Abuse likely culprit in early pregnancy

When news sources mistakenly reported a young mother's age as nine (instead of her early teens, as later revealed), several organizations expressed concern. But there was also mockery on social media from people who found childhood pregnancy a laughing matter akin to children playing with dolls or having sleepovers at friends' homes. When reports surfaced that the child mother was in fact older, some used the information to underestimate the gravity of the case.

The ordeal begs medical and sensible examination. First, although some children begin to menstruate earlier than others (age nine is now more common for the onset of menarche than it was in previous generations), their bodies are not ready to sustain a pregnancy. A child or young adolescent's bones are not optimal for bearing the weight and birth of a baby without danger; and parenthood ideally requires the psychological maturity of an adult. Moreover, becoming a parent so early in life usually brings lifelong economic challenges for mother and offspring. These are the basic facts, but how about what the situation most likely reveals?

Children and young adolescents do not have the emotional maturity to consent to sexual intercourse, and this is certainly recognized by law in most civilized nations. Thus, a case such as the one of this young Mexican girl reveals no more no less than the great probability of sexual abuse. In this case, authorities seemed to have confirmed the fact by identifying the child's 44-year-old stepfather as the infant's biological father. Clearly sound option was not a factor in the child's pregnancy and motherhood. She became pregnant as a consequence of abuse inflicted by an adult, and she became a mother because the adults responsible for her may not have presented the option of termination.

The situation of this young girl is full of violence, given that she was in effect raped and subsequently denied the choice of a medical abortion (for which she would have qualified under Mexican laws that allow the procedure when a pregnancy results from rape or endangers the mother's health). Reports now reveal that after performing a Caesarian section to safely extract the infant, doctors inserted a birth control device in the mother's uterus to prevent near future pregnancies. While this decision was likely motivated by good intentions, many have criticized doctors for supposedly making it without gaining prior approval from the child mother's mother, who is her legal guardian.

But the implications of their decision are even more complex, given that in this case temporary contraception will only prevent the outward manifestation of sexual abuse. Doctors chose a sterile solution to a filthy problem. Although police has since arrested the stepfather for his crime of sexual assault on a minor, the victim is still potentially vulnerable to abuse by others. Her hormonal contraceptive will only shield the presence of future assault—it will not treat her psychological wounds and prevent additional trauma.

More fundamentally, this unfortunate case raises the issue of children's safety and what governments are doing to safeguard their innocence—and privacy (the name of the young mother discussed here appeared in several news outlets, as evidenced in the links above). The trend of child abuse seems to run high in Mexico (or perhaps most cases reported originate there), where local research shows that one in every four general pregnancies comes from an adolescent. In itself the trend is alarming, but it also has sociological repercussions, given that teenage mothers generally remain poor and uneducated, thereby generating a cycle of poverty for their children.

While social and government workers continue to make efforts to curb teenage pregnancy in Mexico, such attempts will make only a dent in statistics if officials do not acknowledge the problem of child abuse. No one knows for sure the exact number of pregnancies resulting from sexual abuse in Mexico, and I imagine that this is not a topic of research favored among officials; but the country would benefit significantly in the long term if everyone—layman, politicians, educators, medical professionals, clerics—tackled the problem as a growing social crisis.

For the record, Mexico has signed international treaties vouching for the protection of women and children. However, these efforts often fall short because the treaties' terms are not fully translated into domestic legislation and contingent action. It seems the way forward is undeniably dependent on public pressure—we the people must demand change and pressure authorities to enforce laws that convict rapists and offer reproductive choice to women and girls.

Yali Noriega prepared this text with assistance from e-feminist staff.