“Among American adolescent girls who have ever had intercourse, approximately one in six becomes pregnant” (Ventura et al., 2008). Teen pregnancy is an ongoing dilemma that concerns the baby, parents, and other family members. Anyone under the age of eighteen years old is considered to be a child and every year approximately 750,000 women aged fifteen to eighteen become pregnant (Guttmacher Institute, 2006). Also, teen pregnancy represents eleven percent of all births in the United States (Guttmacher Institute, 2006). The underlying cause of teen pregnancy is mainly the lack of education on sexual and reproductive health and not enough being taught about how to use contraceptives. To help educate this knowledge it is dependent on not only …show more content…
Both parents are less likely to finish high school, even less likely to go to college and get a degree, will depend on welfare and other assistance programs, are more likely to be poor in the future, more likely to face drug and alcohol abuse problems, and the chances of separation are very high. Teens experimenting with sex are the leading cause in unplanned pregnancies and have to face this lifetime list of hardships. Also, in high school teenagers face many peer pressures such as alcohol, drugs, and sex. When drinking and the use of drugs are involved it leads to a major decline in judgment. This can sometimes lead to one night stands and hook-ups, which sometimes end with an “oopsie baby”. Experimenting can cause many consequences on the teen and the relationships at hand, including the relationships with the baby’s mom or dad and also the parents of the teens. At such a young age it is more likely for the baby’s dad to leave and not support the baby due to immaturity and fear of losing their teenage years. Financial stability is usually not in the cards for teen parents. This makes it hard when they need money for simple things for the child such as diapers, formula, clothes, and many other necessities. Most teens don’t have the time to get a job that will pay enough to support their child, be able to go to school, nurse and spend
Teen pregnancy falls into the category of pregnancies in girls age 19 or younger (NIH). Although statistics have shown a decrease, the number of teen pregnancy in the U.S. is still relatively high compared to the rest of the world. Sexual health is one of the top priorities in early adolescence health in the United States. Consequences of having sex at a young age generally results in unsafe sex practices. The consequences can be due to the lack of knowledge about sex education, and access to birth control/contraception (NIH, 2005). Due to the lack of knowledge and access to birth control, adolescents involve in risk taking when they start to explore sexual intimate relationships.
Teen pregnancy has become a pandemic for teen girls in modern society. In 2015,a total of 229,715 babies were born to mother's between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. This is a birthrate of 22.3 per 1000 births(reproductive). This low-age birth rate increases health risks for the mother and child. Teen mother's are also unlikely to be living a life stable enough to support not only themselves but a child as well. Missed opportunity such as dropping out of highschool and failing to go to college contribute to why teens should not get pregnant. Health risks,instability, and missed opportunity are just a few reasons teenage girls should not get
Multiple factors influence the rate of teen pregnancy. Some of the most important factors influencing pregnancy rates are socioeconomic status, education, and family income. With low socioeconomic status and income, parents may not always be present in their children’s lives in order to educate them on sex. School districts, then, take on the responsibility to educate teenagers on sexual intercourse and safe practices, but some fail. Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W. provided statistics showing that while many schools push abstinence-only programs, they show little to no positive impact on preventing teen pregnancies (Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W. (n.d.)). While abstinence may work for some, it is not realistic to believe that all teens will abide by it. Teens need a comprehensive sexual education with emphasis on safe sex practices, which is where Be Safe, Not Sorry comes into play. The comprehensive program will cover all
One major problem in America’s society today is teen pregnancy rates. In fact, “teen sexual activity, pregnancy, and childbearing are associated with substantial social, economic, and health costs” (Sedgwick). However, this problem is not one without a solution. The rise of teen pregnancy rates can be prevented and reversed by providing better access to birth control for teens, eliminating the negative connotation that accompanies abstinence, and implementing more efficient sex education in public schools.
The teenage birth rate has always been at an all-time high in the United States. In 2009, alone statics from the Disease control prevention estimated “13.5 births for every 1,000 teens” (Blue). Bringing a child into this world is a blessing, unfortunately, sometimes the timing can be off. A child is a huge responsibility sad to say not every person can handle the full-time duty of being a parent. It can get complicated when you are a mother at such a young age. For this reason, teenage girls should acquire birth control methods to prevent getting pregnant, abstinence can help teenagers from catching an std, and allow them to stay focus stopping the drop out rate of teens moms in high schools.
In 2014, a total of 249,078 babies were born to women aged 15-19 years, for a birth rate of 24.2 per 1,000 women in this age group. Even though this is a historic low for U.S teens it still needs to be addressed to prevent teens on becoming pregnant. Birth rates have fallen 11% for these women ages 15-19 years and 7% for women the age of 18-19 years (2016). It is important to keep these rates down and hopefully continue to decline the number of teen pregnancies. Teens should still be educated on contraceptives. Nearly all unplanned pregnancies occur to women who were not using birth control at all or not using it correctly. The failure rate of birth control pills is 9% and condoms fail 18% of the
Risky sexual and reproductive behavior associated with teen pregnancy often leads to disadvantage personal and social conditions. Research suggests that health education, contraceptive use, access to health care and outreach programs are effective in improving health conditions and reducing risky behavior. Omissions in the research on sexual behavior other than intercourse are highlighted. Possible biological, social, and social cognitive processes underlying teenage sexual behavior are then considered. Next, demographic trends in the use of contraceptives and antecedents of regular birth control use are reviewed. Finally, some of the successful program initiatives directed toward altering sexual and contraceptive practices are discussed, keeping
Teenage pregnancy is a growing problem in the United States today. As of 2010, 57.84% of 15-19 year old girls will become pregnant, which is especially high as compared to the rates of other developed countries. (Kost, 3) Why are unplanned pregnancy rates in teenagers so high? There are various factors that contribute to these high teen pregnancy rates, but one major factor is the type of sexual education that teenagers receives. While attention to abstinence in sexual education can be beneficial, it is when sexual education focuses solely on abstinence that teen pregnancy rates increase. Comprehensive sex education in schools has been shown to lower the rates of teen pregnancy more than abstinence only sex education has, and therefore should
Teen pregnancy has always been a widespread problem in the United States. In America, there are almost 615,000 women aged 15-19 that become pregnant every year ("American Teens' Sexual Health"). Fortunately, the rate of teen pregnancies in the United States has decreased over the past 20 years ("American Teens' Sexual Health"). This is primarily because more teenagers are using contraceptives when they are having sex. The Guttmacher Institute reports that the use of contraceptives when having sex by females has risen from 48% in 1982 to 78% in 2006-2008 ("American Teens' Sexual Health"). Also, condom use during first sex has largely increased due to the AIDS epidemic ("American Teens' Sexual Health"). As a result, although teen pregnancy is
Teen pregnancy is more prevalent in the United States, than one would think. Even though the number of pregnancies has lowered, there are still an estimated 31pregnancies per 1000 teens. Unfortunately, there are immense consequences from teen pregnancy. These occurrences are due to many circumstances that can be changed, such as, more education, peer pressure, and today’s culture. However, there are ways to prevent all this from happening; using contraception, being aware, or even abstaining from it. Teen pregnancy is an ongoing issue in our country with many causes that can be changed by taking preventative measures to keep teens from suffering consequences that will change their lives forever.
While the rate of pregnancy in 15-19 year olds has been declining (59.9 births per 1000 women in 1990 to 24.2 births per 1000 women in 2014 (Office of Adolescent Health)), it is still quite high when compared to other developed areas of the world such as Europe. The reasons for rates of teen pregnancy is a complex issue with many causes, however, the leading causes for high rates for teen pregnancy are a lack of contraception availability and lack of knowledge (such as from fact based, comprehensive sexual education). The US is lacking in both (Berk). While nearly all US states teach about the benefits of abstinence, many states do not teach about other effective means
Imagine coming to school one day and seeing 39 students pregnant. That’s the statistical reality of teen pregnancy as an estimated 34 in every 1000 students becomes pregnant between the age of 14-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This statistic does not take into account different educational, social, and racial factors. With widely popular television shows such as, "16 and Pregnant" or "Teen Mom", many teens do not fully comprehend the negatives of engaging in sexual activity, and do not realize the possible outcome. Becoming pregnant as a teen is very detrimental to one's education, in the fact that they may have to leave school, lose friends, and become an outcast
Let us face it, no one can stop young teenagers from having sex, and abstinence only education program systems are not only ineffective, but unrealistic as well. Sexual behavior and the reproductive health of adolescents have emerged into radical public health matters (Danawi, 2016). For years, schools have aimed to save sex education for high school students, but now with the rising numbers in unintended teen pregnancies, there needs to be a transition into contraceptive education at an earlier age. There are many threats that are posed with ineffective education regarding contraceptives and fertility control. For global health to be attained; younger generations need to be educated about where they can get contraceptive options, it is a necessity for low income areas to be informed about access to reduced contraceptive costs due to ObamaCare, and male education needs to be considered more for the involvement of fertility control (Planned Parenthood, 2016).
"Teen pregnancy in the United States: In 2015, a total of 229,715 babies were born to women aged 15-19 years old, for a birth rate of 22.3 per 1,000 women in this age group. This is another record for U.S. teens and a drop of 8% from 2014. Although reasons for the declines are not totally clear, evidence suggests these declines are due to more teens abstaining from sexual activity, and more teens who are sexually active using birth control than in previous years. Still, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations, and racial/ethnic and geographic disparities in teen birth rates persist (cdc.gov)." As teenagers (in the United States), we are peer pressured or tempted to try new things. Some teens tend to try out drugs, and alcohol. However, some are having unprotected sex in which, is leads to having babies. This is called, teenage pregnancy. This has caused the United States to create records based off of the statistics and facts given from, researchers across the United States. In order to help prevent teenage pregnancy in the United States, teenagers must understand why, having a baby now isn’t such a smart move on their part.
Teen pregnancy is a major concern in our society, but does it benefit or hinder our teen parents? The U.S teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations, additionally, a total of over 229,000 babies were born to women aged 15-19 years in 2015 for a rate of 22.3 per 1,000 women in this age group (CDC, 2017). While becoming a parent is a wonderful experience and a blessing, teen pregnancy should be prevented because the health behaviors associated with teen pregnancy are hazardous to good health, increases the parent’s school dropout rate, and causes substantial social and economic costs through impacts on teen parents and their children.