Teenage pregnancies have become a major concern in Costa Rica as 14,000 girls under the age of 19 became pregnant and over 500 girls under 14 years gave birth last year.
In 2009, a total of 570 girls under 14 years became mothers, while 658 pregnant girls had given birth in 2008, the Costa Rican Social Security Fund said in a report. On an average, one girl under the age of 14 gives birth daily in hospitals.
The total number of teenage pregnancies up to 19 years of age in 2009 reached 14,380, which represents 20 percent of the nation's total, Luis Guillermo Ledezma, director of the Women's Hospital in San Jose, said.
A few of the pregnant girls were raped by a relative or friend, officials said.