations are timid and thus cannot fit into the group of existing self-acclaimed champions.
ii. Curiosity and want to experiment
Some adolescents are curious of the sex scenes they watch in movies or read in novels or even discuss with friends and thus have the desire to try or experiment in order to have a feel of the real act/action.
iii. Lack of parental control
Lack of parental control or inadequate counselling by parents leaves children to experiment
unnecessarily.
iv. Inability of parents to meet adolescent needs
Adolescent girls engage in
sexual relations with "sugar
daddies" in order to obtain money to meet their needs. The inability of
parents to afford or provide for their girl child to buy worldly things such as
perfume and dresses may lead to pre-marital sex.
v. Increased adolescent sex drive
Adolescents engage in pre-marital sex due to lack of self-control over their sex drive.
vi. Ignorance
Many adolescents are ignorant about the dangers involved in pre-marital sex due to lack of sex education by parents and teachers at home and school respectively.
vii. Encouragement of parent for adolescent to earn money
Adolescents are sometimes pushed into pre-marital sex due to the poor economic situation of their parents.
Consequences of Pre-Marital Sex
Pre-marital sex is associated with a number of consequences among which include:
i. Risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases or infections
pre-marital sex could lead to adolescents contracting sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea, syphilis and dreadful HIV/AIDS.
ii. Pregnancy and early motherhood
At the adolescent stage, the girl child is not emotionally, physically, socially and economically prepared for child bearing and its related problems. For this reason, if she lands herself in unplanned pregnancy, she becomes disorganized.
iii. Possible dropout from school
An adolescent girl who becomes pregnant may drop out of school. Most often they do not have the opportunity to continue their schooling for a number of reasons. Their future is thus put in jeopardy as they become economically misplaced.
iv. Unsafe abortion resulting in death or damage to the reproductive organs (infertility)
An adolescent girl who becomes pregnant and decides to keep it as a secret may opt for criminal abortion to save her education, the name of the family and avoid social scorn. Due to the dangerous method used to terminate the pregnancy, she might lose her life or damage her reproductive organs.
Ways of Preventing Pre-Marital Sex
Role of Adolescents Include:
(i) Develop good study habits
(ii) Participate in activities that take their minds off early sex e.g., community activities, social clubs
(iii) Clarify their values and goals for the future
(iv) Resist peer pressure to have sex
(v) Obtain adequate information on reproductive health issues
(vi) Avoid watching blue films and reading
pornographic materials that will arouse them
(vii) Avoid accepting gifts from strangers.
Role Of Parents Include:
i. Educate their children on the dangers of early sex.
ii. See it as their responsibility to
adequately provide for their children especially their daughters.
iii. Set good examples for their children.
iv. Parents should not push their children (girls) to men for money.
Role of the Community Include:
(i) Organize programs that will involve
the adolescents and that will educate them
(ii) Members of community should be
concerned about adolescents and be prepared to correct their behaviors.
Adolescent Pregnancy
Adolescent pregnancy refers to pregnancy that occurs during the adolescence period. That is a situation whereby a girl in her teens enters the family way or becomes pregnant. Such pregnancies are usually unwanted, unplanned and out of wedlock.
When a girl between the ages of 13-18 years becomes pregnant, such a pregnancy is referred to as teenage pregnancy. The rate of teenage pregnancy in some Africa countries are very alarming thus, making teenage pregnancy a serious social problem in these countries.
Factors Leading to Adolescent Pregnancy
There are a number of causes to the predominance of
adolescent pregnancies in the Ghanaian societies. Some of the causes of
adolescent pregnancy in Ghana are given below:
i. Lack of Sex education
Many adolescents are ignorant about the dangers involved in pre-marital sex (which can result in adolescent pregnancy) due to lack of sex education by parents and teachers at home and school respectively.
ii. Irresponsible adults
Some irresponsible adults tend to abuse adolescent girls sexually which sometimes results in teenage pregnancy.
iii. Peer pressure
Influence by peer groups in the form of misinformation about sex can sometimes result in adolescent pregnancy.
iv. Lack of self-control
Some adolescent girls get pregnant due to lack of self-control over their sex drive.
v. Negative education and influence
Adolescents also get pregnant due to negative education and influence they receive from pornographic films and literature
vi. Poverty
The lust for money and material possessions by some adolescents usually drives them into pre-marital sex which sometimes culminates into adolescent pregnancy.
vii. Rape
The incidence of rape could result in pregnancy. That is, if a man forcefully has sex with a woman against her will, it could lead to pregnancy.
viii. Curiosity and desire to experiment.
Effects of Adolescent Pregnancy
Adolescent pregnancy has some negative effects on the adolescent girl, the society and the baby that results from it. Some effects of adolescent pregnancy include the following:
(i) Increase in school dropout
Most teenagers who get pregnant usually drop out of school resulting in the termination of their education prematurely. This further leads to an increase in the number of school dropouts in the country.
(ii) Increase in number of abandoned babies and street children
Adolescent pregnancy can result in an increase in the number of abandoned babies and street children due to the inability of adolescent mothers to fend for their babies.
(iii) Lead to health hazards
Since adolescent girls are not usually developed biologically, they may suffer some health hazards during and after the pregnancy.
iv. Lead to physical and mental disorder
Babies born to adolescent mothers most often than not suffer from physical and mental disorders.
v. Leads to death
Sometimes, an attempt by pregnant adolescent to abort leads to death.
vi. High population growth
Adolescents pregnancy may lead to high population growth due to its contribution to an increase in the birth rate. This culminates in economic and social problems within the country.
Suggested Measures for the Control of Adolescent Pregnancy
The following among others, are suggested solutions to adolescent pregnancy:
(i) Selective learning: Adolescents should be selective in what they learn from their peers about sex. They should for instance, not accept misinformation about sex from their peers.
(ii) Adolescent education: Parents, teachers, opinion leaders and religious leaders should make it a duty to educate adolescents about good moral behavior so as to inculcate in them the power of self-control.
(iii) Ban on pornographic material: There should be a national ban on the screening of pornographic films and the sale of pornographic literature to adolescents.
(iv) Punitive measures: Laws should be passed on adolescent pregnancy so that men who impregnate teenagers are punished severely.
(v) Provide adequate parental care: Parents should give adequate parental care to adolescent girls. Their needs should be adequately provided by parents.
Dangers Associated with Adolescent Pregnancy
Mother
(i) Possible dropout from school resulting in the termination of their education prematurely.
(ii) Adolescents mother will be limited to low paying jobs because of little or lack of skill and experience; she will suffer from poverty.
(iii) If adolescent mother is able to go back to school, she may have to put up with ridicule from her school mates and colleagues.
(iv) The adolescent mother may die due to prolonged labor.
(v) Sometimes an attempt by pregnant adolescent to abort may lead to death or damage parts of the reproductive organs.
(vi) An adolescent mother may suffer from anemia. Teenage mothers may suffer some health hazards during and after the pregnancy.
Infants
(i) Low weight leading to death of baby as a result of prolonged labor and poor nutrition of the mother.
(ii) Infant may suffer from deformities, abnormalities and mental retardation.
(iii) Physical development maybe affected. Thus, babies born to adolescent mothers may suffer from physical and mental disorders.
Social and Economic Problems of Criminal Abortion
Criminal abortion refers to an illegal termination of pregnancy by the use of dangerous substances. It is an abortion performed by unqualified or unrecognized person. It is normally not carried out in a recognized hospital and by a recognized surgical team.
Abortion in Ghana is allowed under the following conditions: -
i. Where the pregnancy or conception is as a result of rape, defilement of a female idiot or incest and abortion is requested by the victim or next of kin.
ii. Where the life of the pregnant woman is at risk or the pregnancy might cause injury to her physical and mental health.
iii. Where the child if born will develop serious physical abnormality or disease.
Causes of Criminal Abortion
(i) Uncertainty or not being sure of who is responsible for the pregnancy because of multiple sex partners.
(ii) The desire to complete school or apprenticeship training.
(iii) Enormous pressure from male parents.
(iv) Fear of parents and family reaction to the pregnancy,
Effects of Criminal Abortion
(i) It leads to excessive bleeding and sometimes death of the mother.
(ii) It can cause damage to the reproductive organs i.e., uterus may be perforated, organs of the abdominal cavity may be damaged.
(iii) There is the risk of infection leading to permanent damage to organs.
(iv) Criminal abortion can cause barrenness resulting from perforated uterus.
(v) The adolescent may suffer emotional trauma.
(vi) It may lead to infection of the womb leading to severe abdominal pain.
Examination Questions and Suggested Solutions on Pre-Marital Sex Adolescent Pregnancy
l.(a). Who is a teenage mother? (1994)
(b). Explain four of the problems that face the teenage mother as a single parent.
Solution
Teenage mother
A teenage mother is an adolescent usually under 20 years of age and who is not physically, mentally and emotionally mature to be a mother or parent.
(b). Problems face by teenage mother as a single parent
(i) Emotional problems: A teenager who gets pregnant becomes emotionally disturbed. There is poor health, resulting from malnutrition, hunger, lack of health care, inadequate clothing etc.
(ii) Termination of education: The teenager who becomes pregnant may have her education terminated.
(iii) Physical problems: Physically, a teenager's body is not matured enough to bear a baby easily, hence the body is susceptible to physical injuries during delivery.
(iv) Financial problems: The pregnant teenager may not have money to support herself.
(v) Loss of respect: She loses respect of her family and friends.
(vi) Lack of experience: A teenager who gets pregnant lacks the experience and training in bringing up her child.
(vii) Abortion: She may try to abort the pregnancy by using crude methods that can make her barren for life or can lead to death.
2.(a) i. Explain four factors that bring about pre-marital sex. (2012)
b. Explain four consequences of pre-marital sex.
c. Suggest two ways of preventing pre-marital sex.
Solution
(a) Factors that bring about pre-marital sex
i. Peer Pressure: Peer pressure has been identified as one of the very important factors driving the sexual behavior of male and female adolescents. Peer pressure is manifested in adolescents engaging in sexual activity to raise their ego among their peers. There is a misconception that adolescents who do not engage in sexual relations are timid and thus cannot fit into the group of existing self-acclaimed "champions".
ii. Curiosity and want to experiment: Some adolescents are curious of the sex scenes they watch in movies or read in novels or even discuss with friends and thus have the desire to try or experiment in order to have a feel of the real act/action.
iii. Lack of parental control: Lack of parental control or inadequate counselling by parents leave children to experiment unnecessarily. Inability of parents to meet adolescent needs: Adolescent girls engage in sexual relations with "sugar daddies" in order to obtain money to meet their needs. The inability of parents to afford or provide for their girl child to buy worldly things such as perfume and dresses may lead to pre-marital sex.
iv. Increased adolescent sex drive: Adolescents engage in pre-marital sex due to lack of self-control over their sex drive.
vi) Ignorance: Many adolescents are ignorant about the dangers involved in pre-marital sex due to lack of sex education by parents and teachers at home and school respectively.
vii) Encouragement of parent for adolescent to earn money: Adolescents are sometimes pushed into pre-marital sex due to the poor economic situation of their parents.
b. Consequences of pre-marital sex.
i) Pregnancy and early motherhood: At the adolescent stage the girl child is not emotionally, physically, socially and economically prepared for child bearing and its related problems. For this reason, if she lands herself in unplanned pregnancy, she becomes disorganized.
ii) Possible dropout from school: An adolescent girl who becomes pregnant may drop out from school. Most often they do not have the opportunity to continue their schooling for a number of reasons. Their future is thus put in jeopardy as they become economically misplaced.
iii) Unsafe abortion resulting in death or damage to the reproductive organs.
iv) Risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases or infections: pre-marital sex could lead adolescents to contracting sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea, syphilis and dreadful HIV/AIDS.
(c). Ways of preventing pre-marital sex
i) Develop good study habits
ii) Participate in activities that take their minds off early sex e.g., community activities, social clubs, etc.
iii) Clarify their own values and goals for the future.
iv) Resist peer pressure to have sex.
v) Obtain adequate information on reproductive health issues.
vi) Avoid watching blue films and reading pornographic materials that will arouse them.
vii) Avoid accepting gifts from strange
Examination Questions on Pre-Marital Sex Adolescent Pregnancy
1. Explain four possible problems, that an adolescent girl may face when she indulges in premarital sex (November, 2009)
2.a. What is premarital sex?
b. State four causes and four effects of premarital sex.
3.a. What is adolescent pregnancy?
b. Explain four causes and four effects of adolescent pregnancy c. Suggest ways for the control of adolescent pregnancy.
4.a. What is criminal abortion?
b. Explain the causes and effects of criminal abortion.
0 Comments