Truth about Teen Pregnancy

1300 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Religious influence on education

1. Although the rate of teen pregnancy in the United States has declined greatly within the past few years it is still an enormous problem that needs to be addressed. These rates are still higher in 1993 then they were in 1963. In 1963, the case of Abington vs. Schempp, the United States Supreme Court banned school prayer and bible reading in school. Since then our nation has experienced increasing pregnancy rates. (Bennett, 1).

2. Birth rates for unwed girls from the ages 15-19 have now increased every year since 1963. Latest 1993 figures showed 45 births per 1,000. Additionally, birth rates for girls ages 10-14 have increased 553% since the removal of religious principles from our schools. (Bennett, 1). Nationwide more than half (53.1%) of all high school students had experienced sexual intercourse. (Bennett, 3). Approximately 1 million pregnancies occur each year among adolescents. The percentage of students nationwide who had, had sexual intercourse with 4 or more sexual partners was 17.8%. (Bennett, 4). In my opinion, that is just disgusting. These children need morals, and role models and even mentors. Adolescents today are growing up in a culture in which peers, T.V., motion pictures, music, and magazines give negative messages about sexual relations. They are saying unmarried sexual relations are common, accepted and at times expected behaviors. In 1996 a study was done, and there were 506,800 live births to adolescent mothers. The means for every 1,000 women aged 15-19, there were 97 live births. And often those teen mothers will have a second child within two years of the first. (ADAM Inc., 2).

3. When compared to other industrial nations, the U.S. has the highest rate of pregnancy, abortion, and ...

... middle of paper ...

...sers.chartertn.net/kabennett/rt/rtstat.htm">http://users.chartertn.net/kabennett/rt/rtstat.htm

Christian Science Monitor. "Teen Moms and Dads." 8 June 2001. 9 September 2003.

http://www.ebscohost.com

The Alan Guttmacher Institute "Teen Sex and Pregnancy." 4 September 1999. 9 September 2003.

http://www.agi-usa.org/pubs/fb_teen_sex.html

International Naturists Association. "Does body acceptance promote lower teen pregnancy and abortion rates?" 13 June 1999. 9 September 2003.

http://www.clothesfree.com/pregnancy.html

Vess, Stacey. "Profile of a Teen Mother." 12 December 2000. 9 September 2003.

http://www.intac.com/~jdeck/tahra/Tp2.html

Show More
Related

  • The Social Issue Of Teen Pregnancy

    1506 Words  | 4 Pages

    Teen pregnancy is a major issue in society today. In 2010, an estimated 614,400 U.S. teenagers became pregnant, approximately 89,300 had miscarriages, and 157,500 had legal abortions. Teens are having unprotected sex without knowing the consequences of the choices that the are making. Teens believe that sex is something new that they can try, so they can be popular like their peers. These accusations are wrong, having unprotected sex has major consequences, and by having unprotected sex these teens could be changing their lives forever. Who is to fault for these teen pregnancies? Is in the parents fault, the teens fault or is it our communities fault all together? I believe providing more information and awareness about teen pregnancy in our schools and community will reduce the number of teen pregnancies.

    Read More

  • The Debate of Abstinece-Only or Comprehensive Sex Education

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today’s young Americans face strong peer pressure to be sexually active and engage themselves in risky behaviors (Merino 100-109). Anyone deciding to have sex must first think about all the risks involved. Kekla Magoon, author of Sex Education in Schools, says that “half of all teens aged 15 to 19 years old in the United States have had sex” (Magoon 64-65). It is currently not required by federal law for schools to teach Sex education and those few schools that do teach Sex education have the decision to determine how much information is allowed. Advocates from both sides of the Sex education debate agree that teens need positive influences in order to make practical decisions (Magoon 88-89). Opponents of Abstinence-only education believe it fails because it does not prepare teens for all the risks of sex (Magoon 64-65).

    Read More

  • Essay: The Causes And Effects Of Teen Pregnancy

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    As everyone knows, teen pregnancy rate is increasing more and more each day and someone needs to do something to try and either stop it or decrease it dramatically. Teen pregnancy is causing dramatic population increase and that’s just common sense. Teens getting pregnant at such a young age is also causing poverty levels to go up more and more. Mississippi Spent over $100 million on teen pregnancy alone in the year 2010 (“Teen Pregnancy”). Just think of what it is now. More teens are dropping out of school and not finishing their education. According to the authors of this article, “approximately 30 percent of teen mothers have mothers who dropped out of high school, 40 percent have mothers who are mothers who dropped out of high school, 40 percent have mothers who are high school graduates, and 30 percent have mothers who attended college”(Kearny et al 143). Many people don’t realize that there are many effects of teen pregnancy including higher risk of birth defect, more likely to drop out, and also abortion rates increase.

    Read More

  • The Problem of Teen Pregnancy

    1608 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Teen Pregnancy Within The United States

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    The District of Columbia is the 23rd most population city in the United States with a population of 658,893 (Census). According to UNICEF, teen pregnancy is defined as “A teenage girl, usually within the ages of 13-19, becoming pregnant” ((Link 1). Nationally in the United States, there has been a steady decline of teen pregnancy within the past decade. However, it is not occurring in the District of Columbia, specifically Southeast DC (Ward 7 and 8) which includes areas such as: Lincoln Heights, Twining, Anacostia and Woodland. As of 2011, DC was ranked number nine in the nation for the highest rate of teen pregnancy. For the total amount of births, only 908 were from young women who were below the age of 20 in Washington DC. About 879 were from young women that were around high school ages 15-19. Specifically, Southeast DC is a low-income area, with approximately ¼ of teen mothers going on welfare within three years after their child’s birth (Link 2). As of 2012, out of the 790 births from teenage mothers, more than half, or 457 of the births mainly occurred in the Southeast DC area (Link4). This area has been plagued through various social determinants of health. This includes having repeated cycles of poverty, lack of comprehensive sexual education, especially in regards to contraception and a lot of violence occurring as a result of crimes. Ward 7 has approximately 95% of its citizens being Black and 2.3% of their citizens are Hispanic(Link 5). While in Ward 8 have about 94% of their citizens that are Black and 1.8% are Hispanic. Between both wards, about 63% of households including both Blacks and Hispanics are living below the federal poverty line and about 37% of births from the 2010 census were from teenage mothers. Abo...

    Read More

  • Planned Parenthood of PA v. Casey

    1705 Words  | 4 Pages

    “10 Arguments in Favor of Pro-Choice Policy.” Advocates for Youth. N.p., 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. .

    Read More

  • Sexual Deportment Essay

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    A report published by the U.S Department of Health and Human Accommodations “suggests that as many as 50% of all adolescents are sexually active” (White, 2008, p. 349). A portion of those are puerile women who will become pregnant, adolescent men who will contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and teenagers who will suffer from emotional distress and regret. Albeit the majority concurs inculcation is the solution to this dilemma, one q...

    Read More

  • Should Sex Education be Taken Out of Schools?

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    Currently, sex education in schools is primarily centered on the distribution of information without elaborating about the moral implications dealing with sex. Teenagers are well versed on things such as how long sperm lives inside the body and can identify all of the workings of the female reproductive system. However, they are still getting pregnant and still contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Anna Quindlen examines this trend in her essay, “Sex Ed”. Quindlen points out that it is the moral implications of sex that have been left out of the curriculum and it is the responsibility of parents to make those moral connections with their children (277). Understanding the morality of sex, she argues, may help teenagers to make more informed decisions on taking the next step towards sexual activity. They must understand that “…when you sleep with someone you take off a lot more than your clothes” (Quindlen 277). Sex is not simply a...

    Read More

  • Trends in Teen Pregnancy Around the World

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    Teen Pregnancy has been a big epidemic this past century. Not only effecting countries like the United States , Mexico and England but also countries like Canada and Sweden. The big baby boomer epidemic started it all not only in the United states but all over the world. Many people wouldn’t think that Canada has had a problem with teen pregnancy rates but it was one of the many countries that was involved with the baby boomer era. Most people didn’t know pregnancy rates doesn’t just include live births but also abortions and fetal loss rates which many people fail to add in this category. The main purpose of the research was to show the trends in teen pregnancy only in Canada from 2001 to 2010. The researchers believed that pregnancy has in facet went down since the start of research in the 1974 by almost 20% . Most people think this information isn’t that important but it is its important for educators , service providers, and also policy makers. Teen pregnancy numbers were compared per 1000 women ages 15 to 19. Some of the Providences didn’t want to participate in this study so they had to estimate the number of abortions per clinic that did let them do the study for teens ages 19 and under. In years leading up to 2008 the CIHI reported a decline in teen abortions not only in one providence but also in others. From 2001 – 2005 teen birth and abortions declined in 10 out of 12 Providences by 14.8% this was the largest decrease they've seen so far. Researchers found that teen birth and abortion rates both declined from 2001 to 2010. Birth rates declined by 15.6% while abortion rates declined by 24.2 % Both rates fell by 20.3% from 2001 to 2010. Since teen pregnancy has decreased since starting research it shows that teens are eit...

    Read More

  • Teens, Sex, and Virginity - Teenage Pregnancy

    1515 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ravoira, LaWanda, and Andrew L. Cherry. Social Bonds and Teen Pregnancy. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1992.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay : Sexual Education

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    The glamorous side of sex is everywhere; music, tv shows, movies and social media. To a mature adult, it is easy to ignore the sexual messages in those outlets. However, to a teenager, going through mental and physical changes and peer pressure, it is extremely easy to fall for what is shown to “cool.” Everyone has fallen for half truths to be cool in their teenage life. It just so happens that teen pregnancies and STDs are not one of those things that one can simply walk away from. Babies and STDs leave a lasting effect on everyone involved. The National Conference of State Legislatures states:

    Read More

  • Sex Education : A Hot Topic Of Debate

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rates of sexually transmitted disease and teen pregnancy are higher in the United States than in any other domesticated country. Not surprising since American culture has brought sex to the forefront over the last few decades. The need for comprehensive sex education in schools can teach children that the romanticized relationships and sexual interactions in the media aren’t showing the whole story. For children with ...

    Read More

  • Theories Related to Teen Pregnancy

    2543 Words  | 6 Pages

    The concept of comprehensive social intervention has been defined as the process of identifying social problems in an attempt to eradicate them. In looking at the broad range of social characteristics and the behavior associated with teen pregnancy, it is obvious that the emphases placed on the effort to recognize and alleviate teen pregnancy can be celebrated through the effectiveness of education, family planning, and abstinence. However, the attempt to analyze and deal with the cause-and-effect relationship with teen pregnancy is an attempt in understanding the social world itself. In 2006, statistics show that there was a significant increase in teen pregnancy after a decade long decrease. The potential for understanding this increase motivates us to look beyond simple explanations for cause-and-effect behavior and to look at what interactions may be occurring between variables that result in specific behaviors or social conditions. What is it that influences behavior? In looking at teen pregnancy in the realm of the family, it is evident that a large number of family structures have evolved, or perhaps devolved, into a variety of combinations which challenge responsible parents to consistently expose their children to the role models and the types of behaviors that are important for their children to emulate as they mature. People are molded by circumstances and experiences, all of which can positively or negatively influence our behavior.

    Read More

  • The Prevention of Teen Pregnancy

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    ProQuest Staff. "Topic Overview: Birth Control." ProQuest LLC. 2013: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 25 Nov 2013.

    Read More

  • Research Proposal: Exploring the Causes of Teenage Pregnancy in the UK

    2752 Words  | 6 Pages

    Swann, C., Bowe, K., McCormick, G., Kosmin, M. (2003) Teenage pregnancy and parenthood: a review of reviews. London: HAD.

    Read More

More about Truth about Teen Pregnancy

Open Document