Key Benefits:
Parliamentary Group
Draft Resolution No. 192 /X
Recommends to the Government measures to prevent adolescent pregnancy
An advanced democracy, a modern country, can only consider that the place of the
teenagers is at the School. Their learning is still taking place.
So we condemn child labour, so we advocate for compulsory education, so
we bet on the qualification and training of young people.
Pregnancy in adolescence interrupts, how many times abruptly this process. How
affirms Maria José Alves, physician obstetrician and responsible for the Gravity Inquiry and
Contraception in the Adolescence of Maternity Alfredo da Costa " Early pregnancy is
norm for some, transgression for others, but glue them to the skin the mark of the
vulnerability ".
Portugal is the second country in the European Union with the highest number of pregnancies in the
adolescence and the figures demonstrate that this trend is maintained.
The consequences of a teenage pregnancy are many and varied and encompass diverse
aspects: from the physical and psychological consequences, to educational ones, to economic ones, to the
relational and reach out to the girl, the boy and his son or daughter.
One of the consequences, often, is the risk of the teen becoming pregnant, for after
a first pregnancy is not accompanied by contraception services and counseling.
In many situations the pregnancy is the fruit of chance, of the "little luck" what raises another
problem-unprotected sexual relations that expose the and adolescents to infections
sexually transmitted.
The criminalization of abortion contributed in a lot to that this reality was not known.
The clandestine to which many young people were forced impeded to take action
suitable.
The size of this problem, puts it as imperative, to study, to make the diagnosis and
as a consequence a National Plan for the Prevention of Gravity in the
Adolescence.
All actions should be directed towards girls and boys, including a perspective of
gender equality, thus contributing to equality between women and men along the
young generations.
In the regimental and constitutional terms, the Assembly of the Republic, meeting in
plenary, deliberating to recommend to the Government:
1-Realization of a nationwide, exhaustive study, on adolescent pregnancy, by
concelho, which will propose a real diagnosis of the situation.
2-In sequence of this study and in line with the diagnosis a must be drawn up
National Programme on the prevention of teenage pregnancy according to the realities
concrete.
3-This Plan is to be drawn up by a group of experts at the level of Health and
Education, which should evaluate the few experiments ever conducted in this area.
4-Ensure, in the immediate way, at least one service of care and advice to young people
in each concelho, articulating health services, the Youth Institute, the structures
municipal information and non-Governmental Organizations.
5-Deploy what is consigned to the Portaria 52/85, Article 3: " Centres are created
of care for young people in the health centres and hospitals to initially deploy at level
regional and progressively in the remaining health structures, to the extent that the
preparation of the professionals necessary for their operation to allow ".
6-Ensure that it is complied with the provisions of Article 5 of Law 120/99: " Young people can be
served in any family planning consultation, albeit in a health centre or
hospital service that is not from the area of your residence ", ensuring the disclosure of these
services in an accessible manner in schools and other places frequented by young people.
7-Promoting information and awareness campaigns targeted at adolescents and young people
on sexual and reproductive health, regular and properly assessed.
8-Include the prevention of adolescent pregnancy in all programs of fighting against the
poverty.
Palace of S. Bento, March 9, 2007,
The Deputies and Deputies of the Left Bloc,