Teen Pregnancy Is A Big Problem

Teen pregnancy continues to be a problem in America even though the CDC documents a decrease from 2007-2009 in all racial groups. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Reducing the number of pregnancies in teens 15-17 is a core indicator identified by Healthy People 2020 to assess the status of adolescent health. Children born to teens are at risk for health concerns from being of low birth weight and having poor prenatal care such as delayed development. (Magness, 2012). Repeat pregnancy, dependence on welfare, and poverty are some of the results of adolescent pregnancy. Teen mothers tend to have health problems such as hypertension, and anemia and are at high risk for early delivery. Magness looks at the issue from the teen’s viewpoint and discusses the idea that some teens become pregnant to provide stability in an otherwise chaotic life and can gain maturity from the experience. Emphasis on continuing their education after delivery can prevent repeat pregnancies. Lack of productive or positive social activities or guidance can leave room for a teen to indulge in risky behavior to occupy their time. Peer pressure and influence from present day norms can cause teenagers to give in to early onset of sexual activity (Kirven, 2014). Finding after school or extracurricular activities can promote a healthier self

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.

An ongoing epidemic in the United Sates is teen pregnancy. In America, our society is run down by many problems. Most are caused by the older generation, but this problem has risen with the younger generation around the age of 15-19. The peak of the teen pregnancy trend started in 1990 when 60 teen girls out of 1,000 had a teen birth ("About Teen Pregnancy.”). For every 1,000 females in 2013, on average only 27 out of the 1,000 had gone through teen birth ("About Teen Pregnancy.”). Over the years, it seems that the trend is winding down and that less and less teens appear to becoming pregnant. In 2013, the teen pregnancy rate decreased by 10% since 2012 and 57% 1990 ("Teen Birth Rate | The National Campaign.”).

This year in America, over one million teens will become pregnant. More than 80% of these pregnancies will be unintended (North Carolina PRAMS 2009). Unintended pregnancy is commonly defined as “a pregnancy that is reported to have been either unwanted (that is, the pregnancy occurred when no children, or no more children, were desired) or mistimed (that is, the pregnancy occurred earlier than desired)” (CDC 2015). Though some teen pregnancies are intentional, these are rare in occurrence. Unplanned pregnancy leads to an increase in the number of abortions and abandoned children by mothers who are not in suitable financial, physical, or emotional states to take care of their children. It also puts young mothers and their babies at increased risk for complications during childbirth. Access to sufficient education and access to contraceptives impacts the rate of teen pregnancy. As the number of these potentially dangerous pregnancies inflates, it becomes clear that something must be done. Unintended pregnancies, especially in teens and young adults, are an epidemic in America; however, Americans have the potential change the path they are on.

Summary: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy wrote the article called, “Teen Pregnancy Is a Serious Problem,” stating that teen pregnancy is an issue in todays’ world. There are many negative effects of being a teen mom. In the United States, teen pregnancy is seen as being “ok” because it is normal in today’s world. Adolescents don't know how quickly a pregnancy can happen. When they asked the girls why they became pregnant they said, “It just kinda happened.” Also, many teen moms have more than one child before the age 24. A recent study

“Teen Moms: Many Students Become Pregnant at One High School,” revealed one Memphis City School’s situation of about 90 students either pregnant or have already given birth in the 2010- 2011 school year alone, and while the exact number may be up for debate, clearly there is still a problem that should to be addressed. While there may be a few success stories, teenage parents are more likely than their peers to experience disruptions in their educational and occupational development (Steinberg, 2014 pg 380). While parents may be very influential to adolescent development, adolescent’s lives are also touched by family, friends, school, work, and the community (What do Adolescents Need).

Teen pregnancies can change their lives for the worse because teen parents are “less likely to complete high school, less likely to attend college, more likely to have large families, and more likely to be a single parent” (Kirby 144). When a teen becomes pregnant, it not only changes their life, but also the life of their unborn baby. Babies who are born with adolescents as parents have a higher probability to “have less supportive and stimulating home environments, lower cognitive development, worse educational outcomes, higher rates of behavior problems, higher rates of incarceration, and higher rate of adolescent childbearing themselves” (Kirby 144). Majority of adolescent are still growing and developing themselves, therefore it is more of a challenge to provide a baby with the not only an environment that sets them up for success, but also having the finical resource to support a child. This leaves tax payer to pick up the billion, costing them 9 billion dollars annually (Kirby). Having a baby as a teenage leaves themselves and their child susceptible to many harmful effects that can be prevented if they chose to abstain from sex and wait to have a child when there are finical and physically

        In recent years, teen pregnancy have declined. However, the United States is still the country that has the highest teen pregnancy rates. Although the rates have declined significantly, teen pregnancy is still a major social problem because girls are getting pregnant every day. In 2011, statistics concluded that more than  400,000 girls ages 15-19 were giving birth each year in the United States. Teen prgenancy effects the mother, father, child, and community due to emotional, phyiscal, and financial costs (Vitalsigns, 2011). Society works together to

The number of teen pregnancies keeps getting higher and higher as the years go by. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, nearly 800,000 women under the age of 20 have gotten pregnant. Although it has declined, the rate of teen pregnancies in the United States is the highest of all the nations. It is degraded by society in most places and there is a stereotype that those who become pregnant always drop out of school and ruin their future and career goals. In some places people think it would be better for teen moms to not go back to school. Teen moms have the right to an education just like everybody else. Although it is hard for teens to keep getting an education and pursuing a career, it should still be an option and can be done with

Three in 10 girls in the U.S. will become pregnant at least once before age 20. Daughters of teen mothers are three times more likely to become teen mothers themselves. TV shows like "Teen Mom," "16 and Pregnant," illustrate the overall experience. Teenage pregnancy is an issue among America’s youth. This issue can be dealt with a mandatory parenting class brought into high school curriculums.

An estimated 400,000 teen girls, ages 15-19 years, give birth each year in the US. In today’s media sexual activity and teen parenting is often glamorize, but the truth of the matter is the reality is harshly different. Having a child during the teen’s formative years carries the high price of emotional, physical, and financial, not only to the mother, but father, child, and community. Parents, educators, and community organizations all have a major role to play in reducing teen pregnancy.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services 8,715 teenagers 19 years old or less were impregnated in 2013. 2,385 of these pregnancies were contributed by teens ranging in ages 15 through 17 years old, in which 1,985 resulted in live births. Meaning, only 400 out of 2,385 of our little sisters, daughters, nieces, and even best friends weren’t able to successfully bring a child into our world. Teen pregnancy is a growing occurrence in the U.S., through educating and making sure the public has what it needs to prevent teen parenthood we can improve the state of Arizona, as well as do our part for the country. Teen pregnancy is a vicious cycle that negatively impacts both the economy and society around it.

Early pregnancy is becoming more of a problem every year. More and more teenagers are becoming pregnant and becoming young mothers. There are many reasons on why this is such a problem. For instance, young mothers drop out of high school, their bodies are not mature enough, not as financially stable as they should be, and many other reasons. In the periodal How to Stop Teen Pregnancies, it states “When teenage girls have babies, they are in danger. They more likely will suffer serious health problems than mothers in other age groups and more often will drop out of school and become stuck at low-income levels for life. Children of these teens also navigate a tough road. They are prone to health and behavior trouble, tend not to do well in school and frequently become teen parents themselves” which gives us evidence that it is not healthy for a young girl to get pregnant. They have been different solutions through the years. Some worked while some didn’t. Some soultions that have been tried are parents talking to their teenegaers about sex and early parenthood. We have also tried to teach teenerages the importace of absence. Howevver, the best solution for this problem would be birth control and how easy it is to access birth control.

"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.