Teen Pregnancy

The United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births in the western industrialized world. Teen pregnancy costs the United States at least $7 billion annually.

Thirty-four percent of young women become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20 -- about 820,000 a year. Eight in ten of these teen pregnancies are unintended and 79 percent are to unmarried teens.

While the facts are clear, the issues of teenage pregnancy are complicated by our conflicting attitudes and behaviors. Talk of sex fills the airwaves; younger and younger girls are portrayed as sex objects; and sex is used to sell everything from clothing to news. Yet we are shocked at the rising numbers of teens who are sexually …ver más…

Causes 1. Some teenage girls become pregnant while involved in long-term dating relationships. 2. Other girls become pregnant after hooking up. 3. And, some girls may become pregnant as a result of a rape situation. 4. Sexual Abuse and Coercion. A high percentage of girls who have sex before age 15 have been victims of incest or other sexual abuse.
Effects
1. One of the most immediate effects of teen pregnancy is how the growing baby changes a teenager's body as well as their lifestyle. 2. Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school 3. The children of teenage mothers have lower birth weights, are more likely to perform poorly in school, and are at greater risk of abuse and neglect. 4. Teen mothers are more likely to end up on welfare.
What kind of solution might suggest?
All teenagers need encouragement to postpone sexual involvement and information on pregnancy prevention if they become sexually active. But these components are not enough by themselves to make a significant impact on the reduction of pregnant and parenting teens. The issues of adolescent pregnancy are too complex for simple solutions. Boys and girls who do well in school, participate in nonacademic activities, and plan for their future are less likely to become pregnant or bear a child during their teenage years. 1. Sexuality education. 2. Family support and parenting programs. 3. Clear, consistent messages. Young people need to