Teenage Pregnancy - Essay Example

Teenage pregnancy: Introduction: Comparison and contrast of East and West It was the fifth day of the fourth month of their third year in USA when Sonakshi Sharma, the 15 year old daughter of Mithlesh Sharma and Mumta Sharma suddenly started to feel dizzy and caught a vomit. Mumta worried if Sonakshi had eaten anything rotten on her way back from the school, but Sonakshi said she had not. Mumta and Mithlesh let go of it as Sonakshi regained the balance shortly after the vomit, thinking of it as the effect of pains Sonakshi lately took for the exams.

But it happened again two days later. It was Sunday and Sonakshi had not even stepped out of home since morning. She had only eaten the porridge Mumta poured into her plate in the breakfast. Her exams had been over for two days and she had not even opened any book since then. Her dizziness and vomiting could not be associated with any eating disorder. Mumta was worried more than ever before. She took her to a doctor, and after a couple of tests, she was declared pregnant. That was the doom’s day for Mumta and Mithlesh.

Their 15 year old daughter had been in a physical relationship with John Good, the boy next door for the last four months. They could not hurt her against the law, though they so wished they had been in India where they could ferociously beat their daughter. Mumta could not bear it and poisoned herself to death. Having lost the wife and the love for his daughter, Mithlesh got extremely depressed. What worried Mithlesh more than everything was that Sonakshi had not respected the cultural traditions of India, according to which, girls do not fornicate outside marriage.

He thought it did not matter in USA, but it would certainly not be approved of in India. So he thought about marrying his daughter to John. He explained the whole scenario to John’s parents, Martha Good and Andrew Good who were pure Americans. Having heard the news, Martha and Andrew totally denied the proposal saying that a girl with such a weak character can not make part of their family. Mithlesh got to learn about the Western response to teenage pregnancy when Martha and Andrew told him how they had broken all ties with their own daughter, Sony Good who had become pregnant in teenage without marriage.

They said that if they can not forgive their own daughter for the very reason, there is no point giving Sonakshi a place in their home. Martha and Andrew said that they did not even chase Sony after she left the home with her boyfriend, and would never see her again even if she died at the threshold of the main door of their house. According to them, Sony had tarnished their image in the whole family. They were practicing Christians and would not tolerate any such thing at any cost. Mithlesh realized that “pregnancy in teens is a problem and has nothing to do with the class of people or family these girls come from.”