In schools today, teenagers deal with much more peer pressure than teenagers did twenty years ago. One of those peer pressures is being sexually active. Being sexually active then puts teenage women at the risk of becoming pregnant. Teenage pregnancies have constantly been a problem in the United States. Not only does teen pregnancies affect the mother and the child, they also affect the American society as a whole. Nonetheless, the high rates of teen pregnancies can be decreased.
The use of contraceptives such as birth control and/or condoms are both solutions to help reduce the number of teenage pregnancies. Having the parents sit down and talk about sex education can help lower rates as well. However, there is one solution that completely solves every case of teenage pregnancy and that is abstinence. Teenage pregnancy is a problem in the United States that can be decreased by using contraceptives, emphasizing sex education in the home and being taught to stay abstinent. The Problem Teen pregnancies have constantly been a problem in the United States.
Studies have shown that the United States continues to have one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy among developed nations (“Teenage Pregnancy Is a Significant”). The media plays a major role in influencing teenage pregnancy by creating a movies and television shows that represent teenage pregnancies as positive circumstances. Movies like Juno and Knocked Up both end in happily ever after’s while that is not the case in reality. Juno, the teenage mom, has supportive parents and a sensitive boyfriend. In Knocked Up, the father, who is once a complete slob, changes his ways for a woman he got pregnant on a one night stand.
Women these days are not always lucky enough to have families or men like the ones in Juno and Knocked Up. Television shows like “16 and Pregnant” and “The Pregnancy Pact” also give the impression that teen pregnancy is normal and should not be frowned upon. Teen pregnancy has been linked to a greater risk of health problems and poverty in both teen mothers and their children. The death rate in childbirth for teens under the age of fifteen is two and a half times greater than for mothers who are between the ages of twenty and twenty-four (Steinberg).
Many young teens are not fully developed before getting pregnant. Therefore, they may not be able to nourish their babies without taking away nutrients needed for their own growing bodies. The nutrients an expectant mother consumes go to the developing baby, thereby depleting nutrients needed for her own growth (Steinberg). Children born to teen mothers are more likely than other children to have low birth weights, putting them at greater risk of dying as infants, and of developing blindness, deafness, mental and respiratory problems, and cerebral palsy.
Milder problems, such as hyperactivity and dyslexia, are also more likely to occur in children with low birth weights (“Update: Teen Pregnancy”). Pregnancy can be unhealthy for teenage mothers as well. They are considered particularly vulnerable to ailments such as hypertension and anemia. They are also less likely than older mothers to seek appropriate prenatal care, and less likely to gain an appropriate amount of weight while pregnant. If a teenager does happen to get pregnant, they may not take their pregnancy very seriously.
Some young ladies still believe that even though they are pregnant, they can still take part in activities such as drinking, smoking, or doing drugs. No amount of these substances is safe for the baby, and they can even complicate the pregnancy. Aside from the harm to those directly affected, teen pregnancy is also blamed for adding to the cost of health care, because teen mothers often require public assistance. Approximately one-quarter of teen mothers go on welfare within three years of the child’s birth (“Teen Pregnancy Is a Significant”).
According to government figures, close to 900,000 teens become pregnant each year. Of those, the vast majority are eighteen and nineteen year olds (“Update: Teen Pregnancy”). Teen mothers’ lack of experience and financial resources can, in turn, limit the options available to their children. Children of teen mothers visit the doctor less frequently than other children, and receive less of the kind of cognitive stimulation in their early years that experts say is crucial for brain development.
The national Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy reports that the children of teen mothers, on average, do less well in school than other children, and are less likely to graduate from high school (“Update: Teen Pregnancy”). The United States needs to find ways to reduce the rates of teenage pregnancies. Solutions To decrease the rates of teenage pregnancies, the United States should make contraceptives more easily accessible. The Alan Guttmacher Institute conducted a study in 2003 that compared teens in the United States with such nations as Sweden, Germany and France.
Researchers found that rates of teen sexual activity are about the same in all four nations. However, teens in Sweden, Germany and France were more likely to use birth control, had greater access to contraceptives, experienced less peer pressure to have sex and received more sexuality education than American teens (Steinberg). The United States should allow easier access to contraceptives and birth control. Contraceptives and birth control reduce the likelihood of pregnancy or childbirth for teenagers who are sexually active.
Studies show that eighty six percent of the decline in teen pregnancies between 1995 and 2002 could be accounted for by contraceptive use (Update: Teen Pregnancy”). However, teaching teens about birth control sends them the message that it is acceptable for them to have sex, as long as they use protection, which leaves them vulnerable to the psychological effects of having sex at such a young age (“Update: Teen Pregnancy”). Additionally, birth control and contraceptives do not always prevent pregnancy, especially if they are misused. Birth control also cost money and may give the user health problems.
Allowing easier access to birth control and other contraceptives will help decrease the number of teen pregnancies in the United States. Parents should take more initiative by telling their children about sex education. Studies show that teens who report having good conversations with their parents about sex are more likely to delay sexual activity, have fewer partners, and use condoms and other contraceptives when they do have sex (Cullins). Teens also name their parents as the biggest influence in their decisions about sex (Cullins).
Parents need to realize that, whether they like it or not, talking about sex with their children is important. The education they provide their children could possibly save them from having a pregnant teenage daughter, or a daughter with an STD. However, some parents may not talk about issues as deeply as a teacher might. Most parents and children dread having the sex talk, so they cut it short. The parents sometimes overestimate the education their child has. Surveys show that some parents are still uncomfortable talking about harder topics, such as birth control and how to say no, and can use help having these conversations” “New Poll: Parents Are Talking”). If parents play a greater part in their child’s sex education, teenage pregnancies will decrease. Best Solution Abstinence is a voluntary prevention of oneself from indulging in bodily activities that provide pleasure. By staying sexually abstinent, that person is saying ‘no’ to having sex until marriage, or until that person is at a comfortable place in their life. Abstinence is the only method of birth control that is 100 percent effective. While birth control and condoms can be used to prevent some pregnancies, they are not dependable.
There was a study done that followed 662 African-American students in urban schools. Each students was randomly assigned to one of four groups. The groups each stressed different approaches to sex education. There was abstinence, condom use, contraceptive information, and general information. Two years later, the study showed that two-thirds of that students who received an abstinence-only message had not become sexually active while fifty-two percent of the students in the safe-sex group were sexually active (Chavez).
The culture now a days does not make it easier for a teenager to remain abstinent. With the continual peer pressure, teens are giving in. However, the teenagers who do stick it out learn some important life skills. The Family Research Council states, “Abstinence programs teach relationship skills; goal setting; self-control; decision making; healthy personal and sexual boundaries; an understanding of sexual intimacy and human bonding; emotional and physical consequences of premarital sexual activity; and the benefits of saving sex for marriage” (“Update: Teen Pregnancy”).
Studies have also shown that abstinent teens report, on average better psychological well-being and higher academic achievement than those who are sexually active (Kim and Rector). With abstinence, no barriers or pills are necessary because the person is not having sex. Abstinence also protects the person from STD’s. There are no medical or hormonal side effects from abstinence, like there is from birth control. Abstinence is the best solution for decreasing the rates of teenage pregnancies. The United States can take many actions to decrease the rate of teenage pregnancies.
Parents should emphasize the sex education in their homes. Whether the parents realize it or not, they do help sway a teenagers mind by sitting down and talking about sex in their homes. By making contraceptives more easily accessible, teens that do engage in sex are more likely to use them. However, birth control methods can fail occasionally. Practicing abstinence ensures that a girl will not become pregnant because there is no opportunity for sperm to fertilize an egg. The best solution to teen pregnancies is staying abstinent. Teen pregnancy is a problem that can easily be fixed.
