The legal system is no friend to pregnant teens in the Czech Republic,
according to the Prague Daily Monitor. Because Czech law only permits gifted or handicapped students to follow
individualized study plans, pregnant teens must either take a full high school
course load throughout their pregnancies or discontinue their studies until
they are able to do so—which, with a newborn at home, may not happen for a long time, if at all.
Czech police also aggressively investigate cases of
underage intercourse, whether or not it’s consensual. The case of one
13-year-old girl will be under investigation as soon as she gives birth, with
her 17-year-old partner facing up to four years of prison.
Considering the unfortunate situations these young parents-to-be
find themselves in, Czech sexologists recommended increasing
sex ed. in schools and in families, saying that better informed girls are more
likely to use birth control and to have fewer sexual partners.
Looking on the bright side, the Prague Daily Monitor reminds its readers that teen pregnancy rates in the Czech Republic remain very low—unlike in "other countries like the United States."
Photo: supernannyrules.com
