1. Surname 1
contacts:dorineadalyn@gmail.com
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Subject
Date
Prevention of Teen Pregnancies
In the contemporary world, adolescent pregnancy has become a problem, especially in
developing countries. There is considerable pressure that many girls are subjected to as a result
of pregnancy. They are forced to be mothers when they are still young, barely old enough to care
for them adequately. According to Plan International, about 90% of teen pregnancies are for
young girls aged between 15-19 and result in early marriage (1). Teenage pregnancy can alter a
child's life because carrying the baby affects her physical life, and there is psychological and
educational cost as a result of their pregnancy. Abortion is a basic health need among pregnant
teenagers that can divert the consequences of early childhood pregnancy. Despite abortion being
morally unacceptable in most societies, sometimes it reduces teen pregnancy cases, especially if
they cannot be avoided. How teen pregnancy can be avoided through abortion.
Abortion was strictly not allowed in the past because it was both morally and medically
wrong. However, over the years, the number of governments permitting abortion have increased
gradually but only if such abortion are performed by a medical professional and is done to save
the life of an adolescent. The legal abortion was intended to save a woman’s life, however,
2. Surname 2
policies have remained restrictive despite legal abortion being allowed. According to the United
Nations, legal abortion was allowed if the mental and physical health of the mother was
endangered or if the when the pregnancy came as a result of incest, rape or in cases where the
foetal was impaired (Berer 5). In the contemporary society, the legal ground for abortion have
expanded in many nations, in both developing and developing nations. Still the abortion
remained very restrictive. Many nations have improved measures to implement a medically
proven abortion which offers safety for the mother. This is as result of high number of teen
pregnancy which has become a major concern and thus, policies to reduce teen pregnancies have
been adopted by various government one of which is medically proven abortion.
Abortion is a vital medical aspect necessary for pregnant teens to help them achieve their
potentials. Therefore, in moments where the teenager's life or future is at risk, abortion can be
used to avoid putting such a teenager's life at risk.
This should be part of the pregnancy rights that can enable adolescents to make a truly free
choice whether to end their pregnancy. These will remind society that women should be regarded
as people, not as a bag required to carry the fetus. Society needs to give attention to the needs of
the teen mother's life, but it also considered the child's life because the teen mother is not yet
ready to care for the child. Abortion might have negative result, but it if done by a medically
proven professional, it remains to be the safest remedy for the teen future. As such, teen
pregnancy to a teenager is perhaps one of the most factor that leads to the future of such minors
being taken away. It can affect her education, disrupt her life and affect her health (BBC 1). It
should be one of the fundamental concerns to a teenager, the government, the parent/ guardian
and the medical professional that the teen’s life and future is saved before being taken by
pregnancy.
3. Surname 3
Under the operation of a trained medical professional, abortion is safe and one of the
safest ways of ending unwanted pregnancy among teenagers. The contemporary advancement in
medical technology in regard to abortion is one way through which unwanted teen pregnancy can
be avoided. Today, pills to cause miscarriages is an important advancement in abortion because
it brings the teenager to safe abortion and enables them to have a second chance to continue with
their life normally without being burdened with early motherhood. The inclusion of these drugs
to prevent early motherhood in teenagers is an essential drug list added to teenagers' therapeutic
alternatives, especially in a developing countries where many teenagers are deprived of a better
future due to high number of teen pregnancies. The use of misoprostol and mifepristone is both
effective and safe for preventing abortion, especially among teenagers. The use and provision of
medical abortion in well-organized health services is a straightforward way of avoiding
unwanted pregnancies that can jeopardize the teenager's future (Warriner 8). However, medical
abortion is still restricted in some countries either by law or among the public. Lack of illegality
as reported by many researchers do not reduce the number of abortion, and the rule only serves
to put the life of a teenager and other women in danger.
There is a need to separate sexual intercourse from teen pregnancy. When teens have
sexual intercourse, it is unlikely that their intention is to have a child even if they have a sexual
relationship. There is a need to highlight the psychological aspect between making babies and
sex. This is true because teenagers have not yet reached the emotional maturity to understand or
make better life choices regarding sexual acts. Therefore, teen pregnancy is an unforeseeable
consequence that should not be let ruin a teenager's life by exposing her to a more horrific life
ahead. Basically, this notion argues that the teenager has a right to be disconnected from a fetus
because they teenagers were not prepared to have babies when they were doing the sexual act.
4. Surname 4
Sometimes, pregnancy among teenagers results from rape or can lead to harsh
consequences to the teenager. Abortion, therefore, allows teenagers to reverse what is considered
an irreversible event in their life (Reynolds Wright 2). It is for this reason that abortion is
important among teenagers. A society that allows abortion to be performed to prevent teen
pregnancies to save their future lives recognizes that teenagers are important members of society.
Despite having contraceptive, and other teenage pregnancies preventions measures, the
number of reported teen pregnancies keep on rising. In contrast to an abortion performed by a
trained medical officer, unsafe abortion can have lethal consequences among teenagers. For
instance, contraceptives are affected by other issues such as cultural pressure, embarrassment,
low self–esteem, sexual curiosity, and alcohol influence. Sometimes, failure to have
contraceptives leads to teenage pregnancy. But since the teenager has become pregnant, there is a
need to devise means of helping her cope with her life as a teenager instead of subjecting her to
early motherhood. Even with restrictive measures laid on abortion, still, there is a lot of cases
being reported. According to an estimate, 1 in every four pregnancies ends in abortion (World
health organization 1).
Abortion should be allowed in cases involving teen pregnancies. Attempt to end abortion
does not mean it curtails the act (Chan 1). It only means that it will still be performed, but in an
unsafe way leading to death, serious health conditions among teenagers. It forces people to seek
it elsewhere despite the consequences that can come with it. According to the World Health
Organization, about 25 million abortions take place annually (2). These can be fatal for those
who are restricted from performing it. There is a need to allow abortion to prevent maternal
death, especially among teenagers who do not have much knowledge of safe sex. Death and
maternal consequences due to unsafe abortion among teenagers can be prevented. Yet, the
5. Surname 5
number of negative consequences due to a nation’s law is still high among nations where
abortion is outlawed even if it risks teenagers' lives (McCurdy 3). Young girls in this nation are
disproportionately marginalized and are adversely affected by these laws, and cannot have safe
ways of seeking a safer abortion to end their unwanted pregnancies (Wells 2). The
criminalization of abortion prevents professionals from doing their job to their best knowledge. It
provides the best healthcare option for teenagers who risk their lives and education with
unwanted pregnancies.
Abortion should not be allowed even it is to save a teen. There are many cases of death
and serious medical conditions that have resulted due to abortion. The act is both morally and
medically wrong because it is not supported by the value of the society. Even if it is the teen who
is pregnant, still the live of the future fetus should be protected. Also, legal abortion will only
allow more teenagers to get pregnant whenever they want because they know that the law will
support their abortion.
It must be acknowledged that abortion is justifiable, especially among teens, although
anti-abortionists are working to restrain it. It is a way of helping pregnant teens reverse their life.
It avoids jeopardizing the child's future regarding her education and predisposing her to early
motherhood- something she is not yet ready to undertake. Still, the child that is carried can be of
poor health because the teenager's life has not yet formed enough to support the needs of the
fetus. In every sexual act, teenagers do not expect to have a baby. In most developing countries,
early pregnancies are one of the causes of poverty, and if there is a better way of avoiding teen
pregnancies, abortion should be given regard. In this sense, medical abortion has advanced to be
safe and effective, thus offering hope that the teenager's life cannot be impacted negatively.
6. Surname 6
Works Cited
BBC. “Women's Rights Arguments in Favor of Abortion”. Ethics Guide Vol 1. (2014). P.1.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/mother/for_1.shtml
Berer, Marge, “Abortion Laws and Policy around the World”: Health and Human Rights Journal.
Vol.1. no.1 (2017). P.5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5473035/
Chan, T.H. “The Importance of Providing Abortions” Harvard School of Health. Vol.1.no.1.
(2021). P.1.https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/the-importance-of-
providing-abortions/
McCurdy, A. Stephen. “Abortion and Public health: Times for another Look”. NCBI. “Vol.83;
no.1. (2016). P.3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5102173/
Plan International. “Teenage Pregnancy”. Vol.1. no.1. (2020). P.1. https://plan-
international.org/sexual-health/teenage-pregnancy
Reynolds-Wright, John. “The Moral and Philosophical importance of abortion”. BMJ Sexual&
Reproductive Health. Vol. 1. No.1.(2012). P.1. https://srh.bmj.com/content/39/1/51
Warriner K. Ina. Shah H. Iqbal. “Preventing Unsafe Abortion and Its Consequences.” World
Health organization. Vol.1. no. (2006). Pp. 8
https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/unsafe_abortion/0939253763.pdf
Wells, John. “Key Facts on Abortion”: Amnesty International”. Vol. no. 2. (2021). P.2.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/sexual-and-reproductive-rights/abortion-facts/
