IRUNNING HEAD: TEEN PREGNANCIES 1 Teen Pregnancies Kelly Oldham Southern New Hampshire University Dr. Cravens SCS-224 Soc Sci Research Methods March 10, 2016 Teen pregnancies Teenage pregnancy refers to an intended pregnancy that occurs when a girl is in her adolescence. The reason I chose this topic is because of the alarming rate of these pregnancies. The primary and secondary sources of information that I have used in this research are credible. This is because I was able to obtain specific data and statistics from government and Non-Governmental Organizations websites. I also managed to interact one on one with a few teenage mothers who talked to me about their life in school and what led them to bear children at a young age. It is estimated that in year 2014, 249,000 babies were born to teen girls of between ages 15 and 19. Unlike their peers who bear children later in life, teen mothers are likely not to finish high school, depend on public assistance, likely to be poor as adults, and are likely to bear children who have behavioral and health problems later in life as compared to other children (HHS, 2016). In this community, variation in income inequality has been seen to be a contributing factor to teen childbearing. This is because income inequality is associated with inadequate economic opportunity, and those at the bottom of the distribution as seen as less important in the society. From the information I got after interacting with some of the individuals affected by this menace, i.e. teenage girls and their mothers is that poverty is a major factor many teenage girls have children while they are young and unmarried (Kearney, 2012). Teen pregnancies and childbearing have significant economic costs to the government as well. This is because the government loses billions of dollars that would have been paid as tax revenue; greater expenditures for public health care and foster care; increase in public assistance payments; and greater expenditures on services for criminal justice. These teen mothers are also likely to suffer unemployment because of dropping out from school (CDC, 2015). Causes of teenage pregnancies Peer pressure When children reach adolescence, they feel the pressure to make friends, to be equal and to belong to a certain group. As a result their friends in the group end up influencing their decisions, and engage in sex even when not aware of the consequences so that they don’t disappoint their friends. After conducting a research, The Kaiser Family Foundation found out that 29% of pregnant teens were pressured to have sex, whereas 33% did it so as not to suffer rejection from their peers (Langham, 2015). Absent parents In situations where parents are not available to give guidance to their children, there is a chance that teen girls will get pregnant. When parents become too busy to talk wi.

1. IRUNNING HEAD: TEEN PREGNANCIES
1
Teen Pregnancies
Kelly Oldham
Southern New Hampshire University
Dr. Cravens
SCS-224 Soc Sci Research Methods
March 10, 2016
Teen pregnancies
Teenage pregnancy refers to an intended pregnancy that occurs
when a girl is in her adolescence. The reason I chose this topic
is because of the alarming rate of these pregnancies. The
primary and secondary sources of information that I have used
in this research are credible. This is because I was able to
obtain specific data and statistics from government and Non-
Governmental Organizations websites. I also managed to
interact one on one with a few teenage mothers who talked to
me about their life in school and what led them to bear children
at a young age.
It is estimated that in year 2014, 249,000 babies were born to
teen girls of between ages 15 and 19. Unlike their peers who

2. bear children later in life, teen mothers are likely not to finish
high school, depend on public assistance, likely to be poor as
adults, and are likely to bear children who have behavioral and
health problems later in life as compared to other children
(HHS, 2016).
In this community, variation in income inequality has been seen
to be a contributing factor to teen childbearing. This is because
income inequality is associated with inadequate economic
opportunity, and those at the bottom of the distribution as seen
as less important in the society. From the information I got after
interacting with some of the individuals affected by this
menace, i.e. teenage girls and their mothers is that poverty is a
major factor many teenage girls have children while they are
young and unmarried (Kearney, 2012).
Teen pregnancies and childbearing have significant economic
costs to the government as well. This is because the government
loses billions of dollars that would have been paid as tax
revenue; greater expenditures for public health care and foster
care; increase in public assistance payments; and greater
expenditures on services for criminal justice. These teen
mothers are also likely to suffer unemployment because of
dropping out from school (CDC, 2015).
Causes of teenage pregnancies
Peer pressure
When children reach adolescence, they feel the pressure to make
friends, to be equal and to belong to a certain group. As a result
their friends in the group end up influencing their decisions,
and engage in sex even when not aware of the consequences so
that they don’t disappoint their friends. After conducting a
research, The Kaiser Family Foundation found out that 29% of
pregnant teens were pressured to have sex, whereas 33% did it
so as not to suffer rejection from their peers (Langham, 2015).
Absent parents
In situations where parents are not available to give guidance to
their children, there is a chance that teen girls will get pregnant.
When parents become too busy to talk with their children about

3. issues such as sex, they will turn to their friends for direction
who are likely to give the wrong advice resulting in a pregnancy
(Langham, 2015).
Glamorizing of pregnancy
The media and the movie glamorize pregnant teens in new
stories and movies. They bring it out like it’s something to be
desired thereby encouraging teens to engage in sexual activity.
As adolescence is an age where teens want to be part of a group,
if teen pregnancy is seen as acceptable by the friends, one will
do it so as to be socially accepted (Langham, 2015).
Lack of Knowledge
There are teenagers who are naïve and not educated about sex
and that can cause an unwanted pregnancy. Some may not have
the knowledge about biological and emotional effects of
engaging in sex. The teens may get the wrong information from
friends and other misinformed sources (Langham, 2015).
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse or rape is also a cause of teen pregnancies. It is
estimated that 5% of all teen births are as a result of rape.
Teenage Drinking
Teens love to experiment with drugs and alcohol and this lowers
their ability to control themselves. It is estimated that 75% of
teenage pregnancies that occur to girls of ages 14 to 21 are as a
result of use of drugs and alcohol (Langham, 2015).
How to prevent teen pregnancies
Parents should make it a habit of sitting with their children,
helping them with homework, attending talents show together,
etc. to show them that they care about their education. It is
through such sessions that children get to be free with their
parents and are later able to discuss major issues like sex
education. Parents should also show love and affection to their
children because if they fail to do so they will seek it from their
peers who may end up misleading them (Cummins, 2016).
Parents and guardians need to supervise their teens before they
are mature enough to become independent. There needs to be
rules and they should be followed. This is because adolescents

4. will tend to push boundaries but they need to be shown that
there are limits. For example, when they go to a shopping mall,
it should be for a specific reason. When they insist on going to
visit their friends, the parent should know these friends
(Cummins, 2016).
Since it is not possible for parents to stick with their teen
children at all times, it is important that parents give them tools
to make good decisions. Parents should be available and
interested in the lives of their children so that they are able to
positively influence them. Above all they should be good role
models that the children can emulate. They should discuss teen
pregnancy and the consequences of sex before marriage
(Cummins, 2016).
Work cited:
CDC editors (2015 May 19) Reproductive Health: Teen
Pregnancy. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/about/index.htm
Cummins, J. (2016) Causes of Teenage Pregnancy and Ways to
Prevent It. Retrieved from
http://www.whattoexpect.com/wom/pregnancy/causes-of-
teenage-pregnancy-and-ways-to-prevent-it.aspx
HHS (2016 February 24) Reproductive Health. Retrieved from
http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-
topics/reproductive-health/teen-pregnancy/index.html

5. Kearney MS (2012) Why is the teen birth rate in the United
States so high and why does it matter? Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22792555
Langham, R. (2015 April 13) What Are the Causes of Teenage
Pregnancy? http://www.livestrong.com/article/146681-what-are-
the-causes-of-teenage-pregnancy/
1
Essay Topic: Politics and the Internet
PBS NOW Documentary Video: "Ron Paul and Internet Politics"
Video Stream: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/350/video.html
Guidelines:
Be sure to follow all formatting guidelines provided in the
syllabus. Your final work product must have a cover page with a
word count, an essay that is 3-4 pages in length and a works
cited page. The minimum writing requirement expectation is
two full pages in your own words (excluding citations). If the
minimum expectations are not met, the assignment will be
marked incomplete. Be sure to provide a proper citation in MLA
or APA format for all works consulted on a separate works cited
page.
Background:
As the use of the Internet and other electronic mediums have
become more widespread, political candidates have begun using
Web sites, social media, e-mail, blogs, podcasts, and other
forms of electronic media to convey their campaign messages to
an even broader sector of the population in an effort to reach
voters. The video will provide a primer on how technology will
play a role in the campaign process. With additional research,
you can analyze how this new medium has and will continue to

6. impact the outcome of elections.
Essay Questions:
· Why has the Internet become a vital tool in the process of
political campaigning?
· What role has the Internet played in fundraising for modern
presidential candidates?
· Why is electronic advertising important to the candidates?
· Describe the culture of the population being targeted by
Internet campaigning (generally ages 18-25) and how they fit in
to the Internet campaigning strategies?
· Are interactive campaign tactics, such as blogging and live
chat sessions, effective campaign tools? Why or why not?
· Does the Internet add a higher level of accountability for
candidates to deliver on their promises? Why or why not?
· What are the costs, risks and or dangers of using technology as
a medium for a campaign?
· What is the future value of this technology in terms of
political capital during a campaign season?
Extra Credit – Creative Writing (5 points)
1. Create the profile of a fictional character that represents your
ideal Presidential candidate.
2. Prepare a one page creative writing piece that is in the form
of a transcript. It will serve as your candidate’s next internet
advertisement. Be sure to use the information from the current
unit of the course as you formulate the advertisement.
3. Finally, submit your composition with Unit essay. Remember

7. to use the general course formatting guidelines listed in the
syllabus.