Backgrounds of Teenage Motherhood and Abortion in The Netherlands.

Backgrounds of Teenage Motherhood and Abortion in The Netherlands, Cecile Wijsen, Rutgers Nisso Group, The Netherlands

Despite its good reputation for reproductive health, The Netherlands has seen rising abortion and teenage pregnancy rates recently. I investigated the backgrounds of teenage mothers to gain insight into why a girl gets pregnant and how she decides to have a child or an abortion. Three data sources were combined to investigate the teenage mothers: the national abortion and pregnancy rates for the period 1993-2003; the results of a qualitative study of 36 teenagers who had been pregnant, including psychological, cultural, and decision-making factors; and the findings of a quantitative survey on sexual and reproductive health of a representative sample of Dutch young people. I found that pregnancy rates differed markedly among ethnic groups. The teenage pregnancies were caused by either a desire to have a child, by non-effective contraception use, or by bad luck. Three main factors can explain teenage pregnancies: sex education by parents and schools is not adequate to empower girls with the knowledge and skills they need to prevent pregnancy; many girls who get pregnant lack a sense of direction, and having a baby seems to be the solution; and Dutch girls who become pregnant tend to have traditional sex attitudes, so they do not orchestrate their own sexual encounters. The reproductive health of Dutch teenage girls is not as good as it used to be. Some young people do not have the required knowledge or skills to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Furthermore, there is a group of teenagers who have a latent desire to have a child. Having a child offers them a goal in life and emotional warmth. Sex education programs should therefore include information about the consequences of having a baby at a young age.