Presidency announces action plan to reduce teenage pregnancies

[Dolores]

President Luis Abinader was accompanied by First Lady Raquel Arbaje when he announced on Tuesday, 8 December 2021 at the Presidential Palace, an action plan to reduce child unions and teenage pregnancies. He said the efforts seek to turn around the present situation where 77 out of every 1,000 women between 15 and 19 years of age have already become mothers.

The action aims to unite the efforts of all government institutions and several civil society institutions to reduce statistics such as that of teenagers giving birth to 35% of births in public hospitals. 22% of these teenagers are less than 15 years old.

“If these problems persist, we will never achieve true socioeconomic development (…) it is necessary to give quality of life and dignity to the Dominican people,” said President Luis Abinader in making the announcement of the plan...

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[CristoRey]

Really?
Short of mandating chastity belts for teenage girls he can forget about it. Another fine example of how out of touch this guy is with his own culture.

 

[Big]

it all about education,.. period. Educated and schooled teenagers understand that a condom is a barrier between a normal and healthy life as apposed to a miserable existence,. (to a degree)

 

[NanSanPedro]

it all about education,.. period. Educated and schooled teenagers understand that a condom is a barrier between a normal and healthy life as apposed to a miserable existence,. (to a degree)

I agree in theory, but it's so cultural. Same thing in the USA.

 

[zoomzx11]

snappy dressers these two.

"Action plan" caught my attention for a sec.
Sounds more like admitting there is a problem and we do not know what to do besides ''' make efforts".

 

[zoomzx11]

Being American and a man of action, my plan begins with buying them off to begin. .
Pay them for not being pregnant each year.
Then Fund a good sex ed promotion, make birth control look sexy.
Safe sex is fine,, disease and unwanted pregnancies are the problem.
Nice little check each year or maybe half every six months?

 

[JD Jones]

Better than nothing.

 

[AlaPlaya]

Education is key. I've heard from a few people that Dominican girls don't learn about birth control pills etc until after their first child.

 

[Liberator]

Education is key. I've heard from a few people that Dominican girls don't learn about birth control pills etc until after their first child.

Normally, as a mother, you also protect your daughter from your own 'mistakes' or examples within your family. It passes from mother to daughter (in many cases) Education starts within the family..... but anyway, Dominicans don't seem to take things very seriously, as with many others.

 

[La Profe_1]

Education is key. I've heard from a few people that Dominican girls don't learn about birth control pills etc until after their first child.

This is very true. However, as others have mentioned, there is a cultural part to the problem too.

I wonder how many of those pregnancies can be traced to the issues of child marriage and of older men taking a young girl as a "wife?"

Too many families allow that simply because they do not have the resources to care for their children.

I have done some work with several of the orphanages in Puerto Plata. In most cases, the children are not really orphans but rather have been placed there by parents unable to care for them.

I will never forget the story of a father who placed his twelve year old daughter because his wife had gone off with another man. He said that he wanted his daughter to be cared for and protected better than he could manage with the hours he worked each week.

 

[JD Jones]

Education is key. I've heard from a few people that Dominican girls don't learn about birth control pills etc until after their first child.

Having a baby is a goal for many young uneducated girls.

I have run into many girls through the years who couldn't wait to have a baby. I remember one girl I met who was 20 yrs old with 4 babies.
When I asked her why, she replied "Para salir de eso"

I had a housecleaner once who had tried various times to have one. She couldn't believe she was the only one in her group of friends who didn't have one. She got pregnant twice and lost them both, and the third time she got her wish.

 

[CristoRey]

Have a girl living in my building who is 15 years old. She just had her first child earlier this year. During the pandemic/ lock down I remember seeing her being picked up and dropped off many times by multiple men who were much older.
Times were hard for many people during the lockdowns but them bills still had to be paid. It's a cultural thing that took generations to create and it's a cultural thing that's going to take generations to get rid of.

 

[NanSanPedro]

I have run into many girls through the years who couldn't wait to have a baby. I remember one girl I met who was 20 yrs old with 4 babies.
When I asked her why, she replied "Para salir de eso"

I don't understand. Yes, my Spanish sucks. I went thru a translator and I still don't understand.

 

[malko]

I don't understand. Yes, my Spanish sucks. I went thru a translator and I still don't understand.

To get out of this.... Literally.

 

[NanSanPedro]

To get out of this.... Literally.

That's what I got, but I still don't understand. To get out of what? Living with your parents? I mean, if you're in poverty, having a baby ain't gonna lift you out.

 

[malko]

It's a big bag of knots that will take a while to unravel.

Amongst other reasons

- Dominicans think their kids are their pension, if you will....... More and more, leads to a rude awakening.

- Dominicanas think that it will " chain" their man to them......we all see how that turns out.... but they still believe/wish.

-Dominicans think it is manly to have a bunch of kids-- that more often than not they struggle to feed and clothe--and somehow improves their social status.

 

[malko]

That's what I got, but I still don't understand. To get out of what? Living with your parents? I mean, if you're in poverty, having a baby ain't gonna lift you out.

They often erroneously think the father will support them and their kids....... Obviously they don't, so they try again with someone else, and so on.
And end up living a miserable life, and so do the kids.
But pride does not allow them to admit it, nor warn their kids, so the cycle continues.

 

[reilleyp]

It's a big bag of knots that will take a while to unravel.

Amongst other reasons

- Dominicans think their kids are their pension, if you will....... More and more, leads to a rude awakening.

- Dominicanas think that it will " chain" their man to them......we all see how that turns out.... but they still believe/wish.

-Dominicans think it is manly to have a bunch of kids-- that more often than not they struggle to feed and clothe--and somehow improves their social status.

Yes yes yes and yes. The true end result? Out of 16 kids, only two of them and three grandkids will actually step up to the plate when grandma and grandpa are struggling at 96 years old. The rest will wait for the funeral to cry for two weeks and flog themselves in fake pain, waiting for the attorney to divide the estate. Same in every country. This other poster who wants to give out checks is living in a fantasy world. You then have a check, five fathers, false hope, 16 kids and no real future. Most likely the checks, if they ever happen will end at menopause. Again, same in every country. Women need to get a clue and the guys throwing their sperm and lies around need to think about the starving kids they leave after their weekend fun.

 

[Lucifer]

I don't understand. Yes, my Spanish sucks. I went thru a translator and I still don't understand.

Para salir de eso: To get it over with

 

[badpiece33]

it all about education,.. period. Educated and schooled teenagers understand that a condom is a barrier between a normal and healthy life as apposed to a miserable existence,. (to a degree)

They not wasting money on headlights for moto conchos, you think they going to waste money to buy something your going to throw away? jeejjeje