Limited Healthcare Resources Complicate Pregnancy for Teens in Liberia

The World

Warning: This report contains descriptions that may not be suitable for everyone.

A greater proportion of women die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth in Liberia than in almost any other country in the world.

It is very common for 13-year-old Liberian girls to get pregnant.

Their bodies are not ready to cope with pregnancy and that causes all sorts of complications.

Complications that can be made worse by the way traditional midwives work — in some cases even sitting on the mother’s stomach to “help” her deliver her baby.

The BBC’s Sarah Montague went to meet some children having their own children.

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