Teen Pregnancy and the Welfare System

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Teen Pregnancy and the Welfare System
In 2011, a total of 329,797 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Most people in their late teenage years and early twenties, with the drive to be successful, are or should be in college. Instead, a large number of young women today are putting their life on the back burner because they are pregnant. With the recession going on in the United States, supporting and raising a baby while taking care of one’s self has become very strenuous. As teenagers, it’s almost impossible for them to imagine how much money and effort is required to have a baby. The people who decide to become parents at such young ages struggle to provide all that is necessary for themselves and their child. This makes it imperative for them to take advantage of the welfare system and all that it provides. As stated by the Baby Cost Calculator the first year after the child is born will cost $10,158 to provide for the baby’s necessities (Baby Center). That amount of money could easily cover two years of schooling at a small community college, or even a year at a university. Josefina J. Card states that “teen mothers are less likely to complete high school than their classmates, they are also more likely to end up on welfare” (Annual Review of Public Health). Teen pregnancy is not a matter that should be supported in any way.
Teen pregnancy rates are increasing every year. This is an elevating issue that needs to be solved. No real solution to this matter has been found. Instead our government forks out money we don’t have to support these teenagers that are in need rather than assisting others in our society that are suffering. Michael D. Tanner, co-editor to The Cato Ins...

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..."Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Do any Programs Work?" Annual Review of Public Health 20 (1999): 257-85. ProQuest. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

“Background on teen pregnancy.” Teen Mothers. New York City: Women’s Health Channel, 2012. Dosomething.org. Web. 9 Mar. 2014
“First Year Baby Cost Caculator.” Baby Center LCC, 1997-2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2014
Glazer, Sarah. "Welfare Reform." CQ Researcher 3 Aug. 2001: 601-32. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
“Labor Force Statistics.” United States Department of Labor, 2013. BLS.gov/CPS. Web. 11 Mar. 2014
Tanner, Michael D. "Welfare Reform." Cato Institute. Committee on Finance, 9 Mar. 1995. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
"The Importance of Prevention." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 05 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
“Welfare Information.” U.S Welfare System- Help for U.S Citizens. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2014

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