Causes and Effects of Teenage Pregnancy Essay

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.

assert that no social problem affecting youths has received as much attention in recent times as adolescent pregnancy. Literature shows that 13 million children are born to women under the age of 20 worldwide while 95% of the teenagers experience an unintended pregnancy. Increased Attention has finally been given to teenage pregnancy as a public health issue due to the realization of the abnormal prevalence, number of affected people, high levels of psychological distress, and high morbidity rates as well as the painfully apparent social and economic / public welfare cost of teenage childbearing and parenthood

In recent years, teenage pregnancy has been labeled a major issue amongst teens that it can be known as an “Epidemic.” Is teenage pregnancy directly responsible for a host of society’s ills? Increasing teenage pregnancy rate translates directly into increasing rates of “school failure,” early behavioral problems, drug abuse, child abuse, depression, and crimes. Many social problems can be directly attributed to the poor choices of teenage girls.

Through this paper I will explain teen pregnancy issues and how it affects our teens and their children. I will discuss the physical/ emotional, medical and financial strain placed on teenage parents. Teen pregnancy can affect everyone in different ways. I will also so explain some programs to help with teen pregnancy.

Some teenagers get pregnant due to not knowing about the consequences of unprotected sex. Most don’t know about any of the consequences because they don’t have anyone to talk to them about it and others just doesn’t want to listen. Parents don’t think their kids will ever think about having sex so they don’t feel the need to talk to them about it but that only leads to teenagers getting pregnant without being prepared with a stable job.

About “six million pregnancies occur among teenage women aged 15-44“ 18 percent of them result in abortions. Teens had been miscarriages in the United States is “15 -20 “ percent that they don't have the well developed and the teens don’t eat healthy when their pernic .This is why teens baby have it fully developed they don’t know how to take care of themselves because

Teen pregnancy is the result of many environmental factors. When I speak about environmental factors I’m referring to the people teens surround themselves with along with their socioeconomic mobility. The most significant environmental factor contributing to teenage pregnancy are related to poverty. Did you know that teenage girls in poverty chose to give birth because they had no realistic hope for moving up in life? Not only does social status effect teens who get pregnant in poverty situations their education is interrupted also. Most teens don’t go back to even get their GED, which results in more complications when trying to get a job etc. Another factor is the people teens surround themselves with. Teens are influenced by what they watch and hear other people do which is normal because even as teens their minds and self-being is still being developed. On top of all that teens are faced with peer pressure everyday whether

Bringing a baby into the world is seen as a blessing, but it can also cause many problems when the parents are teenagers. Teen pregnancy can be very damaging to a person. It is also easily avoidable by schools and parents increasing the education level on forms of contraception that are available to people. By discussing the effects of teen pregnancy with peers and adults, adolescents can take greater precautions in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Although the trend of teenage girls bearing children is is lowering, the rate of teen pregnancies in the United States remains higher than the rate of teen pregnancy in other developed countries. This is a serious issue that

There are many causes of teen pregnancy, but let’s focus on the top three issues. The lack of education is something that needs to be changed. Parents should take more time and discuss the causes and the effects that can arise from being intimate with someone and “we must ensure that parents, along with school are teaching up to date, medically accurate information” (Kasher n.p). Cultures may also affect this. Our teens are growing up in a generation where sex is a normal pass time. The media uses sex to draw in teens to get them to buy the latest style jeans or even the next new scintillating fragrance (VanLenten n.p). Music, commercials, and even the celebrities themselves make sex look like it is the thing to do. Just look at the teen pregnancies of the rich and famous, they make

That’s 26 babies per 1000 teens including all ethnic backgrounds. Hispanic and Black teen pregnancy rates are the highest with 40 per every 1000, and Asian are the lowest with 8 for every 1000 (CDC). In more recent years teen pregnancy rates have dropped even further, and “although reasons behind the declines are not clear, more teens may delaying or reducing sexual activity, and more of the teens who are sexually active may be using birth control than in previous years (CDC)”. More and more teens are no longer fully realizing the negatives of engaging in sexual activity. On the other hand, a teen that becomes pregnant may become an outcast and lose their friends, Becoming a social outcast can lead to depression and other mental illnesses. Our generation is more exposed to teen pregnancy as there are TV shows and magazines all about teen pregnancy. Becoming pregnant as a teen is no longer as demonizing as it was for the generation before us, and more and more teens are becoming pregnant at a young age. "Family planning is at an all-time low and teens are engaging in casual sexual activity (Bright)". Parents call for more sexual education, and increased options for teens, to stop teen

Every young girl who is sexually active is at risk for teen pregnancy. Children of teen parents are very likely to become teen parents themselves, this shows higher correlation in places of poverty and low income families. Unplanned teen pregnancy is more than just an unexpected expense than to just the parents, it is an expense to society. In America according to the National campaign, each year 9.4 billion dollars in taxpayer money is spent on teenage childbearing assistance. (2016). These costs include many things for both the child and the parents needs as well. The norms, values and beliefs of families also play a large role in the current social issue. Some families who were teen mothers themselves might be more or less educating to their child based on their experience. Also a large factor is that some religions do not believe in birth control or sex before marriage, therefor the parents of the children do not allow them to take contraceptives and then they accidentally get pregnant.

The issue with teen pregnancy can be prevented more vastly by understanding the background and history of the dilemma. To begin, teen pregnancy is defined as pregnancy among girls and young women aged 19 years or younger. It has been known that in some cases, teen pregnancy occurs due to a forced marriage or rape, which typically doesn’t come with a solution, but many situations are avoidable. According to ////, “ after rising sharply between 1986 and 1991, the teenage birth rate [has] continued its decline for the seventh year in a row in 1998” (Teen Birth Rate Continues…) An increase in protection may be a valid explanation, but a decrease in sexual activity is the main reason.

Teen pregnancy has become an increasing conflict in the United States. Facts stated by the Center of Disease control, provides evidence that the United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the world. Mississippi is proven to be the most affected area in the U.S showing out of 1000 pregnant teens, 68 births occur. Why are teen pregnancy rates so high in the United States? What happened to sex education and prevention for teen pregnancy? Why did the parent-child sex talk not work? The goal of this paper is to answer these questions and understand the relationship that parents have with their teenagers. It is important to understand that parents play a crucial role in their teen’s lives and have a tremendous impact on teen pregnancy prevention.

Teenage pregnancy has long been acknowledged as an important health, social and economic problem in the United States, one that creates hardships for women and families and threatens the health and well-being of women and their infants. Unintended pregnancies span across age, race and religion, with a specific negative impact among the teenage population. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC, 2016) In 2015, a total of 229,715 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years, for a birth rate of 22.3 per 1,000 women in this age group. Birth rates are also higher among Hispanic and African American adolescents than any other race. In 2014, Hispanic adolescent females ages 15-19 had the highest birth rate of 38 births per 1,000 adolescent females, followed by African American adolescent females 34.9 births per 1,000 adolescent females (CDC, 2017). In 2010, the public cost of births resulting from unintended pregnancies was estimated at $21 billion, this includes costs for prenatal care, labor and delivery, post-partum care, and a year of infant care (Healthy People 2020, 2016). These pregnancies have led to many social, health, and financial consequences. When unintended pregnancies occur in the younger age group, negative outcomes occur at a higher rate as compared to women of an older age. As a national statistic, 1 out of every 5 unintended pregnancies are from the teenage demographic, with a staggering 82 percent belonging to the ages

In the United States, teenagers face problems everyday from peers, parents, and their environment. He or she is heavily influenced by their feelings. Feelings are overwhelming, confusing, and also conflicting. If he or she is influenced by their friends, then most likely experiments will occur. The teenager can agree or disagree with the situations and dilemmas. However their choice is influence by what the popular crowd is saying and doing. It is a battle of fitting in or being different. The popular crowd can be involved in two main options, sex and drugs. The results of sex without protection and knowledge is teen pregnancy and possible a sexual transmitted disease. Teen pregnancy is a constant never ending problem in this country. The main idea of this paper is to provide statistics about teen pregnancy, what are the social conditions of teen pregnancy, and find a relationship between