Teens Essay

In truth, contraceptive access will not increase the rates of teen sex, according to a 2017 paper co-authored by five John Hopkins doctors and pediatricians (Gebelhoff 7). The pamphlet used to help teens decide if they are ready should be viewed as a good thing because it gives students reasons not to proceed (Culp-Ressler 4). Additionally, John Hopkins says, teenagers on the pill or other hormonal birth control options are more likely to be protected from pregnancy than those who use condoms because the pill has a lower rate of failure and is not influenced by pressures in the moment (Gebelhoff 8). Hormonal birth control is more effective at preventing pregnancy, but it would be impossible for most teen girls with reluctant parents to obtain if states require parental permission due to the scarcity of clinics and lack of over the counter

Teen pregnancy is an issue in United States, it is one issue that should wait 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:

Birth control has prevented many unwanted teen pregnancies, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen births in the United States reached a historic low in 2015, which can be explained in large part by an increased use of contraception among young people” (Gebelhoff, Robert). As of right now, women have to get a prescription to get oral contraceptives from their doctor. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, this movement to make access to these contraceptives is supported by them. Although, teenagers are more likely to use birth control pills compared to using condoms, they are not being influenced by their sexual or emotional pressures. This article also says, the public-health benefits from

One solution to preventing teen pregnancy would be to provide better access to birth control for teenagers. In Jacqueline Sedgwick’s article, “American Adolescents and Emergency Contraceptive Pill Access,” she argues that the American teenage pregnancy and abortion rates are higher than any other nation due to the irregular or improper usage of birth control. Many American teenagers are unaware of how to properly use the contraceptives and mistakenly find themselves in difficult situations, but with more knowledge about birth control, teens will be able to properly protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. According to the article, the federal court order the US Food and Drug Administration to make emergency contraceptive pills available to teens over the age of seventeen without a prescription (Sedgwick). Allowing easy access to birth control will enable teens to be prepared and inhibit them from unintended pregnancies that are likely

Clemmitt (2010) states that currently the most effective approach to prevent teenage pregnancy is evidence-based sex education programs. The primary debate about the best method of preventing teenage pregnancy is between abstinence-only courses and comprehensive sex education. The author says that after operating comprehensive sex education, the Obama approach, many communities and county areas have drastically reduced the rate of teenage pregnancy. Studies and statistics suggested that abstinence-only courses have not contributed to reduce teenage pregnancy rates. The author points out that the abstinence-only courses also include sexually transmitted diseases classes and discussions of unhealthy relationship and making decisions, and abstinence

Society in general is currently addressing the social problem of teen pregnancy in several ways. One of the most important is an increase in parent’s willingness to not only bring the issue up and discuss it with their children, but also allowing educators to address the issue in schools.

Teen pregnancy and the risk of it remains a serious issue for today’s adolescents. In 2015, there were 229,715 babies born to women from the ages of 15 to 19 (Martin). Accidental teen pregnancies could be prevented if more comprehensive sex education was taught at school and birth control was more accessible and affordable for teens. Guttmacher Institute lead a study on the issue of birth control and teens. The results showed that an 8% increase in use of contraceptives related to a 42% drop in pregnant teenagers over the course of seven years (Spadafino). Even though birth control has been proven to lower the risk of unwanted pregnancies, our society still views it as a taboo topic.

I am in favor of contraception being made available to teenagers because it reduces the risk of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted Diseases. According to the CDC or Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013 a survey was conducted for U.S. high school students. “47% had ever had sexual intercourse”, 34% had sexual intercourse during the previous 3 months, and, of these 41% did NOT use a condom the last time they had sex”. Results like these are not new to the generation of today. I am a 21-year-old mother and when I was in high school I heard stories every single day about these males and females sexual experiences. The CDC states “approximately 273,000 babies were born to teen girls aged 15-19 years in 2013.”

If teenagers had easy access to birth control and condoms, then teen pregnancies would start to decrease because they would be aware of how to be safe. They would use the help if they were informed on how to get contraceptives and where to get them from. There is a television show on MTV called Teen Mom; it’s all about 4 teenage girls who happened to get pregnant at a younger age than they expected. This show explains their life and the struggle they had to go through because they weren’t prepared when it came to sex. 3 out of the 4 girls kept their child and began to realize how hard it was. Those 3 girls also weren’t successful in their relationship due to the fact that they weren’t mature enough to balance out their life and 2 of them hadn’t even finished college yet because, they had to reorganize their lifestyle. In the show they have often mentioned that if they knew more about birth control and other ways to be protected; their chances of pregnancy would have been lower. Being a mother isn’t fun when you haven’t fully lived through your teenage years; if contraception was more available teenagers would not have to worry about being a mother at such a young

Seven hundred fifty thousand teenagers, ages fifteen to nineteen, become pregnant each year (“Facts”). Teenage birth specialists have often debated whether or not teenagers should have access to birth control and other contraceptives. Although some people think teenagers having birth control will promote promiscuity, birth control should be accessible to teens because they will put themselves at a higher risk for disease and pregnancy without it, and more teenage girls would get a high school diploma with it.

Although the teen pregnancy rate has decreases over the past decade, U.S. still has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world (CITE). Almost 750,000 teenage women become pregnant in the United States each year (CITE). Unfortunately, this is not surprising considering contraceptive use within the United States are very low. The teenage pregnancy rate might decline if schools taught proper sex education instead of abstinence. The government provides over $1.5 billion in-state to form abstinence programs in a hope of delaying sexual initiation in the teens and prevent teen pregnancy. However, the program has failed to do so. A review by advocates for youth abstinence showed few evidence of sustained impact on attitudes and intentions instead the evidence showed negative impact on teenagers’ willingness to use contraception (CITE). Abstinence program tries to teach teenagers and the unwed to avoid engaging in a sexual activity before marriage because it reflects an American value. However, the truth is sex before marriage does not reflect American values because in a major, nationally representative survey, approximately 95 percent of adult respondents, from age 18 through 44, reported that they had sex before marriage (CITE). Teaching teenagers abstinence until marriage is useless as a large number of people are engaged in sexual activity before

4 out of 10 girls will become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20 years old (American Civil Liberties Union, 2017). That makes America one of the top countries leading in teen pregnancies. Statistics shows that nearly 900,000 teenagers become pregnant every year (American Civil Liberties Union, 2017). This brings us to the topic question: Should teenage girls be allowed to receive contraceptives without parental permission? Preventing teens from having access to contraceptives without parental consent will lead to the increase of teen pregnancies. More than 77% of women experience sex for the first time by the age of 19 (Frisco, 2005). Through the study of women’s health a student of gynecology will better understand the need for birth control to be available to teenage girls without parental permission.

Many teenagers are now becoming parents these days. In fact, from the ages of 15-19, there were 249,078 babies born in the United States. (1) Many of these unwanted pregnancies can be prevented with the help sexual education. Yes, in some schools there is sexual education. But, if it was in every school many of these could have possibly been prevented. At the school I attend, sexual education is not offered. We are faced with several unwanted pregnancies, and with sexual education, I think these could be prevented.

Most women become pregnant at some time during their life, but what if that time comes during the adolescent period in a woman’s life? Teenagers tend to take more risks than adults, whether it be with drugs, alcohol, or sex. In recent years teen pregnancy has decreased due to the fact women used to get married a lot younger, but in recent years it seemed to have become an epidemic in the U.S. However, thanks to shows such as Teen Mom and due to sex education in schools the teen pregnancy rate has decreased even more. Teens are still having sex, but they seem to be better educated in contraceptive forms as well. However, contraceptives don’t always work which can lead to teen pregnancy.

"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.