On air: How young is too young to have a baby?
| 13:36 UK time, Thursday, 4 November 2010
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She's ten and she's a mum. An unidentified Romanian girl has given birth in Spain, it's understood that the dad is 13. Despite from many parts of the world, her own mother says she's happy about the birth, which she described as "something common in my country".
The girl apparently arrived in the country already pregnant and now authorities in Andalusia are deciding whether to take the child into care. A UN report says 10% of girls in low- and middle-income countries become mothers by the age of 16.
In February this year a Chinese schoolgirl gave birth to a baby boy. In 2008, 177 children were born to girls aged 14 or under in Spain. Here is a list of the
John in Singapore says on our facebook page
Apparently the girl's mother is happy about it, and if she is also supportive, it is best for the baby and her future that they be allowed to keep and bring it up.
Kihumuro Phillip in Uganda posted on facebook
I think the problem is that there is child neglect and this exposes the children to do whatever they want to do: including sex that leads to pregnancies that are unwanted
Gina just Gina in California on facebook says
Can a kid of 10 be a decent mother? Not likely. If all is at face-value and if I were a policy-maker in Spain, I'd have to step in & get that baby out of there. And possibly the 10-year-old too for that matter.
Women who decide to delay childbirth until their late 30's or even early forties are often .
Other women look at options like because they haven't met the right person until later in life.
Anecdotally young girls have much easier births than older mums. So is there an argument if you are old enough to get pregnant you are old enough to be a mum? Or is it about your mental capabilities as well as your physical ones? This article argues that
I was 32 when I had my daughter, I remember visiting my doctor to tell him I was pregnant and he looked at my age and said I would be considered a "young mum" in the area in which I live.
So what is the right age to have a baby?
