...Teens and Pregnancy Before we venture into the controversial aspects of teen pregnancy, I think that it is important to answer a vital question. This question addresses how teen pregnancy has evolved and how times have changed to bring upon such a serious issue. To begin answering this question we must take a look back in time to the roles of women and men in our society. Teen pregnancy is not just a rare virus that has recently sprung up and will someday disappear due to some type of cure. Adolescent pregnancy has plagued our country for many centuries, but it is only more recently that we have noticed its growth and severe impact on many aspects of society. The social change that leads to this visibility is not only based on a change in sexual behaviors, but it also is based on a change in the nature of adolescence. These changes begin with the decline of the average age of menarche. The social changes that affect this deal with the raising of the average age of marriage, standard attitudes towards marriage as a sacred institution, and economic shifts which have led to a need for longer educational careers. These changes have produced pockets of urban poverty where education is often not valued or taken seriously. Unfortunately, the need for higher education is reflected in the fact that only at levels after high school has enrollment increased in recent years, and only in the late teens are whites more likely than blacks to enroll in an educational institution. Due to...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
...Teen Pregnancy Before we venture into the controversial aspects of teen pregnancy, I think that it is imortant to answer a vital question brought up by one of our classmates. This question addresses how teen pregnancy has evolved and how times have changed to bring upon such a serious issue. To begin answering this question we must take a look back in time to the roles of women and men in our society. Teen pregnancy is not just a rare virus that has recently sprung up and will someday dissapear due to some type of cure. Adolescent pregnancy has plagued our country for over three centuries, but it is only more recently that we have noticed its growth and severe impact on many aspects of society. The social change that lead to this visibility is not only based on a change in sexual behaviors, but it also is based on a change in the nature of adolescence. These changes begin with the decling of the average age of menarche. The average age for menarche in girls ten years ago was 14.2; this age has dropped by two years since then. The average age for menarche today is 12.2. This statistic suggests that since girls are capable of having children at younger ages they are also more apt to have sex at a younger age. The social changes that effect these statistics deal with the raising of the average age of marriage, standard attitudes towards marriage as a sacred institution, and economic shifts which have led to a need for longer educational careers. These changes have produced...
Words: 1287 - Pages: 6
...Reducing Teen Pregnancy and Promoting Health Equity As part of President Obama's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI), CDC is partnering with the federal Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) to reduce teen pregnancy and address disparities in teen pregnancy and childbirth rates. The OASH's Office of Adolescent Health supports public and private groups to fund evidence-based or innovative teen pregnancy prevention programs that are medically accurate and age-appropriate. TPPI is focused on communities with the highest rates, with an emphasis on reaching African American and Hispanic/Latino youth. To reduce teen pregnancy and childbirth rates, programs will need to use broad strategies designed to reach a majority of youth in a community. They also will need to use more intensive strategies that are tailored to reach youth who are at the highest risk. The goals of the TPPI are to Reduce the rates of teen pregnancy and childbirth in priority populations. Increase the number of youth who have access to evidence-based or evidence-informed programs designed to prevent teen pregnancy. Increase links between teen pregnancy prevention programs and community-based clinical services. Educate stakeholders about evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies designed to reduce teen pregnancy and about the needs and resources of the priority communities. Organizations funded through this partnership will address all of these goals. In 2010, CDC provided 5-year...
Words: 324 - Pages: 2
...Jnae Young Professor Leigh Ann Christian English 101 Teen pregnancy is now an epidemic in the United States; teens are having unprotected sex knowing the repercussions and consequences of it. “Nearly one million teen girls get pregnant each year. Nearly four out of 10 young women get pregnant at least once before they turn 20.1 Each year the federal government alone spends about $40 billion to help families that began with a teenage birth (Statistics ).” This new social phenomenon is spreading widely and becoming a calamity. The consequences of teen pregnancy are devastating. Some parents are left to raise kids on their own as single parents, and some teens have to drop everything and do not even get to finish high school. Children born to teen parents have higher rates of foster care placement, teen parents struggle with finance issues, and it is more likely for babies to be neglected when born to teen parents. Abstinence of course is the number one prevention method for teen pregnancy, which is the only method that is one hundred percent effective. If tens just waited until they were older, instead of having sex so quickly there certainly would not be as many teen mothers. The reality of the situation at hand is that teens are having sex and at very young ages, do not use contraceptives and get pregnant. One real common cause of teen pregnancy, that being unprotected sex. Teens are not using contraceptives as much as they should and some not at all; the reasoning behind...
Words: 2673 - Pages: 11
...Teen pregnancy is a pregnancy in female human-beings who are below the age of twenty years. Teen pregnancy should be highly discouraged has it has effect on the teenage mother and the baby born. The teen mother may face complications such as premature labor, medical complication during the pregnancy period, at child birth or after child birth and are likely to drop out of school. Teen pregnancy is highly influenced with; drug and alcohol usage among the teens, lack of good education and parental guidance, high age difference for those in relationships, sexual abuse, dating violence, the environment the teen was brought up in, lack of contraception, and traditions that result into early marriages. Firstly, drug and alcohol usage among the teens which is mostly as a result of peer influence from other teenagers or adults. Alcohol and drugs influence teenagers to indulge in unplanned sexual activities and other risky doings including unprotected sex and this eventually results in teenage pregnancies. Increased drug and alcohol usage among the teens has resulted in significant increase in the rate of teen pregnancy. The rate of pregnancy among teens who use drugs and alcohol is higher than among teens who do not use. Secondly, lack of good education and parental guidance has also contributed to increased teen pregnancy. Most parents and people avoid talking to teens about sex and at times they give false guidance regarding sex matters and they highly discourage the teens of...
Words: 396 - Pages: 2
...Teen Pregnancy Sabrina Marbury COM 172 June 19, 2012 Jessie Creech Teen Pregnancy In the United States more than one million teenage girls become pregnant every year (Plotnick, 1997). Only 13% of those pregnancies are intended (Plotnick, 1997). Teen Pregnancy has been defined as a teenaged or under aged girl becoming pregnant. Getting pregnant as a teenager gives her a higher risk of running into social aspects and economical issues that surround today’s teenage parents. Teens today are not educated the way they should be on safe sex or teen pregnancy. There are some consequences, big decisions, and great responsibilities a teen has to face once she is pregnant. Most girls seem not to care about being pregnant and overlook the matter that they are carrying a human being. Having a baby at a young age affects the life of the teen as well as the life of the child. Teen pregnancy has been a major concern in society today because of the lack of education and guidance teens have about safe sex and also the effects it brings upon the child and the mother. One main cause of teen pregnancy is the lack of education ("Lack of Parental Guidance," 2004). The lack of education on safe sex is a cause of teenage pregnancy, whether it is from parents, school, or a friend ("Lack of Parental Guidance," 2004). Teenagers with less education about sex and teen pregnancy are more likely to have an unintended pregnancy. Some teenagers chose not to discuss sex with parents because they feel...
Words: 1256 - Pages: 6
...Teen Pregnancy Is A Social Issue There is no doubt that teen pregnancy is a growing problem within the United States. Teen pregnancy will have a big impact on both the parents, child, education, welfare, employment and social service, also the society as a whole. The United States has the highest rate than any other country where teen pregnancy is an issue. There are many factors that comes into play when teenagers considering having children. Many teens who get pregnant without considering the consequences that they will have to face Although pregnancy is an emotional challenge for teenage girls, but it is a social problem that is affecting various things. Some individuals understand that this is a concern to the teenagers, but not everyone understand the consequences that our society have to face. 85 percent of teen is sexual active around the age 15 and 19. Throughout this paper I will be discussing why teenage pregnancy is a social problem and the various problems and consequences it have on our society. First the teenage mothers, the baby and on to the new parents. Dramatic changes need to be made before it destroy our society. The youth need to be educated more about unprotected sex and the consequences that comes along with it. There are several reasons why teen pregnancy occur. Majority of the time teen pregnancy occur because of peer pressure. Teen pregnancy is a natural drive to conform. “The main reason that peer pressure is so easily driven by teens...
Words: 1724 - Pages: 7
...Teen pregnancy and resulting births pose many societal challenges, and as a result require the collective efforts of many to provide solutions. Teen pregnancy has been considered a "social ill" for centuries in the United States and has always challenged moral and ethical sensibilities. The economic costs of teens giving birth are significant, and there are many compelling reasons to reduce the teen pregnancy. Research shows that reducing the number of births to teens and increasing the age at which a women gives birth yields significant cost savings for the public sector. Efforts to reduce teen pregnancy are mainly focused on prevention and sex education is a large part of the effort. Current sex education programs focus on two main strategies, they are: abstinence only education and abstinence plus education. Abstinence only teaches that abstaining from sexual activity is the only truly effective way to prevent unintended pregnancy. Abstinence plus education focuses on delaying the initiation of sexual activity and recommends the use of contraception if a teen is sexually active. The success of abstinence only education has been exaggerated according to many sociologists and researchers. Scientific research indicates that abstinence plus education is actually much more effective in preventing teen pregnancy. Solving the problem of teen pregnancy has largely been relegating to treating the symptoms of the problem and employing prevention strategies aimed at young women. Sociologists...
Words: 3809 - Pages: 16
...Teen Pregnancy Teen pregnancy is a very important issue, especially in the United States where approximately one million girls become pregnant each year. Though public assistance, foster care, and child health care these pregnancies cost the U.S. at least $7 billon per year. About one third of girls in the U.S. become pregnant before the age 20, 8 in ten of these are unintended and 80% are to unmarried teens. There are many health risks not only for teens but for the baby as well. One third of teen pregnancies end in abortion but those who choose to carry out there pregnancy run the risk of experiencing complications. This is mostly because teens are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, take drugs, and eat unhealthy during there pregnancy. Smoking during a pregnancy cause cause the baby to be extremely premature or the baby can be born with SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome. Premature babies can also have under developed organs and are more than 100 times as likely to die. Other problems that prematurity can include breathing problems, bleeding in the brain, vision loss and intestinal problems. During a pregnancy it is very important to have parental care and because lacks of money teens usually don’t get the proper care they need. There are also many problems that teen pregnancy can cause other problems dealing with physical health. Only a few teens look at adoption as an option which contributes to teen mothers living in poverty and dropping out of school. Only 40%...
Words: 373 - Pages: 2
...Disheka Butler April 18, 2014 BEHS 343 Topic# 17 (Teen Pregnancy) The parenting theory I choose to identify is “Consumption and the Crisis of Teen Pregnancy” (Wright, 2005). Teen pregnancy has been called an "epidemic" and a national emergency. Stereotypes of teen parents abound: they are said to be uneducated, irresponsible, abusive, immoral, and destined to a life of poverty (Buchholz, 1993). When teens get pregnant a lot of them are prejudged by their peers, school mates, parent’s friends and sometimes strangers. Most, if not all, teen mothers are stereotyped as young girls in the community who drop out of school to raise their baby and work at a dead-end job for the rest of their lives. Most people believe these teen mothers do not have any further education from high school or their General Education Diploma (GED). In today’s society, it is thought that if you become a teen mother your life is basically ruined and over. You serve no purpose to the community and only pose as a failure. Typically, when people look at a young teen mother they automatically assume she is not a good mother, and that she most likely has no education because she probably didn’t or doesn’t go to college, yet alone graduated from high school. Nobody believes these young girls can handle parenthood with learning. They believe if you have a child at a young age your only choice is to drop out. The concrete and practical theory focused on how teen mothers prepare for their children and parent life...
Words: 562 - Pages: 3
...Jeremy Fannon English 081 December 11, 2014 Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Easy as One, Two, Three “If adolescent pregnancy prevention is to become a priority, then our strategy, as advocates, must contain two key elements: civic engagement and education”. The rate of teen pregnancy is growing dramatically because there are so many uneducated teens and they are careless of the consequences that come with unprotected sex. Teens do not think about the responsibility and problems that come with having a child. Parents can also play a role on why teen pregnancy has become more common these days. There are many ways to prevent teen pregnancy we just have to educate and make birth control options easily accessible to teens. Teen pregnancy can be prevented we just have to make an effort. Teens do not have the money to buy contraceptives to prevent pregnancy. Condoms and all types of birth control should be free and easily accessible to teens. We can raise taxes and the money raised from taxes can be used to provide free condoms at high schools, pharmacies, doctor’s offices, and liquor stores. Many hardworking tax payers may argue that they shouldn’t have to pay more taxes to help irresponsible teens but it’s better to pay less taxes on providing free contraceptives, than paying more taxes on supporting these teen parents that will most likely need government assistance which will be coming out of tax payers pockets. “Teen childbearing costs U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars...
Words: 1256 - Pages: 6
...TEEN PREGNANCY Half of the teen girls aged fifteen to nineteen who became pregnant were not using any method of birth control. Among those, thirty-one per cent said “they did not think they could get pregnant at the time” (Chicago Tribune 2012). Teen pregnancy makes the lives of teens and their parents more troublesome and crushes their dreams of a great future. Pregnancy should happen when you are prepared for it. Parents usually have high expectations their children. When their child becomes pregnant as a teen, their expectations are not met and their life is full of disappointment. The expenses of a baby are extremely high, so many of the teens parents have to help financially. Pregnancy is one of the most pivotal moments of a woman’s life but not when you are young with a bright future ahead. The stress of pregnancy, revelation of pregnancy to parents and friends, and moving on despite the shame and worry, can be nerve-racking. Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school (.only one-third of the teens receive a high school diploma). Teen pregnancy presents a challenge; so many pregnant teens today feel empty, betrayed, and lost (Today’s Pregnant Teen march 01 2007). Teen pregnancy can be risky to unborn babies. Teen pregnancy results in underweight babies due to poor eating habits. Many teens smoke and drink alcohol, are likely to not receive prenatal care (Today’s Pregnant Teen march 01 2007). Pregnancies which occur often in teens will result in more costly...
Words: 453 - Pages: 2
...Kesha Williams Mrs. Short English 12A Teen Pregnancy Did you know that about 40 teenage girls get pregnant for every 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19? Teen pregnancy remains a significant problem in American society but there are steps that can help teens take responsibility for their sexual activity and avoid unintended pregnancy. According to Planned Parenthood, 80% of all Americans have sexual intercourse before the age of 20. 1 out of 20 females between the ages of 16 and 20 ends up carrying an unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancies fuel an abortion rate that some argue is murder and all agree emotionally traumatizes all of the parties involved. In this day and age the rate of teenagers who become pregnant has substantially increased. I myself am not one of them, but having a few friends who became pregnant at a very young age I've learned quite a bit about it. Now, I am not saying that teenage pregnancy is wrong or right. For some teenagers it could be a very joyful experience if they are mature enough to handle it. It can teach those lessons about life and responsibility. For the less mature teens, it's a disaster. Preventing teenage pregnancy has been a goal for many years now. Statistics have tried to keep up with the change in the teenage generation. Many people have different opinions on the subject of teen pregnancy, because to some people teens seem to be getting pregnant expeditiously in these times. People fail to realize that having a baby is a...
Words: 887 - Pages: 4
...you know teen pregnancy is one of the most alarming issues in our country today. Teen pregnancy has been an issue for decades. Even though the numbers have changed it still remains an issue. Figuring out why the number of teens giving birth is so high and ways to prevent is very important. It is important that we know the risk factors and that we educate our youth about those risks. . In 2009, there were around 410,000 teenage girls, ages ranging from 15-19, which had given birth in the United States. And that is a 37% decrease in the teen birth rate in 1991. There are many risk factors for teen pregnancy. Having lack of knowledge on ways to prevent pregnancy, peer pressure, and society. In a study done by Kearney and Levine (2012), “ a teenage girl in Mississippi is four times more likely to give birth than a teenage girl in New Hampshire”. Teenagers who are uneducated about sex and contraceptives are more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy. Giving our youth the knowledge of every option they have to prevent pregnancy is the key. Teaching our youth about abstinence is not always effective. So it is important to educate them on every contraceptive there is available to them such as birth control pills, depo shot, condoms, and the IUD. This does not just stand for our teenage girls, it is also important that we educate our young men as well, considering they do play a major role in this as well. Peer pressure is also a major factor regarding teen pregnancy. Teenagers...
Words: 590 - Pages: 3
...Teen Pregnancy and Sex Education in America: Cause and Effect Teenage pregnancy is a problem that affects many people. It is not just a problem to the girl and her family, but it also has a significant impact on society as a whole. Reducing the number of teen pregnancies would help promote child well-being and decrease child poverty rates.1 More comprehensive sex education courses would help teenagers better understand how to protect themselves and, in turn, would help reduce the number of teen pregnancies in the United States. Among fully industrialized countries, the United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy. The rate of teen pregnancy in the United States is almost twice that of Great Britain, four times that of France and Germany, and over 10 times that of Japan. US taxpayers spend $7 billion a year on teen pregnancy.2 The numbers around teen pregnancy are alarming. Thirty-four percent of girls get pregnant at least once before age 20, resulting in more than 820,000 teen pregnancies a year. Less than one third of teen mothers get a high school diploma, and only 1.5 percent gets a college degree. The maternal death rate for teen mothers is 2.5 times greater than for mothers ages 20 to 24. Teen mothers are also at greater risk for complications such as poor weight gain during pregnancy, pregnancy-induced hypertension, anemia, sexually transmitted diseases, and cephalopelvic disproportion. 3 Babies born to teenagers are more at risk for premature...
Words: 1100 - Pages: 5
