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Pregnancy among teens
The issue of teen pregnancy
The issue of teen pregnancy
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Pregnancy is a wonderful thing, the moment a woman finds out that she is pregnant, she is filled with many different emotions, ranging from happiness, to ecstatic to even a little nervous. However, when that woman happens to be a teenage girl, there is a completely different range of emotions. Such as fear, excitement, and filled with many questions. Their life changes before their eyes the moment they see a positive pregnancy test. Statistics show that thousands of teenage girls will get pregnant by the age of 20. The effects of being pregnant at a young age, not only affects the teen mother, the father, but the family as well. In those thousands of teenage girls that get pregnant. Many choose to keep the baby, while others choose either adoption or abortion. The amount of life changing ‘adult’ decisions a teenager has to make in such a short time has many grueling effects on the decisions you make while pregnant. Getting pregnant at a young age puts a lot of emotional and physical stress on not only the teenage girl, but her family as well. The effects that a teenage pregnancy is similar to a roller coaster, you think you have hit the top, but you just …show more content…
(11 facts about Teen Pregnancy, 2016) Although, the rates of teen pregnancy differ from year to year. The most accurate statistics from teenage pregnancies were around 2010 before the rates declined. The birth rate for teens is 68 pregnancies per 1000 teen girls. Every 3 in 10 teen American girls will get pregnant at least once before the age of 20, which is 750,000 teen pregnancies per year. Out of that 68 per 1000 teens, 24 out of 1000 will get an abortion. Which is roughly around 200,000 abortions per year between the ages of 15-19. (Teen Abortion Statistics, 2009) The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancies, even with abortion, keeping the baby and/or
Teenagers who become mothers have harsh prospects for the future. Teenagers obtaining abortions are 20% and girls under 15 accounts for 1.2%. They are much more likely to leave of school; receive insufficient prenatal care; rely on public assistance to raise a child; develop health problems; or en...
Being a parent is very demanding and can be hard. The difficulties that come with an unplanned pregnancy in teens can have a profound effect on their life. Their physical, social, mental, and emotional health will all be affected by a sudden change in the course of their life. Teens impacted with an unplanned pregnancy will have to give up many things in order to be a parent. In addition, they will have to take on many more responsibilities that accompany pregnancy and parenthood. All in all, having an unplanned pregnancy and becoming a parent introduce many new responsibilities and difficulties.
According to the March of Dimes, "nearly thirteen percent of all births in the United States were teens ages fifteen to nineteen. Almost one million teenagers become pregnant each year and about 485,000 give birth (Teenage 1).
Studies show that within the last seven years there has been a dramatic drop in the number of teen pregnancies. Teen pregnancy is best known as, the act of getting pregnant between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. Teen pregnancy does not come with much of a history. In the past, (mostly in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s) it was common for girls to be married between the ages of fourteen and sixteen and give birth not long after. Some girls were having babies as young as thirteen and fourteen years old! During the times that young girls would bear children and be married so young, college and education was not an important factor. As a young girl you learned how to take care of your house, farm, laundry, crops, animals, husband, and children. The father was your main source of income. Obviously things in our time are very different. Over the years a growing importance for education and making a living on your own has become crucial to many women. It was no longer important to have children so soon, but to learn to be a strong, educated, and independent woman. Even now as time has gone by, the image of being a pregnant teenage girl has been glorified solely by media. It becomes less important to get an education so you can get a good job and be able to raise a child and give them a good life, and more important to get pregnant and get a chance to be worshiped nationally on t.v. for being pregnant and making all of your money through fame.
Negative incrimination regarding teen pregnancies are a modern perception. Before the 20th century, it was considered a norm for many women to conceive children slightly after onset of menses. As well as the obvious: they did not possess the contraceptives like there is in today’s time. It was just the ‘normal’ thing to do. Generally, the role of the young women (once they were able to produce offspring) was to find their husband and begin a family. The ages of these girls ranged from 13 to 18. The women would marry a slightly older man; usually, the men’s ages ranged from later teens (17, 18, 19) to the 20’s. “Life spans were significantly smaller in the 1800s and the sole reason for women was to procreate and support the men in their lives”
In America, one million teenagers get pregnant every year (National Abortion Federation, 2003). Of these pregnancies, 78% are unplanned because these teenagers start having sex at a very young age and are unaware of ways to prevent pregnancies. Thirty-five percent of the pregnant teenagers chose to abort, as they fear that the consequences of the pregnancy might have significant effects on their lives. The problems that come with teenage pregnancies include dropping out of school, receiving inadequate prenatal care, developing health problems, relying on public assistance to raise a child, and probably divorcing their partners. In most states, the law allows pregnant teenagers to take their babies for adoption without consulting their parents.
“Teen Pregnancy Rates in the USA.” Editorial. Livestrong. Demand Media Inc., 18 Nov. 2009. Web. 4 Apr. 2010. .
The female teen stares into the eyes of her newborn son, not realizing the type of life her and her son will have in the near future. Katrina L. Burchett excellently explicates teenage pregnancy among female adolescents living with domestic problems in her book titled Choices. The various elements that aid to the wide range of teenage pregnancies in the world should all be taken in to consideration. Getting pregnant at an adult is no longer substantial or conventional in our society. Everyday, female young adults are getting pregnant, which is why it is a social issue for the youth today.
Nearly 615,000 teen pregnancies occur in the United States each year. This number has drastically changed since the mid 90’s. It is no big surprise that teen pregnancy is something most people frown upon in this country. It really makes a teenager grow up very fast, even when they don’t think they can. Teen pregnancy is preventable but we still know it is going to happen each and every year. I believe that talking about prevention at an appropriately early age is key. More importantly the way a teenage girl feels pressure to make choices about her pregnancy and how to tell her family the news is something we should prepare teenage girls about as well. Teaching a young woman the value she can put towards her and her baby’s future is very important and will be more valuable than scolding it through their minds that sex is bad.
Though the teen birth rate has declined to its lowest levels since data collection began, the United States still has the highest teen birth rate in the industrialized world. Roughly, one in four girls will become pregnant at least once by their 20th birthday. In addition, young people ages 15 to 24 represent 25 percent of the sexually active population, but acquire half of all new STIs.
In 2012, 305,420 babies were born to females ages 15-19, resulting in 29.4 births for every 1,000 adolescent females (Hamilton). While teenage pregnancies were once considered normal and expected for young women to ensure lifelong stability, it is now considered a taboo subject. MTV's reality television show, 16 and Pregnant, which began in 2009, has popularized pregnancy among adolescent females. Glamorization of the subject has shown to be the top reason for the increased risk of becoming pregnant during adolescent years. Although statistical trends have declined over time within teen pregnancy, roughly 40% of females in the U.S. will become pregnant before their 20th birthdays, with 50% giving birth each year and around 45% receiving abortions (OAH).
A number of teens do not want to become pregnant, although some are not opposed and other has ambivalent attitudes (Bruckner, Martin, & Bearman, 2004, p. 535-557). Therefore having a healthy understanding of factors associated with a desire for pregnancy among teens, health care providers may better predict the most at risk teens. Many teenagers from the age of 15-19 carry mixed feelings concerning childbirth. Although the optimistic teens increase the risk to unprotected sex, and some were negative against the spectrum to protect against early pregnancy. A careful details study on attitudes indicates a small number of adolescents embraced pregnancy in the future; a large group of teenagers is unsure about becoming pregnant.
Teenage pregnancy is a serious concern in our society today where people become pregnant due to the misinformation. The United States had the greatest amount of pregnancies. According to the New York Times Company, over 650,000 teens between 15 and 19 become pregnant each year (Teen Pregnancy Statistics of US). In simple words, becoming pregnant at such an early age brings many difficulties for those young girls such as the absence of attending college to obtain a degree, lower expectations of finishing high school, and trouble with finances. Most teens get pregnant because they want to know what it feels like to raise a child or because they see others with children and they find them cute and want them to themselves.
Other causes of teen pregnancy can be due to the “teen rebellious stage”, and girls that feel like they aren’t getting enough attention and think getting pregnant is the only way to feel important (Kirby 89-94). Most teen girls are asked to drop out in the later stages of pregnancy because they do not to “encourage” other girls. High schools are starting to try to educate girls in their care they not only want to teach them about sex, they want to teach them what to do if they ...
Teen Pregnancy is when a person less than 20 years old has a child. 273,105 babies were born to women aged 15-19 in 2013. There was a birth rate of 26.5 percent of babies per 1000 girls in this age group in 2013 (Teen Pregnancy in the United States par.1).The rate has never been this low and it’s dropped 10% since 2012 (Teen Pregnancy in the United States par.1) Public health and significant health issues have a huge impact on teen pregnancy. African American and Hispanic teens account for 57% of teen pregnancy. Caucasian Americans have the lowest percentage of teen pregnancy (Disparities in Teen Birth Rates par.2). Only 50% of teen moms get their high school diploma by age 22 instead of 90% of women who don’t have children in their teenage years (The Importance of Prevention par 2.). Diapers, formula, clothes, and other baby items are extremely expensive. Children might look cute, but they cost a lot of money. You have to pay for doctors’ visits and other expenses. Then trying to take care of a baby, work, and go to school is a lot of one person. Yes, I know adults do it, but we are talking about people who haven’t even finished growing yet themselves. Trying to study with a crying baby isn’t an enjoyable