Teen Pregnancy
Introduction
In recent years teen pregnancy is increasing rapidly, it seems to have become a fashion statement. There are so many teenagers becoming parents while still attending high school. Most experts believe that teen pregnancy is declining but unmarried teen pregnancy is increasing. I believe it up to us to set an example for the children and teenagers today, what do you believe?
“Even though teen childbearing overall has declined steeply over the last half-century, the proportion of all teen births that are non-marital has increased equally dramatically from 13% in the 1950s to 79% in 2000. Two factors are at play, the first is that marriage in the teen years, which was not uncommon in the 1950s has become quite rare. (By the mid-1990s, the typical age of first marriage in the U.S. has risen to just over 25 for women and 27 for men.) The second is that this trend has extended to pregnant teens as well: In contrast to the days of the “shot-gun” marriage,” very few teens who become pregnant nowadays marry before their baby is born” (Boonstra , February 2002) The teen pregnancy rate in the United States has decreased remarkably since 1991; however, this rate remains the highest among industrialized nations (Ventura, 2002). Nearly 1 million young women 15-19 years of age, or 20% of all sexually active women in this age group become pregnant each year. The majority of these pregnancies are unplanned (Henshaw S.1998 , Trussell J. 1988). The effects of a teen pregnancy (or pregnancy before age 20) on young mothers and fathers, their children, and society as a whole can be profound. Young mothers are more likely to drop out of school to require public assistance and to live in poverty. In fact, teen mothers have earning that average less than one half of the poverty level (Maynard RA. 1997) It has been said that television could be one cause of teen pregnancy. “Due to the onslaught of movies from Hollywood that are romanticizing unexpected teen pregnancy, it
In recent years teen pregnancy is increasing rapidly, it seems to have become a fashion statement. There are so many teenagers becoming parents while still attending high school. Most experts believe that teen pregnancy is declining but unmarried teen pregnancy is increasing. I believe it up to us to set an example for the children and teenagers today, what do you believe?
“Even though teen childbearing overall has declined steeply over the last half-century, the proportion of all teen births that are non-marital has increased equally dramatically from 13% in the 1950s to 79% in 2000. Two factors are at play, the first is that marriage in the teen years, which was not uncommon in the 1950s has become quite rare. (By the mid-1990s, the typical age of first marriage in the U.S. has risen to just over 25 for women and 27 for men.) The second is that this trend has extended to pregnant teens as well: In contrast to the days of the “shot-gun” marriage,” very few teens who become pregnant nowadays marry before their baby is born” (Boonstra , February 2002) The teen pregnancy rate in the United States has decreased remarkably since 1991; however, this rate remains the highest among industrialized nations (Ventura, 2002). Nearly 1 million young women 15-19 years of age, or 20% of all sexually active women in this age group become pregnant each year. The majority of these pregnancies are unplanned (Henshaw S.1998 , Trussell J. 1988). The effects of a teen pregnancy (or pregnancy before age 20) on young mothers and fathers, their children, and society as a whole can be profound. Young mothers are more likely to drop out of school to require public assistance and to live in poverty. In fact, teen mothers have earning that average less than one half of the poverty level (Maynard RA. 1997) It has been said that television could be one cause of teen pregnancy. “Due to the onslaught of movies from Hollywood that are romanticizing unexpected teen pregnancy, it