The document discusses the widespread problem of teen pregnancy in the United States. It notes that around 485,000 babies are born to mothers between 15-19 years old each year. Teen mothers often face homelessness and poverty. The document examines some of the causes of teen pregnancy, including lack of education about contraception and misunderstandings about fertility. It also explores the negative impacts of teen pregnancy on both mothers and children, such as higher health risks, lower education achievement, and increased risk of abuse. The document argues that preventing teen pregnancy through education is important to support healthy development and break the cycle of poverty.

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Debbie Crespo
J.E.Helm
English 1213
September 3, 2012
The Widespread of Teen Pregnancy
Preventing the widespread of teen pregnancy has been a goal in the United States for
many years. Statistics, have tried to keep up with the change of the teenage generation. Virtually
thirteen percent or 485,000 babies were born to teenage mothers ranging from fifteen and to
nineteen years of age. Fifty-three percent (53%) of these teen mothers wind up living in
homeless shelters. Approximately 750,000 teens will become pregnant this year.
Since 2001, the United States has not had much success reducing the amount of
accidental pregnanciesin the United States. The ratio of unplanned pregnancies is steadily rising.
Unfortunately the percentage of continues to rise, and is at an all-time high. Out of the teens
between the ages of 15 to 17 years of age that had babies, 51% admitted that they did nothing to
prevent pregnancy. 31.4% did not think they could get pregnant at the time of intercourse. 23.6%
did not use any type of birth control due to their partner did not want to use it. 22.1% said they
did not mind getting pregnant (About.com).
Teenage pregnancy is a socially, economically, physically and emotionally complex
problem. Parents need to speak to their teens about how it will affect them and their future , not
only will the social aspect of their live change, but the emotional and physical aspect of it as
well, not to mention the economical aspect it takes a lot of money to raise a child. Having better
communication with our children, and explaining the reason why it is better to
practiceabstinence, however if they decide to be sexually active they should not only be taught
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about contraceptives, and how to use them properly, so they can learn effective pregnancy
prevention.
Doing all we can to prevent teen pregnancy is a good idea for a number of reasons, here
is a few, the health risk to the mother as well as the baby, the maturity level of a teen is limited,
and the lack of education they get.Hence society should make it a priority to teach the
adolescents how to be responsible.
Babies that are born to teen mothers have a greater chance of being born prematurely, and
50% more likely to be low-weight (less than five and a half pounds) compared to a baby born to
a mother of 20 or 21when they had their first baby. Teenagers seldom receive adequate prenatal
care, or do not seek it until later. As a result lack of prenatal care can cause severe consequences
not only at birth but as they begin to grow (Florida State University).
As a child begins to go through the developmental stages, the damage these babies
endure that are born to teen mothers becomes more apparent. They suffer from a variety of
developmental problems, and are at higher risk for problems in affect regulations, including both
flattened affect and aggressive behavior. They also have negative effects on the cognitive
development. But the average teenager is not mature enough to think about the negative aspects
of having a baby.
The lack of maturity is also a factor in this equation, such as not understanding the full
responsibility of what it means to be a parent. The mind of a teenager is so underdeveloped,that
they cannot wrap their mind around the how much responsibility that is involved in taking care
of a baby. The sad thing is that girls are so immature that they believe this boy will not leave
them if they get pregnant, because that is what they were told by them.
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The ones that want to get pregnant think it will be easy. They do not realize how hard it is
to get a job and pay bills, and put the babies’ needs before their own. A lot of young girls even
though they are pregnantstill go out and party. This can cause harm the unborn child, and may
not be mature to know that they are putting the unborn baby at risk, or they just do not care about
the harm it can cause to the fetus.
Another factor is the baby is unable to communicate, therefore the baby cries when their
wet, hungry, gassy and hurting, this could cause anyone to get frustrated. Children born to the
youngest teen mothers are at a greater risk of being an “indicated case” of being abused or
neglected and then being placed in state custody or placed in foster care, then those born to older
mothers. Babies born to young mothers 15 or younger are two times more likely to be subjected
to abuse and or neglect in the first five years of their lives compared to children born to older
mothers.This could be stopped if the mothers were more educated (Florida State UnIversity)
Adolescent parents are at critical points of their lives. Some of these kids are still in
middle school, although for the most part the vast majority of these pregnancies are teenagers
that are in high school. Now they are faced with having a baby granted some choose to abort and
act like nothing has happened, while others choose to keep the baby and a lot of times without
the father of the baby. Therefor trying to figure out how to do it by themselves.
Statics show that 67% of teenage mothers never graduated high school. The challenge of
keeping teen mothers in school has consistently been more successfully meet by school-based
programs. (Seiltz & Apfel 1999). There is evidence that childrenborn of teen mothers ages 15 to
17 are more likely to be high school drop outs when compared to children born to older mothers’
ages between 20 to21. Just 77 % of children born to adolescent mothers complete high school,
when compared to the 89% of children born to older mothers.
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When young people drop out of high school, they not only put their future in a
compromising position, but their child’s future as well. Without an education the parents cannot
take proper care of the children, and be poverty stricken they wind up living in shelters, under
bridges or banded houses. The children born to adolescent mothers do not have a good start in
life. Plus they are more likely to be raised only by their mothers, and live in a poor and under
class neighborhood, as well as experience high risk to their health, wellbeing and poor education.
Parents and teenagers need to have an open relationship so that neither the parent of the
teen of them find it difficult to talk about pregnancy, abstinence, and questions about sex that
they may encounter as they go through puberty. It is better for the teens to learn about these
things at home rather than in the streets or their friends (allpsychologycareers).
There are many obstacles for children of teenage mothers to endure. These children have
a several disadvantages in contrast to the children born to older mothers. These children born to
school age children often face the lack of a father in their lives, a higher poverty rate, as well as
mental health problems, and the lack of being mature enough to make the proper decisions only
prove that wide spread of teenage pregnancy needs to addressed.
(1,209 words)
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Works Cited
Contraception.About.com Web September 3, 2012
Teen Parent child care Quality Improvement Project-www.cpeip.fsu.edu Web September 3, 2012
Txcc.sedl.org Web September 3, 2012
WWW.Allpsychologycarrers.com Web September 3, 2012
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