MUHAMMAD SYAHMI BIN HASHIM (AP00831)

SET 4
CRITICAL ANALYSIS: REACTION PAPER

On 2nd Mac 2016, a talk was held from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. conducted by Prof.
Madya. Dr. Suzaily Bt Wahab , Psychology Department in the Medic Faculty of UKM
who discussed with the students on Abuse and Teen Pregnancy. It was a talk I totally
agree and found interesting and useful indeed. Based on information from the speaker, I
found that as sexual abuse of female children and adolescent pregnancy have gained
increasingly widespread public recognition as problems in our society, the relationship
between early abuse and teenage pregnancy also has become a focus of attention.
However, differences in definitions of abuse, methods of inquiry and study populations
have led to discrepant conclusions. Some studies of adolescent mothers and pregnant
adolescents have documented a high prevalence of sexual abuse, ranging from 43% to
62%. However, other studies of pregnant teenagers have reported a sexual abuse
prevalence of 15-26%, rates no higher than those most commonly reported for the general
population of women.
Moreover, a significant correlation exists between childhood sexual abuse and teen
pregnancy. An estimated 60 percent of teen girls first pregnancies are preceded by
experiences of molestation, rape, or attempted rape. In one study, between 30 and 44
percent of teen mothers were victims of rape or attempted rape. Up to 20 percent of girls
become pregnant as the direct result of rape. I have always felt that sexual abuse is
undoubtedly a reproductive justice issue, as it concerns a womans right and ability to
make choices about her sexuality and her body. But heres an even more tangible reason
why sexual violence and the choice when and if to have a child are inextricably
connected. In my opinion, teen pregnancy is not simply about girls and boys being
promiscuous, or lacking access to sex education or contraception. Too often teen
pregnancy is about girls losing agency over their bodies because of the unbearable
injuries of being sexually violated.

Futhermore, found that sexual abuse was strongly associated with adolescent
pregnancy, primarily through the strong association between sexual abuse and high-risk
sexual behavior. The association between sexual abuse and adolescent pregnancy appears
mediated in this way for two reasons. First, although a history of sexual abuse was
strongly associated with reported sexual intercourse, it was not predictive of pregnancy
among girls who had engaged in sexual intercourse. Second, when high-risk sexual
behavior, which is strongly associated with sexual abuse, was added to a multivariate
model, the effect of sexual abuse on pregnancy was no longer significant.
Underneath the discourse about the educational strategies needed to prevent teen
pregnancy lies a much harder and complex issue, violence in girls lives leaves them at
risk for teen pregnancy, especially for girls of color. I am a person who has long believed
that sex education should actually be about sex rather than just about contraception, and
that discussions of consent and sexual violence prevention education and I mean real
prevention education, not watch your drink need to be a part of that. But I still had not
considered such a strong cause and effect relationship between the two until now and it
certainly makes me think about that high rate of teen pregnancy at any high school from a
whole new angle.
Based on my reading, sexual violence can play different roles in teen pregnancy.
Many girls become pregnant because of coerced intercourse. Other abused teen girls
become pregnant because girls subjected to sexual violence typically lose a sense of
control over their bodies and often descend into a disembodied self. Unintended
pregnancy can be the manifestation of sexually violated girls loss of connection to and
agency over their physical selves. Girls affected by sexual violence need support to
reclaim their bodies and to make reproductive health decisions from a place of strength
and health. Strength-based programs such as PACE Center for Girls in Florida and Girls
Educational and Mentoring Services in New York seek to restore abused girls self-worth
and alleviate the injuries of sexual violence.

Teenage pregnancy can happen to any teen who has sex. You do not know if they
were raped. You do not know if they just were not sober. You do not know if their birth
control failed. You do not know if they were trying. We are just teens, who are parents.
That is the only evidence that we have of our "bad mistakes". All I can say is teen
pregnancy is linked with various types of violence, including intimate partner violence
and sexual abuse, and often leads to other risky behavior. It is also the case that teens who
are pregnant are at increased risk of experiencing domestic violence. The alarming rates
of teenage pregnancy in the lives of girls broken by sexual violence, so many of whom
are girls of color require us to revisit the current discourse on teen pregnancy. We must
recognize the role of violence in girls reproductive journeys, and emphasize the
importance of effective, evidence-based, gender-specific programs and interventions to
protect girls from abuse and to heal them if or when it occurs. That means any campaign
to reduce teen pregnancy must also become a campaign to reduce the unacceptable levels
of violence against girls and to give all girls the opportunity to realize their full person
hood, equality, dignity, and worth.