Untimely Pregnancy for Teenagers in the U.S.

“Quiet Courage”

One of the toughest and most heartbreaking experiences for a teenage girl is being

faced with a positive test result and not knowing who to turn to, or how she will support her unborn child. There are many teenagers all over the United States facing untimely pregnancies. Statistics on teenage pregnancy show that this is a common problem in society. “One in ten women between the ages of fifteen and nineteen are faced with pregnancy” (Birthright). Since most people do not see it in their everyday lives, not many people realize how extensive the problem of teenage pregnancy really is. According to Teen Help, “34 percent of teenagers have at least one pregnancy before they turn 20” (Teen Help). Not only is teenage pregnancy a problem to society, it can also affect the future of the unborn child as well. Teen Help reports “The daughters of teen mothers are 22 percent more likely than their peers to become teen mothers” (Teen Help). Society disapproves of teenage pregnancy for a number of social, economic, and religious reasons; but instead of judging and losing respect for these teenagers, society should offer support by means of support groups, clinics, and more education.

Society disapproves of teen pregnancy for many social reasons. “Society has a

stereotypical bias
– if you’re 16 and you have a child, you’re a whore” (Evelyn Lerman)c. Adults tend to look down on teenagers and discriminate against them for being pregnant. According to Teenage Sexuality: Opposing Viewpoints written by Tamara L. Roleff, most adults believe that teenagers should not be having sexual intercourse so early on in their lives. Peers and friends of these young women often times turn away from pregnant teenagers as well. Society tends to think that friends of these struggling women are engaging in the same activities as the pregnant teenagers. For this reason, their friends often abandon them and refuse to be associated with such a “disgrace”.

Society also looks down on teenage pregnancy due to economic issues. Since the

cost of parenting is very high, and many teenagers do not have a high enough income, society pays the price of teen pregnancy through taxes. “Teen childbearing costs taxpayers at least nine billion dollars each year” (Why it Matters). Money is provided by the government to help these young mothers attain the necessities of life. “Approximately one­quarter of teen mothers go on welfare within three years of the child’s birth” (Why it Matters). This statistic is a fact of life, and although society does not want to accept it, but these women need welfare to survive and support their children.

Due to religious values, society tends to look upon teenage pregnancy as a disgrace.

For instance, the Catholic Church condemns premarital sexual intercourse. “…The use of sexual function has its true meaning and moral rectitude only in true marriage” (Odile M. Liebard). In most cases, teenage pregnancies happen out of wedlock, which is also looked down upon by the Church. “Today there are many who vindicate the right to sexual union before marriage. This opinion is contrary to Christian doctrine, which states that every genital act must be within the framework of marriage” (Odile M. Liebard). Even though the Catholic Church condemns premarital sexual intercourse, the Church is also against abortion. This means that even though teenagers go against the Church’s teaching about sexual intercourse, that the Church still wants them to carry through with the pregnancy and respect life. In
Humanae Vitae,
Pope Paul VI writes, “From this it follows that they are not free to act as they choose in the service of transmitting life, as if it were wholly up to them to decide what is the right course to follow” (Pope Paul VI).
Although many women would expect the most help from the Church, this is usually not the case seeing as the Church sticks strictly to the belief that marriage should be the only foundation for sexual intercourse, and young teenage

child bearers have gone against this belief.

Despite all of the problems teenage pregnancy causes to society, teenagers who

decide to carry through with their pregnancy are brave young women accepting the consequences of their decisions. In Teen Mothers: The Pain and the Promise, Evelyn Lerman puts into writing the words of a teenage mother who says, “ ‘I wouldn’t put my child up for adoption and I certainly wouldn’t get an abortion. If I got pregnant, then it’s up to me to have the baby and take care of him or her. If God didn’t want me to have it, then I wouldn’t have gotten pregnant. Age isn’t what makes you a good mother, it’s maturity. And we’re maturing fast. You have to when you’re a mother. There isn’t time to be a kid anymore’ “ (Evelyn Lerman). This quote voices some of the dedication many teenage mothers have towards straightening out their lives and supporting their children. Although many members of society do not realize it, even though these women are young, they still feel the same about their children as older women do.

Among the most stressful factors of being a parent is the simple fact that

raising a child is extremely expensive. Often times, many adults are not able to provide everything for their child, and teenagers are only children themselves, struggling to succeed in a task many adults are not even able to do. It can be very stressful and nerve wrecking to be responsible for another human being, and money only adds to the problem. In Teen Mothers: The Pain and the Promise, Evelyn Lerman quotes a specific teen mother as saying, “ ‘If we can find a good job we take it, and then we go to school, work, and try to be good mothers, too. It’s hard, but we got ourselves into this and we’ll just have to get ourselves out’ “ (Evelyn Lerman). Many teens do everything they can to support their children, but sometimes everything cannot be provided. Society plays a huge role in helping out these teen mothers, and welfare funded by society’s tax dollars really helps these women out in ways people often

times cannot imagine.

Teenage mothers do not have much time to engage in fun activities with their friends

any longer. According to Stand Up Girl: Take Charge of Your Unexpected Pregnancy, written by Becky Fraser and Linda Shanes, it is a major stress factor for teenage mothers to not be able to relax and hang out with friends very often. Many times, a teenager’s social life is tossed out of the window once they have their child, and sometimes even while they are pregnant. Once their child is born, they must commit every second to caring for their child and providing for all of the baby’s needs. Since there is not much time for friends, teen mothers often times lose connection with their friends, and it is hard to rebuild relationships if all one’s time is dedicated to raising a child.

Teenage mothers face many family struggles. Besides the fact that teenage

pregnancy is troublesome to society, an unexpected pregnancy can cause many problems within an individual family. In more cases than not, teenagers often times still live with their parents or other guardians. It is extremely difficult, and sometimes rather unbearable and heart breaking for a parent to hear the news that their daughter is pregnant. Sometimes the family of the teen supports her, and sometimes not. Support groups should be more accessible for mainly this reason. It is hard to be criticized and looked down upon, especially by one’s own family, who is supposed to love and support one another no matter what. Unfortunately, this is often times the fate of these young women; many teenagers facing an untimely pregnancy are kicked out on the streets and abandoned by their parents because they got pregnant. This is why society needs to step in and help support these young women struggling to find a way to support their children.

Parenting is not an easy lifestyle, and it takes tons of practice and experience to raise

a child. Being a parent is especially difficult for teenagers as they learn how to balance work

and school while still managing to care for their child. Being a parent requires emotional and physical maturity as well. Often times, teenagers are still maturing, and are not in any way, shape, or form ready to raise a child. It is hard for adults to be good parents sometimes, and the probability of this being the case for younger mothers is higher, seeing as they are not as emotionally mature as older mothers. Most teenagers are still seeking guidance for their own life, so being expected to guide another human being while trying to figure out one’s own life can be very difficult.

Support clinics and agencies should be more accessible for teenage girls facing an untimely pregnancy. Although the United States has many support groups and counseling for teenage women facing an unexpected pregnancy, many of these groups are not well known by the general public. It would be wonderful if more of these support groups were created, but that is not the problem. The problem is that many of these troubled teenage girls are in need of a shoulder to lean on, yet they do not know where to go. A counseling service could be just around the corner, yet still unfamiliar. Support groups for teens struggling with an untimely pregnancy should have more advertising and exposure through websites and a stronger internet presence so that when troubled women are looking for somewhere to turn to, they are aware of their options for support.

In order to better educate teenage girls and boys about the risks and consequences of

sexual intercourse, health and religion classes should take a deeper look into sexual intercourse and thoroughly educate teenagers before it is too late. Many health classes only cover the basis of sexual intercourse along with some of the consequences such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. Some teenagers are aware of the ways to prevent pregnancy, yet they still continue to have unprotected sex before marriage, but not all teens are aware of the options. According to the National Campaign, one in five unmarried

young adults say that they will most likely engage in sexual intercourse without using any method of birth control. Health classes taking a deeper look into how to prevent unplanned pregnancy can lower this percentage. Although the curriculum usually mentions pregnancy, the students are usually not aware of how common teenage pregnancy is, and how it could easily happen to anyone sitting in the classroom around them. The curriculum of health classes should better educate the students about how important using protection is to preventing not only sexually transmitted diseases, but especially unexpected pregnancies.

Prenatal and well baby care should be more accessible for teenagers who most likely

do not have a high enough income to pay the high price of raising their child well. Doctor visits are extremely expensive, and even most clinics are out of the price range of a young teenage girl. *Although in most instances, the girl is responsible for becoming pregnant, that does not mean that she should not be allowed to provide her child with efficient medical attention. There should be more free or very inexpensive clinics around the United States to enable young, low­income mothers to receive quality healthcare.

Children of teenagers can grow up to be just as successful as if they were born to

older parents, but many Americans are not willing to accept teen pregnancy and therefore will not offer these teens the support they need. There is a definite need of assistance for these women. No matter the circumstances, every teenage mother will face struggles unique to their age. The amount of time and effort put into raising a child is much higher amidst battling piles of homework each night. Society disapproves of teenage pregnancy for a number of social, economic, and religious reasons; but instead of judging and losing respect for these teenagers, society should offer support by means of support groups, clinics, and more education. Although pregnant teenagers are brave young women and every life is a blessing, becoming pregnant at such a young age is scary and problematic at times. Society can help

these women out by offering support through providing more accessible support groups, better clinics for prenatal and well baby care, and more education about sexual intercourse.