After giving birth to her child in a toilet, a 14-year-old mum and 18-year-old boyfriend left it outside the dad’s family flat.
The New Paper reported on the man, 18, and his 14-year-old girlfriend who are still secondary school students. The father of the abandoned child recently pleaded guilty to 1 charge of rash act, 2 charges of having sex with a minor and 2 charges of penetration using digits of a minor.
The involved parties remain unidentified under a gag order that protects the identity of the girl, currently a Secondary 1 student.
The couple first got together in 2014. The two had sex on 2 occasions at a staircase landing of the girl’s block.They decided to focus on their studies and meet up less frequently after the second incident.
The 2 encounters were enough to get the girl pregnant.
Sometime in the middle of 2015, the girl found out she was pregnant and informed her boyfriend. They kept the news to themselves. On the 2 August 2015, the girl assumed she had a stomachache and used the toilet at home where she experienced extreme pain.
She realised she had given birth when she heard the sound of a baby crying. The boy was lying there in the toilet bowl. After cleaning the baby up, she brought it to her boyfriend, but the couple was clueless as to what they should do with the child.
They ultimately decided to leave the baby in a bag outside the man’s family flat with a letter stating that the baby belonged to a single mother who could not afford to raise it.
The 2 of them waiting below at the void deck to ensure the baby was found. The baby’s cries eventually got the attention of the man’s mum, who then woke up her husband. The 2 of them then called the police. The young couple spotted the arrival of an ambulance and Singapore Civil Defence Force officers heading up to the unit.
The man’s mum called him to inform that she had found a baby as well. Five hours after, the two of them went upstairs and confessed about the whole incident.
Community Court Judge Mathew Joseph called for a pre-sentencing report and the man will next appear before the court on 4 February while the girl has been charged in the Juvenile Court for her part in the offence.
Read on to find out more about teen pregnancy and how as a parent you can deal with it.
Teen pregnancy can and does occur. What can you as a parent do about it?
Here are a few things to consider:
- Who is the baby’s father? Has your daughter told him? What did he say? Do you know this young man? What are his intentions?
- What are the options for your daughter and her baby?
You can consider marriage, giving the child up for adoption, raising the baby alone (with your help)
and most importantly, consider what does your daughter want to do. - Schedule an appointment with an OB-GYN for you and your daughter to attend together.
- Talk to the parents of the baby’s father.
- Assure your daughter that you will be there to emotionally and physically support her to the best of your ability. Let her know that having a baby will change her life, but that it doesn’t have to ruin her life.
Should your daughter keep the child, remember that there are numerous resources available for teen mums and their families. Don’t hesitate to get help from clergy, school counsellors, pregnancy and family resource centres.
Most of all keep the lines of communication open and remember that your grandchild did not ask to be born. This precious little person deserves to be loved and have every opportunity to live life to the fullest.