The Vice Presidency and the Ministry of Economy are prioritizing initiatives that can revert the present situation where the Dominican Republic leads in teenage pregnancies in Latin America.
Vice President Raquel Peña, who is also the Abinader Health Cabinet coordinator, said that working on these challenges is a priority for President Luis Abinader. She said the situation is “unacceptable.”
Economy Minister Miguel Ceara Hatton presented findings of a recent study: “Early Union and Teenage Pregnancy in the Dominican Republic: Two Continuing Challenges.” The study reveals that one out of every five adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age becomes pregnant or has been pregnant in the Dominican Republic. Teenage pregnancy has a significant impact on the development of young people.
The study was carried out by the Vice Presidency of the Republic together with the National Statistics Office (ONE) and the United Nations Population Fund (Unfpa), with the participation of the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Youth.
The study revealed that for every teenager who sought to be pregnant, three did not plan the pregnancy. The study reveals that pregnancy occurs across all social levels, but more so in low-income groups. Likewise, it mentions a lack of comprehensive education on sexuality and lack of adequate and systematic contraceptive methods.
The study was carried out with a sample of 4,946 adolescents.
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Relief Web
29 September 2020