This document discusses teenage pregnancy in the United States. It notes that most teens would be upset if they became pregnant but many have unprotected sex. Each year over 600,000 US women aged 15-19 become pregnant. Teen pregnancy rates have declined in recent decades but are still higher than in many other developed countries. Abstinence-only sex education is less effective than comprehensive sex education in preventing teen pregnancy. When contraceptive use and abstinence are both discussed, it is more effective at reducing risks.

1. Teenage
Pregnancy
Kevin
Wentland

2. 1.
Problems

3. Concerns (1)
▧ Most female teens report that they would be very upset (58%) or a little upset
(29%) if they got pregnant, while the remaining 13% report that they would be a
little or very pleased
▧ Most teen males report that they would be very upset (47%) or a little upset (34%)
if they got someone pregnant, while the remaining 18% report that they would be
pleased or a little pleased

4. Concerns (2)
▧ Less than half of teen mothers ever graduate from high school and fewer than 2%
earn a college degree by age 30
▧ Almost 50% of teens have never considered how a pregnancy would affect their
lives
▧ 8 out of 10 teen dads don’t marry the mother of their child

5. 2.
The Facts

6. Pregnancies
▧ 3 in 10 girls in the U.S. will get pregnant at
least once before they are 20
▧ About 25% of teen moms have a second child
within 24 months of their first baby
▧ Each year, almost 615,000 U.S. women aged
15–19 become pregnant
▧ Two-thirds of all teen pregnancies occur
among the oldest teens (18–19-year-olds)

7. 43
39
39
27
17
14
14
9
10
10
4
6
6
5
7
We’re Number 2!

8. Per Every 1,000 Teen Girls

9. 10-20

10. Childbearing
▧ In 2011, there were 334,000 births among girls
aged 19 or younger, representing 8% of all
U.S. births
▧ Nearly all teen births are nonmarital—89% in
2011, up from 79% in 2000

11. 60% of pregnancies among 15–19-year-olds
in 2010 ended in birth

12. 3.
Causes

13. Sex Education
▧ Abstinence-Only has been proven to be less effective because it does not teach
use of contraceptives
▧ When a school supports BOTH abstinence and use of contraceptives there is
delayed or reduced sexual activity, reduced number of sexual partners, or
increased use of condoms or other contraceptives

14. Abstinence-Only Leads to More Sexual
Activity...

15. ...And Also More Pregnancies

16. Contraceptive Use
▧ The majority of sexually experienced teens (78% of females and 85% of males)
used contraceptives the first time they had sex
▧ Nearly one in four female teens at risk for unintended pregnancy (18%) and were
not using any contraceptive method at last intercourse
▧ 82% percent of teen pregnancies are unplanned; teens account for about 20% of
all unintended pregnancies annually

17. Many Teens Still Have Unprotected Sex

18. 4.
Trends

19. Decline of Birth Rates
▧ The 2010 rate (57 per 1,000 women aged 15-19) was a record low and
represented a 51% decline from the peak rate of 117 per 1,000, which occurred in
1990
▧ The decline in teen pregnancy rates in the United States is due primarily to teens’
improved contraceptive use

20. Many Teens Still Have Unprotected Sex

21. 5.
Solutions

22. Contraceptives and Abstinence
▧ When contraceptive use and abstinence are taught together, it is more effective
▧ Use of contraceptives dramatically decreases the chance of unplanned
pregnancy

23. All Sexualy Active U.S. Women

24. Bibliography
▧ http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/02/20/3310751/absti
nence-failures-charts/
▧ http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Teen-Sex-Ed.html
▧ https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-teen-pregnancy
▧ http://stayteen.org/teen-pregnancy
▧ http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/
reproductive-health/teen-pregnancy/trends.html
▧ http://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/
▧ http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html