Teenage Pregnancy: Mother's Excuse On Fighting Poverty

Last week Saturday we had a discussion in one of our lectures about teenage pregnancy on some of the reasons behind it and we try to use South Africa as our case study or point of interest. What got my attention was what one of my colleagues said as one of the primary causes of teenage pregnancy in South Africa today POVERTY. It so surprising and humiliating that a parent will send their teenage daughter to go get pregnant so they can receive R400 monthly grant from the government. I do believe the South African Government located social grants on teenage girls who get pregnant because firstly as a government they need to provide for the social well being of its citizens and also gives the girl a second chance in life.

Approximately 30% of teenagers in South Africa have ever been pregnant a huge majority of it is unplanned and the ages lies between 13-19 years. Yes we all know the main reason for teenage pregnancy is poverty and lack of education. In the Eastern Cape alone 65 percent of girls between the ages from 13 to 19 already have about three kids of their own and are not even married.  “The whole family! The mother is giving birth, the daughters also some of the daughters even infected HIV, kids having kids. They are some families with 8 kids and they surly rely on the government grant of R400 per month for each child for the well being of the family. Some women carry the notion of more children more grants and so even force their girl-child to go get pregnant so they could get more money from the government. This is so disgusting and to extend can be seen as child abuse.  

I do not think those mothers know the consequences of their actions because they turned to base their mind surly on the grants which they are going to get for each child. Some people have argued that the grants which those teenage mothers get from the government is what is encourages them to get pregnant at a very tender age of 13.  But the government has denied that its policy has led to unwanted pregnancies. A study in 2006 by the country’s Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) determined that since the child support grant was enacted in 1998, only 20 percent of teen mothers received the payment, since most could not produce identity documents to quality for the money. But those studies were made in 2006 and 9 solid years has passed might be it needs to be revised. I do believe the only question which we got on our minds now is "should the Government stop financial grant for teenage mothers"? I will leave that you readers to answer that.