Fixing the Teenage Pregnancy Problem: A Humble Suggestion Essay example

Many studies show that MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” led to fewer teen births. It is thought to be that when teens tune into the show, they learn to practice safer sex. “16 and Pregnant” was named one of the best ways to campaign about the issue of teen pregnancy. The show was a way to attack the issue of teen pregnancy head on. Comparing to all fully developed countries, the U.S, has the highest rates of teen pregnancy. This was seen as a major problem to many that was aware of the problem. Even though the number of teen pregnancies was high, there was nothing really being done to expose the harsh reality of being a teen mom. Lauren Dolgen, President of MTV’s series development, felt as if the situation needed to be addressed. Her goal was to give teen moms out there a chance to have a voice and to tell their stories.

Abstinence is the only birth control method that is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted diseases.

Shortly after the turn-of-the-century, nearly two-thirds of states in America enacted laws that required sterilization of various criminals, mentally ill, epileptics, alcoholics, and sufferers of poverty (Largent, 2011). All of this effort was exerted to prevent undesirable children from being born. It was justified by the assumption that unfit people aren’t capable of adequate parenting; therefore their offspring would be a financial burden on society. Strong ideals and dogma were the weapons chosen by eugenicists to get involuntary sterilization legalized.

The most obvious argument is that teens who are abstinent will never become pregnant. Abstinence is the only form of pregnancy prevention that has a 100% effectiveness rate. Every single method of contraception, including condoms and birth control pills, has a risk of failure.

Another reason that abstinence-only education should be the only sex education taught in schools is that it is non-negotiable that abstinence is effective in preventing pregnancy and most STIs. While other forms of sex education are controversial, and cannot be agreed upon by parents, educators, or the government, abstinence is factually the best practice in birth control. There is no moral opposition to staying abstinent as there is to other forms of birth control, and it is supported by many religions as the best way of life as it has “psychological, social, and economic advantages” along with reflecting the teachings of many churches (Ballaro & Ginsburg, 2016). If abstinence-only education teaches the only infallible form of birth control,

It has been receiving a great deal of public and official attention recently, including expressions of concern from President Clinton (Trad, 1999). However, the most extensive dilemma regarding the issue of adolescent pregnancy is the question of prevention. Preventing teen pregnancy includes such problems as the availability of birth control, sexual education among children and adolescents, and a greater sense of support for pregnant teens. However, before society can begin to successfully prevent pregnancies among teenage girls, the underlying causes and facts about the dilemma must first be exposed

Teen pregnancy is a serious issue not just in the U.S but around the world

There are many ways to try and prevent teen pregnancy, such as contraceptives. But the only method that is absolutely effective is sexual abstinence. Abstinence is the only way to protect teens from sexually transmitted diseases and guarantees no risk of teen pregnancy.

Individuals classified as mentally deficient, feeble-minded, epileptic, promiscuous, sexual deviants, or persons classified as habitual criminals were mainly targeted (Pozgar, 2012, p. 411). Eugenicists argued degenerate traits tainted society through the reproduction of the lowest class and sterilization was to keep the “handicapped” from perpetuating themselves (Kaelber, 2014). In addition, eugenicists also argued that “feeble-minded” individuals were believed to be financial burdens to society by overcrowding prisons, hospitals and living off welfare (Kaelber, 2014). Eugenic Sterilization was seen as a way to prevent the spending of tax dollars on the “feeble- minded” (Kaelber, 2014). These arguments allowed Eugenics to become an acceptable practice. Advocates believed that getting rid of the “feeble-minded” and mentally deficient would decrease the undesirable characteristic traits within the human gene pool and ultimately improve the human population (Kaelber, 2014).

Sex selection, in this new age of technology, is one of the easiest sections of designing a baby. All the parent has to do is say “yes” or “no” to one gender or the other without the risk of some percentage indicating a disease the new baby might have. Since this particular procedure is so easy, it can be abused (Rachel Lehmann- Haupt). For example, some cultures put more value on a male’s life than on a female’s including the hugely populated countries, China and India (Designer Babies: The Good and the Bad). Even the USA has taken notice with four states, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Illinois, and Oklahoma, banning any abortion that is gender-based (Sex-Selection Abortion Bans). This eliminates sex selection through abortions, but the bans need to spread into the designer baby realm and into more states. If more bans are not put in place and humans are allowed to freely pick the gender of their child, then the majority of the world could be become male, but with the price of the procedure comes an even bigger, social

While not a unique or new idea for the world, it is an idea that I can’t find is being used in the United States at this time. I believe that women of child bearing age should be incentivized if they opt for sterilization after they have given birth to a certain number of children. I do not condone forcing

"Over one million teenage girls become pregnant each year. In the next 24 hours, about 3,312 girls will become pregnant. In addition, 43% of all adolescents become pregnant before the age of 20. These are incredible statistics when you consider that there are only 31 million females. The United States has the highest adolescent pregnancy rate in the developed world. As statistics show one in nine women between the ages of 15 through 19 become pregnant each year. Also, every 26 seconds a teenage girl becomes pregnant and every 56 seconds a child of a teenage mother is born."

Like Amy and Loeber (2009), when it comes to the ecological paradigm of teenage pregnancy, Corcoran, Franklin, and Bennett (2000) also believe one’s socioeconomic status is a huge factor that contributes to this problem. A person’s socioeconomic status a lot of times determines “education, expanded family size, single-parent household structure, and lessened resources in terms of employment and income.” These three authors claim that educational performance and goals “dictate the potential costs of child bearing at a young age.” Their studies have also shown that teenage girls’ relationships with the school setting and poorer performance in school serve a greater risk for adolescent pregnancy.

"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.

The teen pregnancy rate had decreased by the maximum of about 55 percent. Most teen birth rates had also gone down about 64 percent, but yet teen pregnancies and birth rate for teenagers ages 15-19 in the U.S still remains one of the highest comparable countries. Due to parenthood, most of teen moms drop out of school. More than 50% of teen mothers never graduate to get their diploma. Sexually active teens that don’t use any type of protection has a 90 percent chance of becoming pregnant within a year, 84 percent of teen pregnancies are unplanned.