Thai Teen Pregnancies Blamed For More Disabled Babies

[webfact]

Teen Pregnancies Blamed For More Disabled Babies

By THE NATION

Thailand's huge rate of teen pregnancies is one of the main reasons for the growing number of children with disabilities - whose poor health also means their average life span is less than 20 years, a senior official said yesterday.

Social Development and Welfare Department (SDWD) chief Prapon Phanthu said the approximate rate of premature pregnancies in Asia was 56 cases for every 1,000 people, but Thailand topped this figure with about 70 girls under the age of 20 getting pregnant out of every 1,000 people. While campaigning to prevent premature pregnancy and urging pregnant teenagers to seek pre-natal care for the sake of their babies' health, the department also plans to link with local administrative bodies to set up 40 centres to look after children with disabilities. It would set up 20 of these centres this year and another 16 next year, he said.

This would help families and communities to take care of such children and lower the number of children with disabilities sent to state-run homes, which have suffered staff and budget shortages.

An informed source said one reason for staff shortages was while civil-servant positions were replaced when people retired, permanent positions for people to care of children were cut when people retired. The challenging nature of the job, which demands great patience, also meant some carers were opting to look for work elsewhere.

With budget shortages now at a critical level at state-run homes and schools for children with disabilities, staff have been overwhelmed trying to look after children in their care.

Social Development and Human Security Minister Issara Somchai said yesterday he had ordered the welfare department to calculate funds and manpower needed so he could discuss with related agencies how to get more positions to replace people who retire, and get more cash to hire more caregivers.

The information would be included in the budget plan for the 2013 fiscal year put to the Budget Bureau, he said. Issara said the ministry would join forces with related organisations to campaign for teenagers to abstain from sex and try to stop premature pregnancies. Moves to do this would be tried in Kamphaeng Phet first.

-- The Nation 2011-03-09

[asiawatcher]

This sort of stupidity in this statement from supposed responsible ministries, is pathetic - even if originated by The Nation. Teen pregnancies causing deformities? Hardly. The young mothers are more capable than most elder mothers. Disabilities in 90% of cases comes down to lack of nutrition and particularly mineral deficiencies. If the pregnancies can be isolated to poor communities then there 'could' be an argument. But hardly. The additional deformities stem from parents with such things as drug dependency, heavy smokers, alcohol consumed during pregnancy and so on. The young bodies are far more capable of strong pregnancies if education as to deformities and disablement were taught. Making stupid statements such as headlined here indicates arrogance far outweighs ignorance.

[geriatrickid]

Perhaps the growing incidence of disabled children is a reflection of a failure to provide prenatal and neotal healthcare as well as access to competent obstetricians? And at the risk of drawing the ire of those opposed to family planning and pregnancy terminations, the difficulting of accessing such services? It's somewhat odd, that environmental factors (e.g. pollution, living in close proximity to chemical processors, the uncontrolled use of herbicides and pesticides, the contamination of water sources etc.) and poor nutrition are not considered. All in all, a rather shoddy article.

Edited March 9, 2011 by geriatrickid

[Chris Lawrence]

I read the title but can't see where the information in the article actually supports the title? I would have re phrased the title to read 'Thai Teen Pregnancies blamed for poor English Grammar'; it makes as much sense.

The article is about lack of support in state run institutions supporting children with disabilities. Very hard job helping low functioning children with a disability particularly when they start cutting funding. But you can't blame a particular group.

For example Downs Syndrome has a greater chance occurring in older women than younger women. Not sure of stats for other types of disabilities. GT is right in saying that greater access should be made to family planning clinics as a way of curbing teen pregnancies.

But then again a lot of people want the reward of helping and maybe promoting this career choice as a way of getting people to move into the area of helping institutions serving children with disabilities.

Or is there a social stigma in the culture of working in disabilities? Not sure.

[dumball]

There is a social stigma for being disabled , or have mental health problems for that matter , somehow they feel it is catching , go figure .

[Littlebirdy]

Ignorance is bliss!!! How can anyone expect teenagers to abstain from sex!? The other week I read a story on here whereby the local 'officials' took away condom machines from an area where sex is sold. So condoms are evil, sex before marriage is disgusting and teenage mothers cause birth deformities. Have the American bible brigade finally broken Thailand??

[canuckamuck]

Any Thai article regarding science or research of any kind should immediately placed in the joke section, because the only real value in them is their humorous attempt at sounding knowledgeable

[NowImEasy]

Ignorance is bliss!!! How can anyone expect teenagers to abstain from sex!? The other week I read a story on here whereby the local 'officials' took away condom machines from an area where sex is sold. So condoms are evil, sex before marriage is disgusting and teenage mothers cause birth deformities. Have the American bible brigade finally broken Thailand??

Another jackwagon blaming America for Thailand woes.

Please grow up and get a life.

[andrew55]

So, did I read it right?

They consider this issue so urgent that they're tossing around the idea of a trial in Kamphaeng Phet, if they can get funding, which they plan to submit for to the 2013 budget. I wonder if there is a Thai word that indicates the urgency of manyana?

Under 20s higher risk of premature? If true what's the reason? All things being equal this should not be the case. This is either incorrect or there is an extraordinary cause - maybe 'very' young pregnancies? Better check that one. They need to break this into say under 14s and and 14-20s to see if it means something.

Disabled folk are a problem. Can be a huge drain on poorer families. These families are often very rural and less than educated. They also have the least access to competent health services in the 1st place.

I think a real study on the rates and the relationship to age, socio-economic, pesticide exposure, substance abuse, health care quality and availability (dare I say genetics?) etc etc could at least give some indications. This article is BS. It says nothing.

I would suspect that poor attempts at self abortion may be a sad contributor. I know of several mothers with an 'unlucky' child. They had tried to terminate their own pregnancies in 1st trimester with instructions from a friend. Stay drunk on the home made plastic baggies of rice whisky for 7 days. Eat 'off' food. Overdose on laxatives. Wash down a cocktail of every tablet you can lay your hands on with booze... In later term it gets worse. You can imagine. I am not suggesting that my anecdotal observations are of a scientific sample, but it might warrant investigation.

I wonder how numbers of congenital and aquired disabilities compare? Mum didn't lactate or provide colostrum. Poor diet for infants(red cordial only),. motorcycle accidents, workplace injuries and toxic exposure.

I would like to think there is hope, but I fear a Pandora's Box.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

The fact that a person is born disabled is due to the fact that they did evil things in their previous life. This goes for the mothers too, and probably most people unfortunate enough to have to work in such environments.

So it's only fair that they all receive the punishments coming to them.

My (now-ex) girlfriend used this argument to explain why she was justified in leaving me when we ran into some economic problems.

Almost funny. . .

[ETatBKK]

confused, very confused ! what would be the 'intended' message from this officer :

A) less teenagers sex ?

B ) less teen pregnancy ( don't call it premature pregnancy ) ?

C) less deformities ?

D) more budget ?

man, what could he control :

NOT A), B ), C)

would it be D) ?

did he mention or even consider the term 'sex education' ? perhaps this is something sceret !

Edited March 9, 2011 by ETatBKK

[Nisa]

2 weeks ago they ran the story about removing condom machines from schools. Next we will be hearing about plans to have mobile brain surgeons patrolling the streets to better handle all the head injuries caused by helmet-less motorbike riders. God forbid they try to take a cheap approach to anything such as educating people and youths. Many countries have gone through these problems and they have been able to reduce teen pregnancy dramatically. Many teens in Thailand that get pregnant aren't even aware they are pregnant for 4 to 6 months or until they go to the hospital believing they have a stomach ailment. These girls are not even educated in schools to understand that missing your period is a clue that you might be pregnant.

[andrew55]

I had to do my best sell to convince my Thai wife to have the birds & bees talk with her 2 teenage sons. It's just not spoken about.

[hammered]

It gets boring reading time and again how youth or young people lifestyles are wrong and causing bad things.

[exbelg]

this is a no brainer... old people are not replaced when retiring... hard to guess that this would lead to a problem of civil servants, expect in thailand ????

[sirchai]

Ignorance is bliss!!! How can anyone expect teenagers to abstain from sex!? The other week I read a story on here whereby the local 'officials' took away condom machines from an area where sex is sold. So condoms are evil, sex before marriage is disgusting and teenage mothers cause birth deformities. Have the American bible brigade finally broken Thailand??

Not just the American Bible Brigade. Jehovah's Witnesses. 7 Days Adventists, Mormons, and some others are doing their best to confuse the already very confused folks. :jap:

[andrew55]

The fact that a person is born disabled is due to the fact that they did evil things in their previous life. This goes for the mothers too, and probably most people unfortunate enough to have to work in such environments.

So it's only fair that they all receive the punishments coming to them.

My (now-ex) girlfriend used this argument to explain why she was justified in leaving me when we ran into some economic problems.

Almost funny. . .

Sadly true for many. Science is going to take a while.

[sirchai]

There is a social stigma for being disabled , or have mental health problems for that matter , somehow they feel it is catching , go figure .

Thailand's education is so strange that as a few weeks ago an article here stated that some mattayom 1 students were using plastic bags as condoms.

An English Gentleman came up with the right expression. Naam Prick in Saitung. :jap:

[andrew55]

It gets boring reading time and again how youth or young people lifestyles are wrong and causing bad things.

No offence intended hammered, but I just re-read the thread and still can't see where that was written. I may be wrong. Can you help me?

[drdoom6996]

This sort of stupidity in this statement from supposed responsible ministries, is pathetic - even if originated by The Nation. Teen pregnancies causing deformities? Hardly. The young mothers are more capable than most elder mothers. Disabilities in 90% of cases comes down to lack of nutrition and particularly mineral deficiencies. If the pregnancies can be isolated to poor communities then there 'could' be an argument. But hardly. The additional deformities stem from parents with such things as drug dependency, heavy smokers, alcohol consumed during pregnancy and so on. The young bodies are far more capable of strong pregnancies if education as to deformities and disablement were taught. Making stupid statements such as headlined here indicates arrogance far outweighs ignorance.

I completely agree with this statement. I would like to add that education about the above said problems could help if done properly. But saying that education does not seem to be a priority here either.

[silp1979]

This sort of stupidity in this statement from supposed responsible ministries, is pathetic - even if originated by The Nation. Teen pregnancies causing deformities? Hardly. The young mothers are more capable than most elder mothers. Disabilities in 90% of cases comes down to lack of nutrition and particularly mineral deficiencies. If the pregnancies can be isolated to poor communities then there 'could' be an argument. But hardly. The additional deformities stem from parents with such things as drug dependency, heavy smokers, alcohol consumed during pregnancy and so on. The young bodies are far more capable of strong pregnancies if education as to deformities and disablement were taught. Making stupid statements such as headlined here indicates arrogance far outweighs ignorance.

the helpless mothers left alone by society use all kinds of drugs and tricks to get rid of the baby, if it still gets born it is most likely disabled...

[jimbeam1]

It is quite natuaral for teen girls to have babies. By this I don't mean, say 13 to 16 year olds.

What isn't natural is when the babies father is also it's grandfather?

jb1

[Cuban]

Will the study look at kids in a rural environment, being around a farm generally gives a sex education to many, and compare birth deformity rates with farming chemical exposure?

Study to be sponsored by one of the agro-chemical companies - I'm sure it will get a clean bill of health.

[astral]

It's somewhat odd, that environmental factors (e.g. pollution, living in close proximity to chemical processors, the uncontrolled use of herbicides and pesticides, the contamination of water sources etc.) and poor nutrition are not considered. All in all, a rather shoddy article.

Over the years that I spent in Thailand I never got over the number of deformed

babies that I saw. e.g. extra fingers and thumbs seem to be common.

I would put that down to envormental pollution...........

Down's syndrome often comes from having a partner in a small community

where there are already blood links.

None of which have anything to do with Teenage pregnancies............

[moobie]

As a previous Poster cited a teenager is probably in the prime age group to give birth to a healthy child.

However, in the UK recently a MP of Asian background caused a bit of a stir when he condemned the practice of marriage between 2nd cousins. This practice which is common in the likes of Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities can and does create a greater chance of producing a child born with disabilities.

Hence, blaming a teenage woman for falling pregnant is not productive but discovering who the partner is and the distance between the family ties maybe.

I hope this adds well to the discussion.

[truethailand]

It is quite natuaral for teen girls to have babies. By this I don't mean, say 13 to 16 year olds.

What isn't natural is when the babies father is also it's grandfather?

jb1

if that was not so true it would be funny. A massive problem in some areas of Thailand, not simply incest but inbreeding is a problem that is well and truly under the carpet and will never be discussed at government level. Where peoples life revolves around a particular 10km radius the potential for men to father babies from 2 different mothers that then grow up apart, meet, marry and make more babies is immense. In some places there has been no new blood in the gene pool for decades and girls marry the man of their parents choice. All this inbreeding is shown up in the reports such as IQ level and why its so low in certain places in Thailand.

None of the inbreeding is intentional it just happens as there is insufficient birth registrations available to check bloodlines. The only way forward, not 100% guaranteed, is to DNA test all couples who intend to get married or create a pregancy. Yes its controversial but unless new blood is introduce to this land they will keep watering down the strength of the next generation

[ETatBKK]

While campaigning to prevent premature pregnancy and urging pregnant teenagers to seek pre-natal care for the sake of their babies' health, the department also plans to link with local administrative bodies to set up 40 centres to look after children with disabilities. It would set up 20 of these centres this year and another 16 next year, he said.

This would help families and communities to take care of such children and lower the number of children with disabilities sent to state-run homes, which have suffered staff and budget shortages.

I read this news 3 times. actually it is not at all related to the subjects we are discussing here ! the official just blame the teen pregnancy and it brings increase amount of disable babies, and that burdens budget of the state-run homes.

I am completely dead - what an attitude that only pin points the consequence ( and blame the women ) ! I guess the next news they would blame the babies :-(

well, I see much wider and wiser discussion here, thanks guys !

[Bagwan]

Ignorance is bliss!!! How can anyone expect teenagers to abstain from sex!? The other week I read a story on here whereby the local 'officials' took away condom machines from an area where sex is sold. So condoms are evil, sex before marriage is disgusting and teenage mothers cause birth deformities. Have the American bible brigade finally broken Thailand??

Another jackwagon blaming America for Thailand woes.

Please grow up and get a life.

Why so touchy? It was merely being postulated, unreasonably and without evidence in my view, that the US bible bashers may have some influence here. I considered it a whimsical observation not an attack on the Great U.S of A. We all know that all things American are the way to go - or not.

Rather than blame the US maybe we should reflect on the receptiveness of poorly educated people to the American way of life. The fast food syndrome comes from where? Does the offerings of KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger KIng, Svensons, Taco Bell make for a healthy diet? Particularly for young mums to be? Maybe the indifference to the health of their customers might be a factor but the ultimate blame rests with the starry eyed consumer. By the same token by all means lock up the dealers in drugs but if personal responsibility is to count for anything then the blame for becoming an addict rests with the addict themselves.

Like it or not, young and uneducated peoples in many countries ape what they see on their screens and in the other media. To do otherwise would require some mental and self awareness ability. I would suggest that that is in short supply. Who generates most of the crap that appears on avidly watched screens? Who decides what is the colour to wear this 'season'? Who decides what is smart and with it, and what is not? Greedy entrepreneurs and industrialists manipulate the proletariat through the machinations of their virulent advertisements, creating peer pressure, and thus creating victims of their own lack of thoughtfulness and their desire to be one of the herd. Has everybody seen the TV advertisement that seems to say that if you buy this latest motor bike you can pass motor cars on a bend while on the way to a beach barbecue attended to by pretty ladies? What a load of <deleted>. We realise it for what it is, but does Somjai? Are not the young of Thailand of the same mould as other young and less sophisticated people? What drives people in the UK to pay an arm and a leg for a shirt identical to the one that their football heroes wear? Surely not common sense or a sense of reasonable priorities.

If I were to attach any blame to the US it would be that that it is the hotbed of capitalism. Same as Thailand, money No.1. Nobody in their right mind would say that I have sympathy for socialism but I am aware of the down side to the consumer society. Does that make you more comfortable in your Stars and Stripes cocoon?

[Chris Lawrence]

Down's syndrome often comes from having a partner in a small community

where there are already blood links.

It can be hereditary, doesn't mean a small community.

Also women are at risk in their mid to late 30's and onwards. Hereditary factors do not have to be a factor in this age group.

Just my experience. Not trying to steal your thunder Astral, but just stating the fact for Downs Syndrome.

[andrew55]

While campaigning to prevent premature pregnancy and urging pregnant teenagers to seek pre-natal care for the sake of their babies' health, the department also plans to link with local administrative bodies to set up 40 centres to look after children with disabilities. It would set up 20 of these centres this year and another 16 next year, he said.

This would help families and communities to take care of such children and lower the number of children with disabilities sent to state-run homes, which have suffered staff and budget shortages.

I read this news 3 times. actually it is not at all related to the subjects we are discussing here ! the official just blame the teen pregnancy and it brings increase amount of disable babies, and that burdens budget of the state-run homes.

I am completely dead - what an attitude that only pin points the consequence ( and blame the women ) ! I guess the next news they would blame the babies :-(

well, I see much wider and wiser discussion here, thanks guys !

Absolutely true.

Never let the facts stand in the way of a good story (yarn).