In response to these alarming figures and the recurring phenomenon of teenage pregnancies, the Association of Independent Midwives and the Association of Midwives of Romania have launched a guide aimed at helping reduce this record number.
According to the two associations, over 84,000 of these births were to mothers aged between 15 and 19, while more than 3,600 were to mothers under the age of 15.
“Current statistics warn us that almost half of all underage mothers under 15 in the European Union are in Romania,” says Melania Tudose, licensed midwife, doctor of medicine, and president of the Independent Midwives Association.
She emphasizes that the bodies of underage girls are not physically prepared for motherhood, and pregnancy at such a young age is also harmful to their psychological development. Studies show that early pregnancies can lead to long-term health and emotional issues for both the mother and the child.
In the view of the two associations, a major cause of this problem is the lack of reproductive health education among adolescents.
Despite long-standing discussions on the need for sex education in schools, such programs are still absent. Conservative politicians and the church have opposed them, arguing that such classes would encourage children to become sexually active.
The newly launched guide seeks to support policymakers, professionals, and the general public in understanding and addressing this pressing health issue.
It was developed in response to the needs of hundreds of thousands of adolescents who live in fear of unwanted pregnancies, suffer from gender-based violence, endure sexual abuse, and are left without adequate protection from authorities.
It also addresses the situation of underage mothers who are forced into extremely early motherhood.
“Every year, approximately 12,000 adolescent girls — some of them still children — lose the chance to achieve their full educational and health potential and to participate in the labor market because they gave birth far too early,” says Carmen Ungurean, head of the Noncommunicable Disease Prevention Department at the National Institute of Public Health.
“Everyone should have access to comprehensive sex education and sexual and reproductive health services — including young girls who have already become mothers,” adds Hinke Nauta, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.