Teen Pregnancies Are Increasing at an Alarming Rate - Essay Example

Topic: Teenage Pregnancy Audience: Teenagers and Parents Purpose: (to show/ to argue about the causes, effects and solutions Thesis ment: Teen pregnancies are increasing at an alarming rate 1. Introduction (150) A. Background of teen pregnancy B. Teen pregnancies are increasing at an alarming rate 2. Causes (smallest paragraph) (150) A. Social - Peer pressure to have sex at a young age B. Economic - Lower class lack the info and services for safe sex C. Legal - Believing they are above the age of consent 3. Social effects (250) A. Increased drop-out rates in school B. Ostracized 4. economic effects (250) A. Increased single moms on welfare, free health care B. Less likely to get a good job, decreasing workers 5. (other effects) (250) A. Emotional B. Familial 6. Solutions (250) A. Education on sexual activity and safe sex for teens and parents B. Easier access to contraceptives 7. Conclusion (150) A. re-state main points B. Decreasing teenage pregnancy, promoting positive and successful futures Teen Pregnancy Introduction Centuries ago, it was considered normal for young women, often below the age of eighteen, to have children. As time went on, it became more common for older women to have children, as social and economic conditions changed (Vinovskis, 1987). Women over the age of eighteen giving birth quickly became the social norm, causing teenage pregnancy to be considered something of a taboo subject. As we entered the new millennium, while there were a low, steady amount of teenage pregnancies, the topic will still an uncertain one. However, as is the case with most teenage fads, the amount of teenage pregnancies only continued to grow, despite the meager actions taken to avert the situations. In the past few years, pregnant teenagers have become a twisted fashion statement, a heavily sought-out fad (Moore, 2006). Now, at the beginning of the second decade of this new millennium, teenage pregnancies are increasing at an alarming rate with no decrease in sight due to a lack of knowledge being given to the teenagers. Causes There are three common causes as to why teenagers are becoming pregnant at a shocking rate. Socially, it is ordinary for teenagers to be pressured by their peers to engage in underage sex, resulting in young pregnancies. Teenagers have the mindset that if their friends and classmates are involving themselves in underage sex, then not only should they do the same, but they feel that their actions will be condoned by the commonality of underage sex. Economically, it has been proven that teenagers from lower income neighborhoods or situations of poverty have an increased chance at becoming pregnant due to a lack of information and resources, as well as access to contraceptives (Cherry, 2001). Legally, many teenagers believe that they are old enough than what the age of consent lays down, and that they are old enough to know what they want as possible parents at such a young age. Furthermore, it is quite often that the men that impregnate the girls are unaware of how old they really are, which, regardless of whether or not the girls give permission, goes against the law of age of consent. Social Effects of Teenage Pregnancy Teenagers either going through pregnancy or making their rounds as teenage moms face numerous social problems as a result of their poorly calculated sex romps. Due to the demand of infants for their mothers, the majority of teenage moms have no choice but to drop out of school to tend to their baby. Although they do exist, very few schools offer specialized daycare facilities to take care of children while their mothers are in class (Checkland, 1999). As these schools are few and far between, most teenagers have to resort to dropping out of school. Many of them do not go back, as being a mother is a full-time job, especially during the first couple of years of the child’s life. “60% to 70% of all pregnant teens drop out of school, and getting back after quitting is especially hard (White, 2008).” Teenage mothers face hardships while they are pregnant and after they have had their babies. Not only do they leave school and their friends, but they are often ostracized by others. They can even lose the support of their friends due to their inability to find time to spend with them because they are too busy taking care of their baby. People in public, strangers or friends, look down on teenage mothers, regarding them as irresponsible and immature, being too unfit to mother children as they are still babies themselves. Potential employers are also not so keen to hire a pregnant teenager or a teenage mom, as their hours and abilities may be limited because of the baby. Economic Effects The economic effects, while horrid as they are now, can only become worse as more teenagers become pregnant. As aforementioned, the majority of teenage mothers come from low income households, which can only result in these mothers requiring welfare and free health care at the expense of the tax payers. Instead of going toward improving health care facilities, emergency response units, and education, tax money is given to these mothers that require welfare. Also, teenage mothers that are kicked out of their home or belong to homes that cannot afford to take care of another child, therefore having to resort to welfare to care for the new addition to the family. Furthermore, less money is left available for of-age mothers that require welfare or free health care due to loss of job or injury. There is less money available to the states as much of it goes towards helping pregnant teenagers. Teenage mothers are also less likely to get decent, well-paying jobs not only because of their dropping out of high school, but due to the fact that employers are edgy about hiring mothers, especially young ones. This can cause a potential decrease of workers, which can result in a downfall of hiring and further hardships for the economy. In addition, teenagers that are currently working and become pregnant risk losing their job with their company, which, once again, can cause issues when it comes to hiring for replacements. There are many jobs that depend on the part-time hours of teenagers, and this lose this dependability as the rate of pregnant teenagers increases. The loss of jobs and the increasing need for welfare for pregnant teenage mothers can cause a domino effect in the economy that can involve raised taxes. Additional Effects of Teenage Pregnancy “As teenagers’ bodies are not fit for handling pregnancies as they are still growing themselves, they face many health risks (Coleman & Roker, 1998)”. Especially preteens and teenagers that are still in middle school, whose bodies have only seen a little bit of their growth, have a plethora of risks to their health and the health of their unborn child. If these teenagers are engaging in unprotected sex, there is a chance that they are engaging in other reckless behaviors, such as drinking and drug use. In the cases in which this statement holds true, teenagers seldom seek the proper care to get their bodies back in a healthy state to prepare for the nurturing of their baby. Being pregnant can also cause emotional and mental trauma, particularly in the cases in which teenagers themselves are emotionally and mentally unfit to be pregnant (Lee, 2003). While mothers and fathers are eager and thrilled to become grandparents, they are never prepared for it when their child is under the age of eighteen. More often than not, pregnant teenagers are kicked out of their homes because of their reckless actions and the consequences. When the teenager is allowed to stay home, they bring about financial issues to their families. If the teenager is unable to work or is ineligible for welfare or other means of free money, then their parents often take on the responsibility, increasing their outcome while their income remains the same (Frick, 2006). This can cause pressure and emotional distress among the family members living in the household during that time. Solutions It has been proven that teenagers either remain abstinent or are more keen to practice safe sex when they are educated about the consequences of unprotected sex. Many schools offer child development classes in which teenagers take care of realistic plastic dolls, giving them the experiences of having to take care of real children. Numerous teenagers realize the difficulties of parenthood and use this knowledge to prevent themselves from becoming pregnant. “When teenagers have the knowledge that they need to make an important, responsible decision, they will make their choices wisely (Howard-Barr, 2009)”. Furthermore, when parents are involved in this education of their teenagers, the teenagers are either less likely to go against their parents’ wishes or develop a closer bond, which can allow them to talk to their parents immediately and without fear in the case of a pregnancy. Another method to ensure fewer pregnancies among teenagers is to help them have easier access to contraceptives, such as birth control and condoms. This coincides with the previously mentioned tactics, as many teenagers are unaware of what is available to them; this is mainly due to the fact that most schools and parents would rather preach abstinence than alternative methods. Telling a teenager no will only inspire them to go against those wishes. Teenagers will make use of what they are offered if they are being offered it. Many schools give out free condoms and numerous states are making it easier for teenagers to obtain birth control. These methods can ensure that teenagers are not only aware of their actions and their consequences, but that there are other means out there to guarantee a lesser chance of consequences that can potential stop teenagers in their tracks in their lives and education. Conclusion Due to a lack of information being provided to teenagers, teenage pregnancies have increased over the years, though not in a steady, stable fashion, but erratically. Many teenagers that are at risk are those from lower income neighborhoods that are unable to access the information required to help them understand unprotected sex (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). Teenage pregnancies bring about social negatives and economic downfalls, as well as health problems among teenagers and problems with their families. A few solutions have been provided in giving teenagers the help they need to understand the situations that they can find themselves in. If schools, parents, and local governments offer the important and appropriate information and necessities to teenagers to avoid teenage pregnancies, then those will be the results that can be seen. Furthermore, positive and successful futures need to be promoted to teenagers, especially those as risk for pregnancy. These teenagers need to understand that they have a lot to look forward to if they stick with school and wait for children for when they are older, wiser, and more healthier to take on the task. It is through these methods that we can decrease the rate of teenage pregnancy. References Checkland, David. Teen Pregnancy and Parenting: Social and Ethnic Issues. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1999. Cherry, Andrew L. Teenage Pregnancy: A Global View. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated, 2001. Coleman, John & Debi Roker. Teenage Sexuality: Health, Risk, and Education. Australia: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1998. Frick, Lisa. Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2006. Howard-Barr, Elissa. Sexual Behavior and Unplanned Pregnancy. New York, NY: Facts on File, Incorporated, 2009. Lee, Ellie. Abortion, Motherhood, and Mental Health. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter Publishers, 2003. Moore, Susan. Sexuality in Adolescence: Current Trends. London: Routledge, 2006. Vinovskis, Maris A. An Epidemic of Adolescent Pregnancy?: Some Historical and Policy Considerations. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1987. White, Krishna. “When Your Teen is Having a Baby.” kidshealth.org. Kids Health, September 2008. Web. 17 May 2010. Wilkinson, Richard & Kate Pickett. The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better. London, UK: Bloomsbury USA, 2009. Read More