Preventing Teen And Unplanned Pregnancy

SLIDE 1: So why are we targeting low-income black and Hispanic adolescent females you may ask? They are at higher risk, than other ethnicities, for acquiring an STD and/or experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Increased utilization of dual contraception is of great importance in these communities. Adolescent females in general are less likely to use dual forms of protection from STD’s and unplanned pregnancy. Young women, due to their anatomy tend to be more susceptible to STD’s than are young men. Black and Hispanic females are 4.9x and 2.1x, respectively, more likely to contract chlamydia (which is a common STD) than their white counterparts. When it comes to pregnancy 3 in 10 adolescent females will become pregnant before the age of 20, amongst black and Hispanic young women this figure jumps to 5 in 10. Black and Hispanics teens are more likely to be living in poverty than are other ethnicities and data has shown that teen pregnancy increases proportionally as socioeconomic status declines as does rate of STD contraction.

For many years teen pregnancy has been a national social problem. Views have changed over the years as society has started to adapt to the thought of teen pregnancy. “Growing evidence suggests that pre-existing academic and economic hardships play a role in the continuing struggles of teen mothers. While 85% of young women who delay having their first child until at least twenty or twenty – one obtain a high school diploma or GED, only 63% of mothers who give birth by age seventeen do so” (Crosson- Tower p255)

Teenage birth rates, defined as live births per one thousand 15-19-year-old US females, declined by 10% from 2012 to 2013 from 29.4 to 26.5. In fact, the birth rate has been on a steady decline over the past 20 years, from 61.8 in 1991 to 26.5 in 2013. Teenage pregnancy represents both a health and social inequality in our society. Specifically, teenage childbearing is a public health issue because teenage mothers are more likely to experience negative social outcomes such as dropping out of school. This is a self-reinforcing cycle, as children of teenage mothers face higher chances of poor academic achievement as well as getting pregnant or getting someone else pregnant in their teenage years (CDC). Although the overall rates of teenage pregnancy have dropped, ultimately, the variations in the rates reflect the intersecting disparities regarding race and ethnicity, income inequality, geography, and environmental factors, which in turn affect access to medical care, education, and resources.

Teenage pregnancy has been viewed as an issue for many years, not only for teenage mothers but for babies as well. Much importance has been placed on this subject for the reason that although these rates are declining, they remain elevated. The United States represents over 600,000 American teen pregnancies every year, making this the highest rate in the industrialized world (Steinberg, 2017). Unfortunately, ethnic minorities in the United States have a predisposition to the many social, educational and economic disadvantages that in fact shape adolescent sexual behavior and lead to the decision of adolescent motherhood. This paper will illustrate teenage pregnancy rates over the last few years, the factors that impact teen pregnancy, contraception and the likelihood of teen pregnancies across different ethnic groups.

This experiment began by diving deep into the lives of 262 low-income, single mothers in Philadelphia. Through conversations with these women, Edin and Kefalas found a common trend among teens regarding the causes and effects of getting pregnant as a low-income young woman.

The healthy people are apart of the foundation for many federal prevention initiatives. I decided to look at the federal teen pregnancy prevention initiative. This initiative provides grant funding to support teen pregnancy prevention approaches and demonstration projects to test innovative strategies. Their goals for this program include reducing the rates of pregnancies and births to youth in the target areas, increasing youth access to evidence-based and evidence-informed programs to prevent teen pregnancy, increasing connections to community-based clinical services, and educating stakeholders about effective strategies to reduce teen pregnancy (healthypeople.gov). There are three government offices that are connected to the teen pregnancy

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of restrictive contraceptive legislation on unintended teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy has declined steadily over the past 40 years, however in the past decade the rate of pregnancy among adolescents is rising. Restrictive contraceptive legislation such as abstinence only education, mandatory waiting periods, parental notification laws, or Medicaid funding restrictions could all play a part in the increase of pregnancy in teenagers. One study found funding for abstinence-only education programs were linked to increased birth rates among black and white adolescents (Yang & Gaydos, 2010). Another study found restrictive contraceptive legislation resulted in higher unintended pregnancy rates among adolescents. The implication of this review is state and federal policies should focus on improving education regarding contraception use and forming policies which improve access to abortion.

They seemed to attempt to prove that gender defined the stories of the neighborhoods, and that women approach having children as a sense of fulfillment. It is mentioned that these women were overthrowing the traditional beliefs of men having power over women by taking their lives, and the lives of their children, into their own hands; meaning, the children were theirs and not the father’s. Most of the women interviewed did not seem to regret having children, with some expressing that they wish they would’ve had at a later point in their lives. The book focused solely on the woman’s point of view, and did not get any other opinions or outlooks. It also showed that the choice of having a baby as only a woman’s as if contraception did not take two to tango and that the men had no say so. Research should’ve included the other halves perspective and interviews. If looking at this from a statistical standpoint, research should have been done in other low-income neighborhoods throughout the country to make the data more accurate. The authors could have also interview middle and upper class single mothers to see if their outlook was shared by those with a lower

The main reason women want birth control is to prevent pregnancy. During the course of just nine years, the amount of women that wanted birth control to prevent pregnancy jumped from 716 million to over 850 million(“ThinkProgress”). Not only are women hesitant to have children because of poverty, but also because of fatal deliveries. For instance, some African countries, such as Nigeria, have very poor maternal conditions. Moreover, according to NPR, in a lot of third world countries where there is overpopulation, “studies show higher risks of premature birth, pregnancy complications and delivery problems, as well as higher death rates.”

“Parental Influence and Teen Pregnancy” is article written by Bill Albert who is part of the national campaign to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy organization. This article was found on the Education.com, it is a website where parents can get information that will help them be a better parents and teach them proper ways to raise their children from a young age. I consider Education.com credible because the website is updated and also because they do research on the tops they talk about and have citation on where they got the information from. For example, they got the article “Parental Influence and Teen Pregnancy” from a different website that is also credible.

The main reason women want birth control is to prevent pregnancy. During the course of just nine years, the amount of women that wanted birth control to prevent pregnancy jumped from 716 million to over 850 million(“ThinkProgress”). Not only are women hesitant to have children because of poverty, but also because of fatal deliveries. For instance, some African countries, such as Nigeria, have very poor maternal conditions. Moreover, according to NPR, in a lot of third world countries where there is overpopulation, “studies show higher risks of premature birth, pregnancy complications and delivery problems, as well as higher death rates.”

While many people are inclined to express indifference regarding this concept, teen pregnancy is one of the most controversial topics in the contemporary society. This experience can be devastating for some individuals, as the fact that they are raw makes it difficult for them to effectively deal with the problem. Society becomes more stressing and most teens who become pregnant come to express feelings related to shame and fear. The fact that these individuals are hesitant about letting their parents know that they are pregnant contributes to their problems and finding help sometimes becomes an impossible mission. Lack of life experience materializes into a more severe type of stress, endangering both the mother and the child.

What is Teen Pregnancy? It is the pregnancy of adolescent girls from the ages of 13-20. Teen Pregnancy is one of the most trending things happening in today’s society. Statistics shows that 1,000,000 girls become pregnant every year (Garth). Being that the United States is in the highest percentage of teen pregnancy. 40% will have government assistance (Garth). The teen birth rate from 1990-1995 per 1,000 girls was 64 in the United States from 15 to 19 year olds, 13% in Germany, 9% in France, and 7% . The rate of teen abortion in the United States is higher than Europe with statistics showing that 17% per 1,000 girls, 7.9% in France, 5.2% in Netherlands. Germany is the second highest abortion rate ranking at 8.7% for women ages 15-49.( Sex Education Can Prevent Teen Pregnancy).Because of these statistics, Sex Education and SexualAbstinence should be taught in America to prevent teen pregnancy.

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 is a very controversial social issue and the vast majority of Americans consider the outrageous rate of teen pregnancies a severe issue, certainly a problematic occurrence that is believed to be a moral decline in our country. Teenagers are physiologically capable of reproducing but not emotionally or financially prepared to be parents at such a tender age. Through various research studies a plethora of determinants has pin pointed teens unprecedented pregnancies. One cause of this problem is the apparent indication of social separation or disadvantage. Within this issue you would find poverty, single parent households, educational disadvantages on the parents behalf, a lack family/parental support, and unemployment. A child’s educational performance, inappropriate sexual acts, and inferior apprehensions about their futures play a vital role in teen pregnancies as well. Amongst the listed disadvantages the three that take precedent are lacks of family communication, sexual abuse, and poverty. Furthermore, teen mothers do not fit the ideal ideology of the normative scheduling of motherhood, therefore, ultimately resulting in negative consequences for them and society. What needs to be understood is, as to why the numbers of teens are becoming parents at such a vernal age.