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assert that no social problem affecting youths has received as much attention in recent times as adolescent pregnancy. Literature shows that 13 million children are born to women under the age of 20 worldwide while 95% of the teenagers experience an unintended pregnancy. Increased Attention has finally been given to teenage pregnancy as a public health issue due to the realization of the abnormal prevalence, number of affected people, high levels of psychological distress, and high morbidity rates as well as the painfully apparent social and economic / public welfare cost of teenage childbearing and parenthood

Adolescent pregnancy is a widely researched and debated topic in psychology. Teen pregnancy rates in the United States have dropped significantly over the last two decades from 6.2% in 1990 to 2.7% in 2013, a 56% decrease, for women aged 15-19. Despite the sharp decline, concerns about the consequences of adolescent childbearing have not decreased.

Lewis (1992) There are many factors to child bearing of young teenagers and ration between pregnancy and the influence. Eugene Milewide (1992) stated that the U.S healthcare system is for the protection of children. (pg.186) There are many different statistics that are used to measure the level of changes to end teenage child bearing (Eugene M. Lewit, 1992, pg. 187) According to Eugene M Lewit (1992) the factors in teen pregnancy are social life, personal life and the influence of birth. (pg. 188) The rate of childbearing seems to be increasing from the rate it was a few years ago, (Eugene M. Lewit, 1992, pg.189) The significance of this article is how the outside factors influence childbearing and teenagers. There are system’s in place to protect teenagers and their

Teen pregnancy has been a serious social issue for quite a while. Often, a teen pregnancy is detrimental for both the teen and the child involved. Both a teen mother and her child are more susceptible to complications during the pregnancy and birth than and adult mother and her child. Unfortunately, a teen mother and her infant are also less likely to pursue and receive healthcare to alleviate these health risks (Teen Pregnancy). Moreover, “teen pregnancy is often cited as a factor that perpetuates the cycle of poverty, since teen mothers are likely to be poor in the first place, and their children are likely to grow up to be poor” (Teen Pregnancy). While there is no argument that teens should be educated to prevent teen pregnancy, there is a debate on how it should be done. Currently, there are two forms of education focused on reducing teen pregnancies: abstinence-only education and comprehensive sex education with birth control. However, sex education and birth control are clearly the superior option, due to its effectiveness and the futility of abstinence-only education.

Although the teenage pregnancy rates in the United States (US) are currently at its lowest in a period of 40 years, it still tops the list amongst developed countries. According to Kost and Henshaw (2012), approximately 6.78% of young women aged between15–19(nearly 750,000 teenagers) become pregnant every year. Finer and Zolna (2011) stated that 82% of these pregnancies are unintended. Moreover, because the average menarche age has reached about 12 or 13 years old (Potts, 1990), which is an all-time low. BThis is ecause for every ten young women, six engage in sex as teenagers (Martinez et al., 2011), most of these girls are at high risk of conceiving.

Nearly all teen pregnancies are unplanned, however teen pregnancy is becoming an epidemic. A lot of teens do not realize that having sex can bring on a lot of responsibilities. In most case scenarios, on average, adolescences say they did not want to get pregnant or cause a pregnancy. When you read about different statics about teen pregnancy, that alone is reason enough to create preventing programs about teen pregnancy. Knowing that teen pregnancy is closely linked to a host of other critical social issue, e.g. poverty, income, overall child well-being, health issue, education, just to name a few. There are also substantial public costs associated with adolescent childbearing. Consequently, teen pregnancy should be viewed not only as a reproductive health issue, but as one that works to improve these measures.

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

Teen pregnancy and how it has become so common in our society is a difficult topic to dissect. It is a concerning issue which is faced with plenty of controversy and criticism from various groups that make up our society. To understand the ever evolving complexity in this matter, one must educate themselves on how the roles of women and men have changed in our society over many decades, if not centuries. There are many areas to investigate about adolescent pregnancy and how it has developed into a global issue. Adolescent pregnancy has challenged this nation for many years. This study will examine how this issue creates complications that severely impacts various aspects of our society and to also understand that our society has

A baby is a great responsibility that requires a lot of care and attention. Also, the cost involved is high. For example, a study conducted in Europe shows that only 15 percent of adolescent pregnancies are planned. In addition, half of all teenage pregnancies occur six months after a teenager becomes sexually active (Miller 1997). Adolescent pregnancy is considered a risk to maternal and child health, as well as a factor that contributes to the excessive growth of the population, dropout, and the perpetuation of poverty, by limiting the possibilities for personal and family development. Its causes are attributed mainly to early sexuality and lack of information and access to contraceptive methods.

Of all the industrialized nations, the United States has the highest rate for teenage pregnancy. In the United States, 3 in 10 teenage girls will get pregnant before they turn 20 years old which means that at least 750,000 teenage pregnancies will occur every year. In 2011, teen pregnancy was at the lowest it had ever been in the past four decades which sparked a chain reaction. For girls ages 15-19, around 553,000 pregnancies occurred in 2011. This was the beginning of the decline for teenage pregnancy in the United States. By taking a look at the different effects that teen pregnancy has on the mothers, such as stereotypes, negative attitudes, and cultural influences, people can begin to understand the pressure that is placed upon these young mothers.

The issue of teen pregnancy in the United States first garnered the public’s attention in the 1950s. Beginning with the Carter administration, every succeeding presidential administration highlights teen pregnancy as social issue that needs to be addressed (Furstenberg, 2007). The issue of teen pregnancy was first noted in the early 1950s. In Post WWII America, birth rates rose at a staggering rate among all women (Colby, 2014). In this time period, marriage and child bearing were still inextricably linked and marriage among teens also rose. Due to teens tendency to marry due to an unintended pregnancy, the issue of teen pregnancy did not gain much attention during this decade.

There are numerous causes as to why teenagers in this generation tend to get pregnant earlier than expected.

Teen pregnancy continues to be a public health concern in the United States. Compared to other industrialized nations, the USA ranks higher in teen pregnancy and abortion rates than other Westernized countries (Segeh, Finer, Bankole, Eilers , Singh 2015). It was estimated that in the year 2015, 229,715 babies were born to teenagers in the United States (Martin et al., 2017). Medical research has shown that teen pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes for the mother and the child. Children born to teen mothers are more likely to have low birth weights, are less likely to be breastfed and are at a higher risk for infant death (Chen et al., 2007). In addition to the potential clinical challenges, teen motherhood can present a new set of barriers for future socioeconoimical well-being. Teen mothers are less likely finish high school, are delayed in joining the workforce and are more likely to remain single ( Hoffman & Maynard, 2008).

Teen pregnancy in the United States has been an ongoing issue for well over 50 years. The United States ranks first amongst developed countries in teen pregnancy rates (See Table 2). Approximately 750,000 teenage girls between ages 15 and19 will become pregnant every year (Do Something.org, 2014). Statistics show that of the teen population that will become pregnant annually, only a small percentage complete their high school education, much less fulfill a college degree. In fact, about 38% of teenage mothers who have a child before the age of 18 will obtain a high school diploma (The National Campaign, 2014). In addition, less than 2% of young mothers (those who had a child before age 18) will obtain a college degree by age 30 (Why it Matters, 2012).

Teen pregnancy in the United States is still an epidemic. The number of babies delivered by teen pregnancies in 2014 was 249,078. That is 24% per 1,000 women ages 15-19. This number has declined 57% since 1991 but is still an issue in United States today. Not only are these teenagers uneducated they are also not financially prepared to take on the task of raising a child. Teen pregnancy is usually unplanned and unexpected and cost approximately $28 billion a year in tax dollars, per The Office of Adolescent Health. Let us take a deeper look at some of the contributors to teen pregnancy and how it affects communities.