puttingherinhistory:

The Independent reports that pregnancy-related problems such as “bleeding, blood poisoning, obstructed labour and complications resulting from unsafe abortions” are the leading causes of deaths in teenage girls around the world. The World Health Organization reports that around 3 million unsafe abortions are performed on girls aged 15 to 19 every year.

But it’s not just the teenage mothers that are at risk; the Save the Children report found that babies with teenage mothers have a 30 percent greater risk of infant mortality than those born to slightly older mothers in their twenties. The report warned that unless young girls are given greater access to contraceptives and family planning methods, the situation could worsen. In order to lower and eliminate pregnancy-related deaths worldwide, the NGO hopes to increase and improve access to contraception for young girls.

“It’s unacceptable that so many young girls are dying simply because they don’t have access to contraceptives like condoms or the pill, or because of myths and cultural barriers,” said Kirsty McNeill, Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Campaigns of Save the Children UK. “Girls need to be given greater access to contraceptives, and contraceptives should be made free. We also need to ensure that myths about family planning are dispelled so that every girl feels empowered to decide what happens to her own body.”

Right so this article is good, where it falls short is talking about who impregnates these teenage girls in the first place. A large percentage of the men who fathered these teenage pregnancies are adult men, not teenage boys who are around the same age as these teen mothers. Also, teenage girls who are “dating” or “sleeping with” (aka being groomed by and taken advantage of by) adult men are statistically much more likely to become pregnant than teenage girls who are dating or sleeping with teenage boys who are closer to their own age.

So, adult men grooming and taking advantage of teenage girls is one of the leading causes of death for teenage girls.