Teen pregnancy has always been a source of public debate, but the latest phenomenon among some young moms-to-be has brought even more controversy to the issue. Shocking new reports have found that a number of women in South Africa's Cape Town are actually purposely drinking heavily during pregnancy so that their babies will be born with fetal alcohol syndrome, which will then allow them to qualify for disability grants.
Can you believe anyone would ever do something so horrifying?!
After hearing of these incidents, the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research looked closer into the gruesome trend and also discovered other cases in which women drank heavily in hopes of aborting unwanted babies.
Read more ¿Qué más?: Drinking during pregnancy: What is really okay and what is not?
"There seems to be a developing trend to drink to kill the unborn baby or cause harm to get grants," the foundation's CEO, Leana Olivier said, also revealing that in some provinces, fetal alcohol syndrome is a bigger problem than HIV/AIDS.
Hearing of the whole trend just makes me sick. I know these women are young, but I just can't imagine what kind of person would purposely set out to ruin, or even take away, their own baby's life. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding a pregnancy, once it happens, it's up to the parent to take responsibility for their child. Exploiting them to receive a grant or to get rid of them is so unbelievably cruel. Just think of those poor, innocent babies!
I hope that the women who committed these crimes were duly punished, if only to show other female teens in the area that the horrible practice will not be tolerated and to teach them to shape up and handle their own pregnancies without putting their child at risk.
Image via Thinkstock
