Teenage pregnancy in the Bahamas: trends and characteristics

This survey of 99 pregnant teenagers in clinics on the island of New Providence, Bahamas, produced data suggesting that they are similar to their counterparts in urban clinics in the U.S.A. The pregnancies usually came from relationships of many months' standing, which were meaningful to the young mothers, rather than from "promiscuous" sexual behavior. Few of the young mothers had been using birth control before they became pregnant, sometimes because of a lack of expectation of needing it or from fear or ignorance about birth control, and sometimes due to an inability to organize their lives sufficiently to find, purchase, and use regularly the contraception that would have prevented the pregnancy. Most of the young mothers felt that abortion was sinful and would not have used it at any time. It is suggested that these general characteristics of teenage pregnancy are common in Western societies and are related to the perceived loneliness and uselessness of the teenage period. The pregnancies often may be seen as an attempt by teenagers, who see relatively little future for themselves in traditional education and employment, to strive for a creative life rooted in loving relationships.