Teenage Pregnancy In Teenage Moms

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.

Current statistics indicate that in the United States 4 out of 10 girls will become pregnant at least once before the age of 20 (Harris & Allgood, 2009, p.1314). This population of mothers is more likely to dropout then other adolescents in their age group (Harris & Allgood, 2009, p.1314). In fact, more than 60% of teens who give birth before the age of 18 will drop out of high school, putting them at a greater risk of being impoverished later in life (Harris & Allgood, 2009, p.1314). Additionally, the children of adolescent mothers are more likely to have complicated deliveries that can lead to chronic medical and developmental problems (Harris & Allgood, 2009, p.1315). With higher rates of poverty as well as increased pregnancy

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).

Motherhood is cross-culturally regarded as vitally important. Historically, the concept of motherhood was defined as a woman 's primary “mission, profession, and an inseparable part of her nature,” (Leskosek 2011). In contemporary society, however, negative social and biological consequences are associated with young maternity in developed areas (Kramer et al. 2010). Teenage pregnancy is defined as encompassing all pregnancies between the ages of 10 and 19, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (Males 1992). According to a 2010 study, teen motherhood is “discouraged, debated as a public health issue and considered a societal problem in developed populations,” (Kramer et al). Despite this, about 750,000 of the 20 million adolescent girls in the United States become pregnant every year (Macionis 2013). Rates of juvenile pregnancy and birth rates are significantly higher in the U.S. than in other Western countries (Basch 2011). Additionally, Dr. Naomi Farber, author of Adolescent Pregnancy: Policy and Prevention Services, asserts that, “Over one-third of all births in the U.S. are outside of marriage, and about 88% of all childbearing teens are unmarried,” (2014). Teen mothers are often subject to extended periods of loneliness, loss of educational and employment opportunities, and lower income than older mothers (Simigiu 2012). Clearly, adolescent pregnancy is a widespread problem in today’s society. Studies have shown that the transition into parental roles and

10% of children in America are the result of teenage pregnancy. Researchers have looked at the marijuana use in teenage mothers to see if it poses a greater risk for marijuana use in their offspring. Children who are born to teenage mothers that use marijuana have shown to a correlate with sexual behavior at an earlier age and pregnancy. Statistics have shown that young mothers are more likely to use marijuana than older mothers. A pattern of marijuana use by teenage mothers has shown to impact different behaviors associated with early pregnancy in their offspring.

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.

Societal norms discourage sexual behavior in teenagers, however, it is found that many high school students have had sex; and many times, there are no types of contraception used. According to Mollborn (2017), it is found that 1 in 7 of these teenage girls become mothers. Teenage pregnancy has many negative lifelong implications. When a teenager becomes pregnant they are forced to make some very tough choices, and no matter which decision they make about the outcome of their pregnancy, their life will be changed forever. There is a domino effect that takes place when a teen becomes pregnant. The father of the baby, the parents and families of the two who created the situation, as well as their friends will feel the repercussions. Even

Adolescent pregnancies remain a concern in public health worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that annually about 16 million girls between 15 and 19 give birth. Indeed, in many countries policies and programs are developed and implemented for the prevention of teen pregnancy and reduction of risks and consequences it might cause. Furthermore, that a teenager becomes pregnant poses a risk to her health, her life and the fetus life. This situation also brings complications at psychological, family and social level. Being a young mother can affect education. Teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of high school. In fact, the correlation between early motherhood and

n the mainstream news, young mothers have received surplus attention due to the large scale viewers of MTV’s shows Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant. Fox News, leaning far right on the political spectrum commented about the extensive publizity. When the stars from these reality shows made front page on US Weekly and People’s magazine Fox News posted an article in response,“ Tabloids Glamorizing Teen Pregnancy By Putting Teen Moms on Covers.” Young teens who became pregnant and now a part of mainstream culture sex is the highlighted deviance described in this article. Fox News argues that we shouldn’t praise these girls for their actions because, they are irresponsible parents that were just looking for a way to make quick money. That, this

Teen pregnancy is something that affects over one million young teens in the United States. For some, these pregnancies are planned but 85% of these teens the pregnancy is unplanned. This can cause a lot of endless problems in the life of the teen and the newborn child. There are a lot of things that can cause an unplanned teen pregnancy, such as teens experimenting with sexual encounters at a young age. Another major cause is the lack of guidance due to guardians that are blind or do not want to believe in such activities. These causes can have devastating effects on the teen and the newborn in the household. Some effects of early pregnancy will include an unexpected rise of responsibility for the teen and can cause many health concerns for both teen and newborn child.

Today, one of the biggest problems among teenagers is teen pregnancy. Throughout high school and college, teenagers are getting pregnant at an age they are incapable of taking care of a child. Along with hearing about teens getting pregnant, television shows are displaying it to you like 16 and Pregnant. Though the pregnancy rates have fallen over previous years, the United States still has the highest rates than any other Western industrialized country. Along with the teen pregnancies comes sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in a lot of cases, which American ranks first as well. With implementation of curricular changes in schools, the rates of teen pregnancy and STDs can be reduced, thus leading to things like less unwanted pregnancies and abortion.

When you think about teen pregnancy, how would you feel if it were you? In today’s generation, teen pregnancy has slowly began to decrease. Teen pregnancy is defined as an adolescent (age 13-19) becoming pregnant. Teen pregnancy not only affects the life of the mother and child, but moreover, affects the lives of the people around them. These people may even be strangers, like taxpayers. Teen pregnancy may be caused by peer pressure, sexual abuse, low socioeconomic status, and even social media. The effects are much more obvious. Typically, “Parenting teens tend to drop out of school and often cannot take advantage of opportunities for schooling or jobs (when they do come along) because very often they are carrying the responsibilities of child rearing without the necessary support and skills to even do that fully” (Fonda, 19). There are several other causes, effects, and possible solutions to this problem. These serious consequences are in need of a more effective solution.

"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.