Teen Pregnancy
Meshia Williams
Just because teenage pregnancy has decreased does not mean the problem is solved. Nearly all teenage pregnancies are unplanned. Teen mothers are nearly twice as likely to forgo prenatal care in the first trimester. This sets up complications along with health problems, costs, responsible fatherhood, education, and risky behavior. Babies are having babies before they’re even fully developed themselves; the environment, and media along with other things are all factors that determine why and how teens are getting pregnant.
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
Teenage mothers who did performed poor in academic, at an economic disadvantage, have a history of sexual abused in childhood and were raised by teenage parents were more likely to have a baby at a young age. Different racial and ethnic cultures/perspectives can also affect teen pregnancy. The risk factors do not play equally in every teen pregnancy case.
When we look at influences, it is hard to say what precisely is the main pressure of teen pregnancies in the United States is. Each year, almost 750,000 teenage women, in the United States of America, ages 15 to 19 become pregnant (U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics, 2006). Worldwide, rates of
In 2015 there was about 3,978,497 births registered of teen moms in the United states. Teen pregnancy has been a big issue for many years. A large number of teenagers are having unprotected sex that lead to unwanted pregnancy. This issue cause young girls to make a decision on the future of the baby, weather it is to be aborted, given up for adoption or keeping the baby and raising it. This unwanted pregnancy also takes effect on these teenager's social life, school and work.
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
Teenage pregnancy is one of many issues that the United States has. It is one issue that can be fixed easily and should be waited upon until teens are married and know what they are doing with their lives. This issue came about in the early in the 1950’s – 1960’s. Teen pregnancy is a teenage girl between the ages 13-19 (girls who haven’t reached adulthood) having unwanted or wanted babies. Janet Bode once stated in her book, “Emotions run everywhere, scared, sad, disappointment and preparation for what is about to happen” (Bode 51). If we do not act now, teen pregnancy will be out the roof. Teen pregnancy needs a stop put to it no matter what, teens are still children themselves and they are still learning how to take care of themselves:
Teen pregnancies is a major problem in the United States. Three in ten teens will get pregnant at least once before the age of 20. That’s nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies every year.Also about 32.8 percent of freshman, 43.8 percent of sophomores, 55.5 percent of juniors and 64.45 percent of seniors in high school are sexually active. Teen pregnancy is a result of many causes.
Adolescent pregnancies have become global public health concerns, especially when they are unplanned. "Around 77 percent of teenage pregnancies are unplanned" (Trends in Teens). If teens had additional education teen pregnancy and birth control options, then the number might decrease substantially. Race plays a big role in teen pregnancies. "The African American pregnancy rate, ages 15-19, is around 99.5 births per 1,000 people in 2010. This is double the amount for white teenagers" (Danawi 1). African Americans are more likely to have a kid between ages 15-19. Home life could potentially affect the age at which one becomes pregnant. "Teenagers who live in overcrowded areas with poor public infrastructure and high levels of violence are at
The past history of teen pregnancies is pretty interesting. For instance, in 2014 the rate steadily dropped, but in 2015 the rate began to climb again. In today’s society it's not surprising that the rate has climbed because the peer pressure these days has definitely affected the rate of pregnancies. Back in the 90s, due to the pressure of fitting in, the teens then thought pregnancy would
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
"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."
Another factor is alcohol and vanity. Luxurious lifestyles cause most teenagers to sadly stumble unto the path of prostitution as well and often becoming impregnated and drop out of school. Being a mom at an early age due to fast living can also lead to contraction of life-threatening diseases such as HIV/AIDS which could also be an addition to teenage pregnancy. Having been sick with HIV/AIDS and pregnant is not the combination any mother would ever dream about especially
The numbers of teenage pregnancy are very high but when you think about the numbers most could have been prevented with the use of protection. Some people may not afford condoms but if you cannot afford a condom you cannot afford a baby. Children from homes ran by teenage mothers go through a hard time in life. Teenage mothers have no time for other things, because they are busy taking care of their baby. Most teen mothers end up dropping out of high school, because they do not have time for school anymore.
Pregnancies are a wonderful thing. Just imagine being able to create another human being and bringing it into the world. Although this may be what the majority of mothers think, teen moms may have a different perspective. They might have been forced into pregnancy and the child may be a reoccurring thought of what happened to her. Chances are the teen will love her baby in the long run, but in the beginning the teen most likely had different views. Teen pregnancy is a worldwide problem that needs to be educated properly. The reason why most teen pregnancies occur because teens aren’t educated enough. Granted they might become curious or they don’t care, but they at least need to be properly educated on the matter and know exactly what they
“A baby with a baby?” That is what most people say, or think, when they hear about the pregnancy of an adolescent girl. Early pregnancy, commonly referred to as teenage pregnancy, is an ongoing crisis throughout the world. However, the United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the world. Since its peak in 1990, teen pregnancy rates have declined by half, but they are still fairly high. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, “roughly one in four teens girls in the U.S. will get pregnant at least once by the age of twenty” (The National Campaign 1). One could place the blame solely on the teenagers and their “raging hormones” for getting pregnant, but that is simply not the case.
"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.