Sex and Teen Pregnancy: Paying the Price for Your Actions Essay

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.

My mom learned the hard way with having a baby while still in school, she told me how stressful it was to do her school work, raise a child and work full time without even having the baby’s dad to help or her parents. The show “Teen Mom” shows the struggle of having to grow and give up on opportunities because of one mistake. Not only does this affect the mother but it also affects the child that will have to grow up with one parent or hardly getting by or watching the stress eat way at their parents.

An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy. The most common abortion procedure is the vacuum aspiration or suction curettage.   This is performed

One community member, Jay Coffelt, is a long-term resident of Kansas City in Jackson County, Missouri. Jay is passionate about researching and awareness of issues like teen pregnancy at the county, state, and national levels. Although not directly involved as a parent of a pregnant teen and not being a teen himself, Mr. Coffelt’s community passion is beneficial in providing insight to the level of community empowerment present in Jackson County, Missouri with regards to a major health issue like teen pregnancy. From a community members’ perspective, it was noted that there seems to be a lack of resources available to pregnant teens and their families as well as a lack of ways community members can be involved in the issue. When asked about his ability to participate in decision making regarding teen pregnancy or to attend forums discussing teen pregnancy, Mr. Coffelt was unsure if those resources were available to him. Another important finding from Mr. Coffelt’s interview was the frequent comparisons he made to an adjacent county in Kansas. Having lived in both counties, Mr. Coffelt was able to recall more available resources, awareness, and guidance for teen health and community members in the adjacent Kansas county compared to Jackson County in Missouri. Through the interview, it was determined that Mr. Coffelt felt an increased level of empowerment. According to Clark, “...empowered individuals gain new skills and power to influence others and to affect the outcomes of

Any of various procedures that result in such termination and expulsion. Also called induced abortion.

n the past young ladies were shunned if they became pregnant, were sent into hiding, and when they gave birth the baby would be sent away, now some girls are put on T.V. because of teen pregnancy. “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” (About Teen para. 1). Pregnant teens are often put into stereotypes and are put down. Throughout their lives they are told that their life is ruined so often that she (or he if they impregnated a girl) start to actually believe it and they end up not living up to their full potential.

A number of Western nations are still going through an increase rate of teenage pregnancies. This tends to have a disadvantageous result on both mother and child, likewise their physical and emotional welfare. These young teen parents face adulthood at a tender age, by quitting school to nurse the baby and then if no support from their parents, they would have to join the work force, so they can provide for their child. Some teenagers have a good support system from their families and the government, which is good but it defeats the point of them understanding that what they did was inappropriate for their age. Jennifer Gaudie et al (2010), say that Australia rank eleven, out of the 30 OECD countries in

Abortion is a preparation for the termination of a pregnancy, which known since ancient times. There have been various methods used to perform an abortion of pregnancy, including the administration of abortifacient herbs, the use of sharpened implements, the application of abdominal pressure, and other techniques. Abortion was meant to control traditional child-bearing role.

Becoming a parent is not an easy task no matter how old you or your partner are. Having children at a young age might sound like a good idea for many teenage girls but they aren’t aware of the consequences that come with it. You must be prepared financially to be able to support a family.

Support is the greatest requirement when making life changing decisions. Not all teenagers that find themselves pregnant have support from family and friends. Some teens may even be fearful of the consequences they may face when those around them find out they are expecting. Depending on the teen’s location, it is not always possible to meet face to face with a support person or group which could help them connect with people going through the same thing. There are phone support groups in place but this is not always a very successful communication link when making such a major decision. Each teenager has their own individual needs and without knowing them

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.

The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the industrialized world. Each year, one out of three teenage girls becomes pregnant. Although teen pregnancy rates have dropped from 61.8 births per 1,000 in 1991 to 41.7 births per 1,000 in 2003, pregnancy rates in the U.S. still are declining at slower rates than those in other developed nations (Block et al., 2005. para, 1).

Although there is the reported statistical decline, adolescent pregnancy still remains an issue in both developed and developing regions of the world in the twenty-first century. However, what seems to be lacking is the overview of adolescent pregnancy issue rather than looking for solutions to prevent such a concept. Therefore, the objective of this assignment will look at the key behavioral, cultural, and environmental risk factors. Certain risk factors include:

Around the world, there are stories of teenagers who involve themselves in sexual activities without knowing or considering all the consequences, like having a baby. In developed countries like the United States of America, Great Britain, Canada, France and Sweden all deal with teenage pregnancies. The only difference between these countries is the percentage of teen pregnancy each country has. Each country has similar methods of birth control, and the only difference is the rate between all five developed countries. Teen pregnancy is a major concern in today’s society; there are many limiting reasons that do not allow people to access contraceptives, and all countries have different beliefs/practices they use to allow their children to become educated about safe sex and contraceptives.

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.