Teenage Pregnancy
Although people look down on girls that get pregnant at such a young age and it differs from whenever you are at least in your late twenties, they are similar in many ways. For example how much you will be spending on a baby, to whether or not you will be a single mother. Also there is a lot of different things from teenage girls then girls that are done with college and know what they want to do the rest of their lives. Girls that are capable to take care of a baby. Maybe they aren’t married or anything but you don’t have to be married to have a baby. Before having a baby finish school and know that you are stable enough to take care of another life other than yours. There is lots of things to prepare for before the baby. If sexually abused at a young age girls will start having intercourse before sixteen (Witwer). Early sex is a lot of the time due to stress. If girls are stressed at home they turn to sex. A lot of the time these girls will turn to sex with older men. They will internalize victimization, which will result in depression, anxiety, and self-harm. They may turn to unprotected sex which is a higher chance of becoming pregnant, also they may get into drugs. Girls with this history are more likely to have a partner who is twice their age. They may get into prostitution, like having sex for shelter or drugs or money. They do this kind of stuff to support their kids but in the end they are hurting them and their kids.
The effects of trauma, specifically sexual trauma, on victims’ physical, psychologists, and social well-being was first explored in the early 1970s (Harner). Teenage mothers are at risk of doing drugs, running away, joining a gang, and dropping out of school (De Genna). If sexually abus...
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Witwer, M. (1997). Early sexual activity, but not childhood sexual abuse, increases the odds of teenage pregnancy. Family Planning Perspectives, 29(4), 195-6
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Auteri, Steph. “How the Push for Abstinence Until Marriage Has Affected Teen Pregnancy Rates” Sexually Smarter. Planned Parenthood of Central and Greate...
"Teen Sexuality and Pregnancy." Growing Up: Issues Affecting America's Youth. Melissa J. Doak. 2007 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 24 Jan. 2011.
Sexual abuse happens more to teenage girls than teenage boys. Most teens that report sexual abuse have the highest odds of being pregnant. Teen pregnancy can cause a lot of health problems because they are young. This type of abuse can be very emotional for someone to deal with. “Has any adult or older person outside the family ever touched you sexually against your wishes or forced you to touch them sexually?” (Saewyc 98-105). Being sexually abused could hur...
Teen pregnancy falls into the category of pregnancies in girls age 19 or younger (NIH). Although statistics have shown a decrease, the number of teen pregnancy in the U.S. is still relatively high compared to the rest of the world. Sexual health is one of the top priorities in early adolescence health in the United States. Consequences of having sex at a young age generally results in unsafe sex practices. The consequences can be due to the lack of knowledge about sex education, and access to birth control/contraception (NIH, 2005). Due to the lack of knowledge and access to birth control, adolescents involve in risk taking when they start to explore sexual intimate relationships. Consequences of unsafe sexual behavior include sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy (NIH, 2005). This paper will focus on the majority aspect of pregnancy in adolescent.
Adolescents who are physically abused are likely to question the intentions or others as well as develop bias perceptions of social processes. A study showed that "Inmates who were child victims were more than twice as likely as inmates who were adult victims to report having suffered prior instances of physical or sexual abuse. The differences were particularly striking with respect to sexual abuse. While an estimated 22% of child victimizers reported having been sexually abused, less than 6% of adult victimizers reported such backgrounds” (Ards et al, 2001). Not only are victims of sexual abuse more likely to enact sexual violence against others they are also likely to engage in prostitution.
Red and blue lights are flashing and the noise of the ambulance impels everyone to a point where they have to look outside and observe the situation, as if a mystical force was compelling them. From what they can see, the paramedic is holding a tiny hand telling her to hold on. As the stretcher rolls by, the onlookers notice a huge lump, or ball as a few may say, under the pallid cotton covers. What they also take note of is that the pregnant woman is not a woman at all, but in fact a teenager. As some are astounded that a child is being born from a child, others possibly will look at it as a “blessing in disguise.” The issue of teenage pregnancy is affecting our society in innumerable ways and has become one of our top social issues of all time. “The latest estimates show that approximately 1 million teens become pregnant every year” (East, Felice, and Associates 1). With this high number of teenage pregnancy, it is no wonder that many authors try to exemplify this common subject matter. Katrina L. Burchett, author of Choices, accurately and effectively depicts teenage pregnancy among female adolescents living with domestic issues.
Problem Analysis: Before in the 20th century teen pregnancy was the norm. Women were not focused on educational achievement; they will get married and start their own families early in life. However, in the 21st century educational opportunities became available; women strived to begin their careers before they have children. Despite educational opportunities to women, pregnancy rate was still high among young girls and according to Medoff, (2010) “Teen pregnancy is one of the most important social problems in the United States” (p. 177). Women are very happy to be pregnant, but it is totally different when a teenager becomes pregnant. Adolescents tend to get involved in sexual activities at the early ages. To illustrate, one of my co-worker who is 34 years old now, claims that she was smart enough to have sexual inter-course
"Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health." Guttmacher Institute: Home Page. 2009. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
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It is most important to understand that children and teens of all racial, religious, ethnic, gender and age groups, at all socio-economic levels are sexually abused. Although there are risk factors that may increase the possibility of sexual abuse, sex abuse can be found in all types of families, communities, and cultures (The Scope of, 2016). Childhood sexual abuse is an important issue to address because the impact of sexual does not end when the abuse ends. Childhood trauma follows into adulthood and can have long-range effects. “Survivors of sexual abuse are at significantly greater risks for severe and chronic mental health issues, including alcoholism, depression, anxiety, PTSD and high risk behaviors” (The Scope Of, 2016). Victims may experience traumatic sexualization, or the shaping of their sexuality in “developmentally inappropriate” and “interpersonally dysfunctional” ways (Effects of Child, 2012). “A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal” (Effects of Child, 2012). Overall, the effects and impact of childhood sexual abuse are long lasting and do not diminish when the abuse ends, their childhood trauma follows them into
Hamilton, B. E., J. A. Martin, and S. J. Ventura. "Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing." The Office of Adolescent Health/OAH, 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 17.
U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics: Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information. New York, NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute; January 2010.
Swann, C., Bowe, K., McCormick, G., Kosmin, M. (2003) Teenage pregnancy and parenthood: a review of reviews. London: HAD.
Today in this society many teenagers are having sex and not realizing what could happened after they have done it. Parents and teachers aren’t teaching their children proper information about sex. Teenagers believe nothing can happen and that sex isn’t a probable cause. Unfortunately, there are many risks that come along with teen pregnancy many of those include a life surrounded by poverty, medical and health issues, less schooling along with more dropout rates, and lower career ambitions. Teen pregnancy has many causes such as no access to protection, wanting to tie down a guy, Missing love or attention from parents, peer pressure mixed with "trends”, and sadly teenagers most common, lack of knowledge.