The Issue of Teen Pregnancy - Literature review Example

Teen Pregnancy [Institute] Contents ARTICLE SUMMARIES 3 1 Rise in Teenage Pregnancy 3 2 Health Risks Related to Teenage Pregnancy 3 1.3 Access to Birth Control Pills 3 1.4 Lack of Comprehensive Sex Education 4 1.5 Role of Parents 5 1.6 Role of Media 5 1.7 Abstinence Program Ineffective and Special Curriculum Designed 5 1.8 Insensitive but effective Campaign 5 2.COMPARISONS 6 2.1 Rise in Teenage Pregnancy 6 2.1.1 Abstinence only sex education 6 2.1.2 Role of Schools 7 2.1.3 Role of Media 8 2.2 Why do children become sexually active early? 10 2.3 Consequences of Teen Pregnancy 10 2.3.1 Medical Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy 11 2.4 Why don’t parents talk? 12 2.5 Accessibility of Birth Control Pills 12 3.HOW CAN THERAPISTS HELP? 13 References 15 1. ARTICLE SUMMARIES This section of the report presents the summaries of the articles collected from different sources for analysis purposes. Thematic approach is used to summarize themes under specific heads to avoid repetition. 1.1 Rise in Teenage Pregnancy When observed from a medical point of view, teenage pregnancy has become a major problem in USA. Cosmo Team (2010) also stated the same alarming situation in UK where teen pregnancies are on rise. According to the article, the number of teenage pregnancies has risen in the UK as well with one out of eight girls being pregnant by the age of eighteen. For some, teenage girls are pregnant the second time and for some it is their third pregnancy. Even multiple pregnancies do not make them use contraceptives. Smith (2011) also stated that the number of teen pregnancies has risen with girls as young as 13 getting pregnant. 1.2 Health Risks Related to Teenage Pregnancy In the article published in Medline Plus (2014) it is mentioned that teenage pregnancies are mostly unplanned pregnancies and offer greater health risks to both mother and the child. Lack of prenatal care and other factors related with pregnancies can produce complications. Most teenagers do not know what to do during pregnancy. Taylor (2013) highlighting the consequences of unprotected sex stated that it is not just the pregnancies, sexually transmitted disease are also on the rise among teenagers who have unprotected sex. 1.3 Access to Birth Control Pills Cosmopolitan (1994) published an article in Kentucky New Era recognizing the problem of teen pregnancy earlier which means this is not the problem of current decade only. Cosmopolitan (1994) published the views of Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders who declared children being born to teenage mothers as the biggest health problem being faced by USA. The doctor was also against the ban of RU-486 the French abortion pill which in her opinion was a safe and discreet method of getting rid of unwanted teenage pregnancies. Henry (2013) also pinpoint the issue of teenage access to birth control pills. The author asserts that girls below 17 years are considered too young to purchase over the counter contraceptive pills such as Plan B but when it comes to giving up their babies for adoption, they do not need parental consent. Carr (2006) also agrees that one of the reasons teenage pregnancy was on the rise was because teens below 17 did not have access to birth control pills. The author wonders why this safe and effective preventive measure kept away from teenagers for so long (Carr, 2006). 1.4 Lack of Comprehensive Sex Education Cosmopolitan (1994) highlighted the views of Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders stating that there is also lack of comprehensive sex education in schools. The doctor was also vocal about sex education being banned in schools. According to the doctor sex education made teenagers aware of the potential consequences and harms of unprotected sex. She also outlined some problems associated with teenage pregnancies such as high rate of dropouts, crime, poverty and greater single-parent households. Cosmo Team (2010) also highlighted the role of schools in controlling this epidemic. The team pinpointed that school teachers find the subject of sex education too embarrassing and they do not want to discuss it. 1.5 Role of Parents Henry (2013) emphasized the important of parental role in this regard stating that in many cases teenage pregnancies would not occur if parents spoke to their children about it. 1.6 Role of Media Kliff (2013) in the article in NewsWeek highlighted the role of media in this regard. Media encourages teen pregnancies as it glamorizes them through shows and movies. It portrays incorrect picture in which everything ends well. TV and films can be used to prevent teen pregnancies by promoting the use of condoms. 1.7 Abstinence Program Ineffective and Special Curriculum Designed Harris (2007) in the article “Teenage Birth Rate Rises for First Time Since 1991” published in NY times stated that the Bush Administrations Abstinence Only Sexual Education program proved to be ineffective in controlling teenage pregnancy; on the number of teenage mothers rose. In the 1990’s, teenage pregnancy dropped as the use of condoms increased. Smith (2011) mentioned that due to the alarming increase in the rate of teenage pregnancies, schools in Texas have developed a special curriculum which not only emphasizes on abstinence but also teaches the use of condoms and other contraceptive methods. Smith (2011) highlighted that the curriculum designers believe that children are already finding about sex through movies and the internet, the curriculum will give them useful information about sex enabling them to make better choices. 1.8 Insensitive but effective Campaign Taylor (2013) wrote in the article “Posters on Teenage Pregnancy Draw Fire” that recently posters have been put up in New York City especially in the areas where teenage pregnancy is high with images of children stating how they stand little chance of having a good life because they were born to unwed teenage mothers. These advertisements are a part of the campaign to bring down teenage pregnancy, other efforts include sex education in schools and provision of contraceptive pills Plan B in schools. These advertisements have been termed insensitive and hurtful by some sections of the population including those women who became mothers in their teens. 2. COMPARISONS Comparing the content in the articles and class lectures following points are presented. 2.1 Rise in Teenage Pregnancy Teenage pregnancy is on the rise in almost all industrialized countries in the world with USA leading the others. Statistics show that for every thousand (1000) people, eighty four were teenage pregnancies (Harris, 2007). Although teenage birth rate decreased during the 1990s till 2005, a sudden surge occurred from 2006 onwards compelling the administration to think what went wrong and where. Some reasons for pregnancies among teenagers are as follows; 2.1.1 Abstinence only sex education The Abstinence only sex education was introduced in the schools with the aim of teaching teenagers to abstain from sexual activity. The purpose behind this approach was to inform the teenagers that abstinence was the safest method of preventing out of wedlock pregnancies as well as sexually transmitted disease. Abstinence was also taught to be the best way avoid other health risks that came with pregnancies at an early age. Abstinence only program also informed the young school children about the psychological, health and social benefits refraining from sex would bring. It was aimed at promoting monogamous relationships in future; needless to say this program failed miserably which was evident from a marked increase in the number of teenage pregnancies. Although most of the girls who got pregnant were in the age bracket between 15 to 19 years, girls as young as 13 years were also pregnant and for some it was their second pregnancy (Smith, 2011). 2.1.2 Role of Schools The Abstinence-Only program introduced in schools has failed to control or delay sexual activity among teenagers (Harris, 2007); the teenagers did not abstain from sex however they did abstain from the use of condoms leading to an increase in the rate of teenage birth (Smith, 2011). Abstinence only program does not teach the use of contraceptives because people still believe that teaching children about condoms means encouraging them to have sex; however research has proved that awareness about contraceptives delays “sexual initiation “(Smith, 2011). Taylor (2013) has openly criticized the Abstinence only program and blamed it for the rise in teen pregnancies. According to Taylor (2013) comprehensive sex education program worked better to keep the unplanned pregnancies under control. The failure of Abstinence only program has led the State of Texas to adopt a new curriculum for the seventh and eighth graders which not only teaches them that it is best to wait to have sex by emphasizing on the benefits but also teaches the use of condoms and other contraceptives not only to prevent pregnancies but also to protect the young girls from sexually transmitted diseases. Although the State intends to give more importance to the Abstinence-Only program, additional information is only being given to help children make more knowledgeable decisions (Taylor, 2013). Similarly in New York City, sex education in public schools has been made mandatory. The Bloomberg Administration is so adamant to pull down the teen pregnancy rate that even school nurses are now authorized to hand out contraceptives including the ‘Morning After Pill’ (Taylor, 2013). The various measures taken by the city administration has brought down pregnancy rate by 27%. In the UK too teen pregnancy has become a major problem with one out of every eight girls gets pregnant by the age of 18 years. A report published by the Cosmopolitan (1994) was quite alarming as it revealed that 83% of the teenagers in UK were sexually active and half of them did not use contraceptives because of which for 79% of the teenage girls, it was their first pregnancy while 18% of the girls had got pregnant twice in their teenage; for 3% it was the third teenage pregnancy (Cosmopolitan, 1994). The report also mentioned that school teachers were too embarrassed to approach this subject. Teenagers are hesitant to approach their parents over this topic and proper sex education in schools is the only way to inform them about safe sex. With teachers avoiding the subject, multiple teenage pregnancies are bound to happen putting at stake the health of both mother and the child. 2.1.3 Role of Media Media has often been criticized for its role in promoting teen pregnancies. Media has the ability to influence viewers, especially young minds and what is shown on the screens does have a deep impact on the lives of the youngsters. Teenagers are more receptive to ideas and suggestions that challenge the norms. Teenage pregnancy was shunned upon earlier but is now accepted as a norm with media playing a strong role in it. What the media does not show is how the baby could have been prevented or the serious responsibilities that come with being a parent. TV and film are power media and can be used to promote the use of contraceptives but instead it depicts the happily ever after picture which indirectly promotes teenagers to have unprotected sex. Kliff (2013) describes how teenage pregnancy is being glamorized by the film and TV media. Through productions like Juno, The Secret Life of an American Teenager and Baby Boomers. According to the author currently media is obsessed by the topic and TV shows and movies that have been based on it shave proven to be successful. However the media only paints a rosy picture as the movie or the TV show has a happy ending. Reality is much different and in Kliff’s opinion thousands of teenage viewers deserve to see the real picture where the teenage mom is left alone to face the consequences of unprotected sex and raise the baby on her own with the father of the child missing from the picture. Kliff (2013) also mentions other consequences like school drop outs, struggling motherhood and missing out all the fun other teenagers are having. Kliff (2013) specifically laments the fact that these movies do not mention that had a condom been used, pregnancy would not have happened. There are many others who believe that if the actual consequences of teen pregnancies are shown, teenagers will think twice before having unprotected sex. But all movies and TV shows do not support teen pregnancies; a reality show 16 and Pregnant being aired on MTV invites teenage moms who narrate their real time harsh experiences of motherhood. (Kobola, 2014). This author claims that the show has actually been effective in bring down the rate of teenage pregnancy. In this show teenage mothers are invited and they tell how stressful life has become ever since they became mothers. Watching the participants discuss their real time experience and after hearing about the responsibilities and struggles motherhood brings has forced teenage girls to adopt a more cautious approach (Kobola, 2014). However in this TV show too the teen mothers described the hardships they go through and the fun they miss out but they seldom say that contraceptives could have prevented this situation. 2.2 Why do children become sexually active early? According to Smith (2011) television, internet and friends are the three major sources of information for the teenagers. Adolescence is the time when a person is the most vulnerable; the changes in the body make a child self-conscious and lots of questions arise in their minds. Sex scenes shown on TV fuel their interest and their curiosity increases. Although children should turn to their parents to discuss these changes and any other questions but even in this day and age parents in advanced countries like the US are reluctant to discuss sex with their children. The children have no choice but to find out by themselves and they turn to their friends and internet and unfortunately these sources do not reveal what is vital; mandatory use of contraceptives to prevent pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Peer pressure is another factor that promotes sexual activity among teens; youngsters are in a habit of bragging about sexual experiences and those who have se are considered “cool”. Another thought provoking reason given by Smith(2011) was that teenage girls opt to keep their babies because they want to love someone and want to be loved which clearly shows that there is a vacuum in their lives which should otherwise have been filled with the love of parents and siblings. 2.3 Consequences of Teen Pregnancy A pregnant teenager can either get her baby aborted or give it up for adoption or decide to keep it. All three options come with consequences; with remorse being the common among all three. Abortion these days is safe but only when performed by a professional practitioner. Adoption is a wise option but later on the mother regrets her decision and the child may feel abandoned later on. Keeping the child opens up a whole new range of problems which a teenage mother is unprepared for. Typically only the teenager has the right to choose among the three options but in some cases parents decide what to do (Henry, 2013). The biggest consequence of teenage pregnancy is the inability to finish school (Kliff, 2013; Smith, 2011). This happens because teenagers find it impossible to balance between education and the baby. The girls are too young to apply for MedicAid and full time job with a baby is out of question. The teenage mothers have no option than to drop out of school and a wide majority never gets to finish schooling or get a chance to go to college. With little qualification the chances of finding a decent job are next to nil and so the teenage mothers are not able to provide their babies with a quality life every child deserves. Pregnant teenagers also experience immense pressure which leads to emotional stress and isolation as often the father of the child refuses to take responsibility. Even in this day and age when teenage pregnancy is common, the young girls live with fear and shame causing an emotional crisis. At this point the young girls need the love and support of their families who sadly adopt the “I told you so” attitude causing more stress (Taylor, 2013). 2.3.1 Medical Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy It is a known fact that teen pregnancy puts both mother and the child at risk; delay in prenatal care increases the magnitude of the risks. The bodies of the teenage girls are still under the growing phase when pregnancies occur. Prenatal care becomes important because additional nutrition is required to support both the mother and the child. Physical immaturity combined with inadequate knowledge of health care makes the pregnancy more difficult giving rise to complications (Medline Plus). At this point pregnant teenagers are most vulnerable and need the support of their family which is often not available which makes them depressed, scared and emotionally insecure. These circumstances may cause pregnant teenagers to behave inappropriately and find solace in drugs, smoking and alcohol. All these negative feelings have a bad impact on the unborn child and the child is usually born with a low birth weight and weak infant mortality. The risk of contracting diseases is also high in such children. The learning skills of such children whose mothers have been under tremendous stress are low and they may also develop behavioral problems in future (MedlinePlus, 2014). 2.4 Why don’t parents talk? Parents still find it awkward to discuss sex and contraceptive with their children and children too feel uncomfortable bringing up this subject. With many schools not teaching sex education, parents are the most reliable source from where children can get knowledge about sex and contraceptives (Henry, 2013). However choose the wrong approach towards the subject and most of them find it hard to accept that their children will become sexually active soon. Instead of adopting a “when you become sexually active use a condom” the parents usually begin with “do not have sex early it is not good for you”. Research says that children do not listen to parents because the preach abstinence and the negative consequences of pregnancies (Cosmopolitan, 1994). The different perceptions about sex and contraceptive also create obstacles in conversations. Parents influence children’s decisions and by not talking about sex or treating it as a taboo, parents only mislead their child letting him/her alone to learn by experience which in some cases can be very ugly (Henry, 2013). 2.5 Accessibility of Birth Control Pills The rate of teenage pregnancies can be brought down with the availability of birth control pills (Henry 2013, Carr 2006, Cosmopolitan, 1994). While Elders in the article published by Cosmopolitan (1994) supports the sale of abortion pill that would result in safe termination of pregnancy, Henry (2013) and Carr (2007) are of the opinion that teenagers below the age of 17 years should be able to buy over the counter birth control pills such as Plan B. Henry (2013) strengthens her argument by stating that when a 15 years old has the right to choose whether she wants to keep the baby or give up for adoption, why cannot she have the right to buy pills like Plan B which prevent pregnancies altogether. 3. HOW CAN THERAPISTS HELP? Due to the problems associated with teen pregnancies, teenagers are now taking a cautious approach including the use of services of a therapist. Therapists can talk about the physical changes that adolescents go through and answer any questions that are on the young person’s mind. The therapist must encourage the teenager to talk about love and sex and then tell him/her that there is a difference between the two. One question that most teenagers ask is what the right age of having sex is. A therapist knows that the young person sitting in front wants to experiment sex but is hesitant. The therapist can inform the teenager that age for having sex varies with the culture and norms of the place people live in. Although young people become sexually active in their teenage but this can bring a host of problems. The therapist can inform the teenager that there is no right age for sex there is only a right time and the right time comes when you have found someone whom you really love. And even when the teenager believes that he/she has found the right person they should wait until they are absolutely sure and that they want to have an intimate relationship. Therapist must encourage abstinence and should tell the teenager that if he /she and the partner really want to have sex then it should not be unprotected. Therapist must inform the teenager about the harms unprotected sex brings. Unplanned pregnancy is one consequence teenagers have to suffer if they have unprotected sex. When pregnant a teenager has three choices; one is to get the baby aborted but this option is only available till a certain period of time. The next option is to give up the baby for adoption and third is to raise the baby. The teenager must be told in detail about the responsibilities that come with raising a baby. The teenager must be informed about other problems that come with unprotected sex such as sexually transmitted diseases. The therapist must discuss STD in detail as most teenagers are under an impression that it is just a disease that goes away. Therapist must inform the teenager that STD not only affects health, it affects the whole body and at times can lead to serious consequences such as infertility and AIDS. Misconceptions such as STD occurs due to unprotected sex only must also be corrected and the teenager should know that STD is an infectious disease which spreads even if skin comes in contact with infectious skin; oral and anal sex can also lead to STD. Contraceptives come in many forms such as condoms, birth control pills, diaphragms and spermicides etc. The sole purpose of these contraceptives is to prevent pregnancies and therefore apart from latex condoms, none of the contraceptives protect a person against STDs. Teenagers should also know that it is better to have protected sex with someone they know, having sex with random partners puts them at risk and so does having many partners. Teenage girls should avoid having sex with older men as they can force them to have unprotected sex and may harm them. References Carr, M. A. (2006). Teenage Pregnancy. New York Times. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/08/opinion/l08fda.html Cosmopolitan. (1994). Teen Pregnancy: Big Problem in US. Kentucky New Era. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19940331&id=v_ArAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wmkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2447,2694033 Cosmo Team. (2010). Friday’s Big Issue: Teen Pregnancy. Cosmopolitan. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/lifestyle/fridays-big-issue-teen-pregnancy-104081 Harris, G. (2007). Teenage Birth Rate Rises for First Time since 1991. The New York Times. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/health/06birth.html?ref=teenagepregnancy&_r=0&gwh=AE6EC0B547FA9936E1422D292DE21E93&gwt=regi Henry, L. (2013). I Got Pregnant at 14. Ask Me about Plan B. The New York Times. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/i-got-pregnant-at-14-ask-me-about-plan-b/?ref=teenagepregnancy&gwh=FEE3D8BAD3D9AD6C65F71A2198E3FCCF&gwt=regi MedlinePlus. (2014). Teenage Pregnancy: Also called: Adolescent Pregnancy. MedlinePlus. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/teenagepregnancy.html Kliff, S. (2010). What’s missing from Teen Pregnancy in TV, Film. NewsWeek. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from http://www.newsweek.com/whats-missing-teen-pregnancy-tv-film-92901 Kobola, F. (2014). 16 and Pregnant Might Actually Be Lowering Teen Pregnancy Rates. Cosmopolitan. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/16-and-pregnant-lowering-teen-pregnancy-rate Smith, M. (2011). More Schools Choose to Teach Abstinence-Plus. The New York Times. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/us/in-texas-more-schools-teach-abstinence-plus.html?ref=teenagepregnancy&gwh=A53F81EBCB0A0FD54D9F4BBB62DE6050&gwt=regi Taylor, K. (2013). Posters on Teenage Pregnancy Draw Fire. The New York Times. Retrieved on April 22, 2014 from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/nyregion/city-campaign-targeting-teenage-pregnancy-draws-criticism.html?_r=0&gwh=40457B3987C1D31436898C0EB6823DA9&gwt=regi Read More