Teenage Pregnancy

The problem of teenage pregnancy is usually seen as a controversial issue, which affects not just the mother and her child but society as a whole. Teenage pregnancy happens among women under age 20. This problem is not limited to culture, religion, education or moral values and beliefs. Here are some facts: Every year almost a million teenage girls become pregnant. The U.S.A has double the adolescent pregnancy and birth rates than any industrialized country. One- third of the girls who became pregnant as teenagers keep their babies (Teenage pregnancy, Robert T. Brown, 2002). What are the causes of teenage pregnancy? What do parents do wrong? In this essay, I would like to present some of the causes and effects of teenage pregnancy.

There are three main factors that have an influence on teenage pregnancy: media, family and wanted pregnancy.The Media is one of the factors that could diminish the sexual risk that adolescents take. However, a lot of advertisement and entertainment are obsessed with sex but they usually do not show the negative consequences of sex. People on TV or movies are depicted as having sex without consequences, which leads to young people thinking that sex is safe and they do not have to worry about the consequences of their acts.Family is the most important thing for many people. But in the last decade, people started to spend most of their time at work. As a result of this change they do not have time for their children. The absence of communication leads to loneliness and unhappiness in their children. They do not feel loved so they start looking for love somewhere else. Many of the adolescents are not particularly developed to make decisions based on reasoned understanding of the future consequences of their actions. This is called immaturity (Teenage pregnancy, Robert T. Brown, 2002) Young people also have a feeling of being protected from risky behaviour. They hope that anything bad will not happen to them. This personal myth leads to unprotected sexual activity, with all it’s consequences. (Teenage pregnancy, Robert T. Brown, 2002)Girls in teen age are more sensitive about things that are happening around them.

They often feel lonely and upset. Low self-system is often connected with depression. This may lead to sexual activity, alcoholism or drug addiction. Girls who grow up without father have a tendency to look for older man who can give them the feeling of being loved and protected. (Teenage pregnancy, Robert T. Brown, 2002)Wanted pregnancy is a special type of teen pregnancy. Girls become pregnant because they really want to. They want to make their partners happy or they expect that the baby will give them love. Other girls see peers in their social circles having a baby. And because the government contributes certain amounts of money for children, they can see the material benefit for themselves and their families (Teenage pregnancy, Robert T. Brown, 2002)The effects of teenage pregnancy are not limited to having to decide whether or not to keep the baby. The pregnancy influences society, the mother’s health, finances and emotions.One of the biggest problem are finances: Most working mothers who have had children too early are not qualified enough to get a better paying job.

The amount of money they earn is sufficient only for survival. It leads to cheap, unhealthy food, unsanitary houses and poorly equipped school for children and defective medical care. A single mother is also forced to pay bills and utilities as others but in her case it is a big problem. Inability to support her child and pay bills causes physical and mental stress.Dealing with an unplanned pregnancy has a great impact on a girl’s psyche and emotions. It is not just about changes in her body: there are other factors which a teenage mother has to deal with. This includes frustration, initial excitement, fear, resentment or confusion. Young mothers become overwhelmed with the pressure of supporting their children financially.Children suffer for the mistakes of their parents. Children raised by teenage parents start their lives with a handicap. They are automatically placed in the lower class. Children become lonely and confused. Many of these children end up having their own children at an early age. Because of poor education they end up in dead-end jobs, jail or joblessness. (The effects of teen pregnancy on children, Waltohar)In developed countries, teenage pregnancy usually happens outside of marriage, and for this reason it is viewed as a social stigma in many communities and cultures.

By contrast, in societies were teen parents are wed pregnancy is welcomed by the family and society. However, in these societies, early pregnancy may combine with malnutrition and poor health care to cause medical problems (Teenage pregnancy, Wikipedia 2006)The most immediate effects of pregnancy are changes in the body. A teen’s body immediately starts the process of adaptation and for preparation for childbirth. A teenager needs to consider the effects of activities on a baby. Because activities common for teenagers, such as drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, lack of sleep or unhealthy eating can have an impact on a growing child. Complications in pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of mortality among young girls.There are several factors which could help to solve this problem. Sexual education can teach effective contraception if teenagers choose to have a sex. It educates people about the risks of alcohol, drugs and unprotected sex. In my opinion, however, the most important thing is that parents should realize that they provide for young people during their teen years and that they should find time for talk with their children.