Teen troubles

Young Thais tackle a big issue

Suwitcha Chaiyong

According to a recent study from the Ministry of Education, 1.25 million out of about 5 million Thai teens between the ages of 15 and 19 are involved were sexual behaviour. Up to 250,000 teenagers became pregnant each year, and 50 percent of those decided to have an abortion, according to the study.

With teen pregnancy obviously such an important issue, a seminar called Listening to True Experiences: Pregnancy, Abortion and Dump, was arranged. At the seminar, media representatives had the opportunity to meet young people who had experienced premature pregnancy. The young guys at the seminar were from the Ban Kanjanapisek home for juvenile offenders, while the girls came from the Sahathai Foundation foster family care scheme.

"I hope that adults listen to us without judging us or looking down on us as bad people," 20-year-old participant Bird said.

INFORMATION NEEDED

Many young people at the seminar said that they don't really know about proper birth control, indicating possible problems with the way that sex education is taught at schools.

"I became a father at the age of 15 and had a second baby unintentionally because my girlfriend and I didn't know how to prevent it properly," 20-year-old Benz said.

Annie, 19, also believes that young people need to be given more information about how to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies.

"Teachers should be bold enough to teach sex education with open minds and to provide practical knowledge students," Annie said. "Teens should also be given advice from people working at pharmacies when they go to buy birth control pills."

TOUGH TIMES

At the seminar, it was revealed that when teens find out that they or their partner are pregnant, they tend to discuss the problem with their partner and friends before talking to their parents or teachers.

"I was so frightened to talk to my father about it because I was always causing him problems," Bird said. "But when I eventually told him, he said that I should take responsibility for the baby."

For many girls, it can be even harder to talk to about their pregnancy, especially when their boyfriends refuse to accept responsibility.

"My boyfriend asked me if the baby was his and I was devastated," 15-year-old Fon said. "He left me for another girl and has never taken any responsibility for his child at all."

Annie faced a similar situation of having to deal with her pregnancy alone.

"My boyfriend told me that he'd find a place for me to get an abortion," she said. "I agreed because I thought there was no other option, but then my boyfriend disappeared, so I didn't do it."

ADULT ADVICE

Surprisingly, most of the young people at the seminar said that they didn't want an abortion because they were afraid of the dangers involved. Some also believed that it was a sin. However, in some cases, their parents or teachers suggested that they go ahead with an abortion anyway.

"My girlfriend's mother suggested having an abortion by drinking medicine, but I disagreed, so we ran away together," Benz said.

Some teachers were apparently willing to assist their students with finding ways to have an abortion.

"A girl at my school told her teacher about her pregnancy and the teacher told her where she could get an abortion," Bird said.

DEALING WITH THE DILEMMA

After experiencing these problems, students at the seminar suggested that there should be a safe place for people to have abortions legally.

Some of the guys also said that they wished pregnant girls didn't have to drop out of school.

"I wish there is a law that allowed pregnant girls to continue with their school studies," Bird said. "Having to leave school only aggravates the problem."

For their part, the girls felt that guys should be made to take responsibility for their part in unplanned pregnancies.

"Even if the guy wants to break up with his pregnant girlfriend, he should at least still be responsible for his child and help support it financially," Fon said.

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The names of the people interviewed for this story have been changed to protect their identities. - Editor