Teen Pregnancy

TEENAGE PREGNANCY
INTRODUCTION
Teen Pregnancy is a major concern in todays society, although the teen pregnancy rate has declined over the past 20-30 years, the United States still has the highest teenage pregnancy rate. Most teen pregnancies that occurred 20-30 years ago were to married women, while today’s teen pregnancies are due to unwed mothers. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Although teenage pregnancy is decreasing over the last decade, there are still to many young women out there that have to learn the responsibilities of taking on such a huge task at a very young age. Sadly, many of these pregnancies could have been avoided if the teens had received proper education on the importance of birth control.

How many teens are becoming pregnant? * Despite declines in rates of teen pregnancy in the U.S., about 820,000 teens become pregnant each year. That means that 34 percent of teenagers have at least one pregnancy before they turn 20. * 79 percent of teenagers who become pregnant are unmarried. * The main rise in the teen pregnancy rate is among girls younger than 15. * Close to 25 percent of teen mothers have a second child within two years of the first birth. * 80 percent of teenage pregnancies are unintended.
Studies show that children born to teenage mothers have a higher probability being jailed, being academically challenged, and have a higher risk of becoming teen parents themselves. This doesn’t mean all will fail, and critics of the studies/statistics note this correlation isn’t causality. Comprehensive sex education, covering all means of birth control is more effective at reducing unwanted pregnancies than the “abstinence-only education.” Lessons in responsibility are as important as lessons in sex.

EFFECT ON SOCIETY
Teen pregnancy brings a large amount of social and economic costs. In 2008, pregnant teens and childbirth accounted for nearly $7 billion per year in costs to U.S. taxpayers for increased health and foster care. Pregnancy and birth contributes to high school drop put rates among girls as well as lower earnings potentials for teen mothers. Within the first year of becoming teen mothers, one-half of unwed mothers will go on welfare. The percentage of the teenage mothers that will receive welfare every year is 80%. With the price of taking care of a child on the rise the taxpayers are now paying for it. The most common ways to prevent teenage pregnancy is to use condoms, go on a birth control pill, or get the birth control shot. There are nearly two-thirds off teenagers that are having unprotected sex due to the fact they are not understanding the significance and effect that having sex, just once can do to their life.
Breakdown of Ages Becoming Pregnant * 8 percent of teens that are fourteen years old. * 18 percent of teens that are fifteen to seventeen years old. * 22 percent of teens that are eighteen to nineteen years old.
Risks and Complications Becoming a teen mother can add to the stress of everyday life, but it can also pose greater health risks for the mothers of these unplanned pregnancies’. Teenage mothers have higher risk of anemia, cervical cancer, high blood pressure, and a greater risk of having a miscarriage. The mothers’ children also are at a higher risk to get SIDS, fetal distress, having behavioral problems, being born prematurely, late development, and low birth weight.

While the teen mothers have to endure a lot, they are not the only ones who face tough decisions. Teenage fathers have to face the changes also. The fathers sometimes at their age are not ready to provide much financial or emotional support, but they know the responsibility to help out with the child is theirs. Teen fathers are always in shock when they receive such news such as a partner becoming pregnant, and think that its surreal. Ultimately, the decision is not the fathers as to whether to keep the child or not. Most of the time the teen fathers request paternity tests to check the D.N.A. of the child.

RESULTS OF SURVEY While teen pregnancy is become a popular, common thing in todays society, almost everyone knows someone personally that had became a teenage mother or father. Most people seem the think that unwanted teenage pregnancies can be about 90 percent prevented with the proper education about sex. Teen boys and girls are simply not receiving the proper instruction and information on this matter because it is still deemed unacceptable to discuss by some parents and adults. When it comes to methods to prevent teen pregnancies most know that abstinence is not a practical option. Teens are going to be teens that’s why they need to be taught more on other methods that the know about and not be embarrassed to ask for help on methods such as condoms and birth control. The bottom line is teens are not practicing safe sex or the rate of unplanned teenage pregnancies would be significantly reduced. While most believe in the saying “you do the crime, you pay the time” and say they would decide to keep the child if a teenage pregnancy were to happen to them, some would consider adoption, or even abortion.