From the meeting on “Society (Not) Doing Anything About Teen Pregnancy” organized by the Network Supporting Women’s Choices for Unplanned Pregnancies, 46th session (1/2562) on January 29, 2019, at the 3rd National Sexual Health Academic Conference at Centra by Centara Government Complex Hotel & Convention Centre Chaeng Watthana.
Key Points of the Meeting
Most women who continue their pregnancies do so out of necessity because they cannot have an abortion due to advanced gestational age. There is an increasing number of women at high risk of unsafe self-induced abortions. Most feel isolated and must adapt to accept that they will continue the pregnancy until delivery. Many women with unplanned pregnancies who continue them do not receive prenatal care or only seek it late in the pregnancy, close to delivery, and may be in a vulnerable situation regarding the decision to abandon the child after birth. Examples of teenage pregnancies in the community were found.
From the experience of the project to prevent and solve teenage pregnancy problems in Nakhon Phanom province, teenagers do not yet feel safe or trustful when entering complex assistance processes. Reaching teenagers facing problems is still challenging.
Policy Proposals
(1) Define specific meanings for cases of women who become pregnant when unprepared and “continue the pregnancy” to understand the life situations of women facing problems from unplanned pregnancies to continuing pregnancies out of necessity. The period during which women continue their pregnancies until delivery is considered a critical time requiring health care services and mental health support. Clear definitions and time segmentation will lead to health and social services that align with needs.
(2) Providing counseling services for women with unplanned pregnancies who must continue them should be a quality and comprehensive process. Most women who continue their pregnancies do so out of necessity because they cannot have an abortion due to advanced gestational age, increasing the risk of unsafe self-induced abortions. The main challenge is the counseling process under pressure, which must help women not feel isolated and adapt to accept the situation of continuing the pregnancy, ensuring quality continuation and waiting for a solution that aligns with their needs.
(3) Work to build understanding at the family, community, and societal levels to reduce pressure on teenage pregnancy cases. This is an important measure to help those facing problems access safe counseling and services, especially through community processes. The community’s role in monitoring, caring for, and assisting children is crucial. Supporting children during problems and, if necessary, preparing them for services outside the community is essential. There must be a process to prepare teenagers and the community to welcome teenagers back after receiving help from agencies. Additionally, at the local level, support should be given to the children’s and youth councils to have knowledge about teenagers’ rights and sexual rights to create a safe and trustworthy space for teenagers and a channel to access referral assistance.
(4) The state must support the development of teenage mothers’ potential and the quality of life for children so that teenage mothers and children born to teenage mothers can grow into quality citizens and become important resources for Thai society as it transitions into an aging society.
(5) Relevant service units must set goals for working together, such as aiming for teenage mothers to have the maturity to help themselves, avoid unplanned repeat pregnancies, and ensure children born to teenage mothers receive standard care. This will lead to coordinated service planning and referrals in the same direction.
(6) Develop personnel in service units at all levels, especially counselors, to understand the problems faced by women who must continue their pregnancies. Counselors must develop concepts and skills in choice counseling, focusing on empowering teenage mothers to see their self-worth, recognize their rights, and understand gender inequality issues.
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policybrief1-29-e0b89ee0b884.-62Source: https://choicesforum.org/policy-brief/ Policy Proposal No. 1 to drive the development of “Service Guidelines and Protection of Rights for Teenagers and Women with Unplanned Pregnancies Who Continue Their Pregnancies” by the Network Supporting Women’s Choices for Unplanned Pregnancies, February 1, 2019.