If what adoption centres say is anything to go by, the city is fast becoming a place where teenage pregnancies are on the rise.
Adoption centres in the city say that they have had cases of teenagers including college students in live-in relationships approaching them with unwanted love children. At Society of Friends of Sassoon General Hospital (SOFOSH) there have been three to four such cases in the 3-6 months Three months ago, an engineering college couple approached them with their child.
"It is sad and shocking but it is true that such cases have happened recently. It is a worrying scenario because these students are educated, have access to information and also resources like chemists and doctors to terminate unwanted pregnancies. Yet there have been cases, where they had reached a stage when the pregnancy could not be terminated and they did not want the child," said Madhuri Abhyankar, director of SOFOSH.
Live-in couples
She gave the example of a recent case where a young couple from a popular engineering college came to the centre and said that they wanted to put their unborn child up for adoption. The couple was in a live-in relationship and did not want to inform their parents or get married. In another case, a medical student couple was in a live-in relationship. The couple, which is expected to get medical degrees next year, gave up the child for adoption immediately the day after he was born.
Abhyankar said that couples often come to them after the fifth month of pregnancy, after which termination becomes risky. "First we counsel them to confide in their parents and get married. However because of certain societal pressures if they cannot do so then we help them get enrolled in a hospital to have the childbirth as they find it difficult to do so. As soon as the baby is born, it is taken into our care. Although we have been requesting the birth mothers to come and at least breast feed their child," said Abhyankar.
Counselling
Counsellors at adoption centres too have had a few stray cases. At Koregaon Park's Bhartiya Samaj Seva Kendra too, there have been cases of college students coming to them with problems of unwanted pregnancies. "It is shocking because these kids are so young. But the centre has been trying to help them out. Even the couples go through an emotionally tough time giving up their children at such a young age," said a volunteer.
Gynaecologists agree that unwanted teenage pregnancies are on the rise in the city.
"The main problem is that youngsters depend on the morning-after pill which can have its own failure rate.
There have been cases of youngsters coming to us at a late stage of pregnancy stating that despite having the emergency pill they became pregnant. And because they are so young, they keep quiet until it is too late as they feel shy to consult doctors," said gynaecologist Dr Uma Wankhede.
Psychiatrist Dr Jyoti Shetty said part of the problem is lack of sex education at a young stage of life.
"Teenagers need to be taught basic sex education at school level itself so that youngsters are aware of contraception and even remedies if unwanted pregnancy occurs. Rather than being judgemental, parents should have open discussions and connect with their children. If such a situation arises, kids can confide in them. And most important if kids are living away from home, parents should know what they are up to and be in touch with them," she said.
Source - Mid-day
