Teen pregnancy is a very common thing today that is changing teenager’s life in a negative way.
According to Jane E. Brody, 82 percent of teenage pregnancies are unwelcome. Teenagers are moving into sexual activity fast because high school is a time when sex education is offered.
In addition, kid’s hormones are changing which affects teens in a bad way. One reason teen pregnancies occur is that teenagers are scared to talk to their parents. According to Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, 30 percent of teens have reported their parents have not talked to them about sex. Teenagers with curiosity will go straight to the internet to learn about sex. National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy conducted surveys and teens responded their parents have the biggest influence on their decisions revolving around sex. This also means that parents need to understand teens sex trends and starting conversations with their children to help them understand the outcome of being sexually active while young.
Teen pregnancies may also increase because Planned Parenthood is being threatened by President. Planned Parenthood is intended to provide protection to Teen Pregnancy Prevention programs where they termed abstinence only until marriage. “Trump-Pence administration is trying to impose their abstinence-only agenda on young people across the country.” Dawn Laguens said, Evidence shows the programs do not work. According to Nicholas K. Geranios, There is a lack of federal funding for abstinence only education and the effectiveness of teen pregnancy prevention grants are being questioned.
Some abstinence-only programs have false and misleading information and condemn teens that do have sex.Sex education is teaching teens the opposite of what they needed to know. According to Dr.
Philippa Gordon, “Teens today get much more information about sexually transmitted diseases in school health classes than they do about pregnancy prevention”. Getting pregnant happens very easily that is why pregnancy prevention should be discussed a lot more in sex education classes. According to Jane E.
Brody, “Although schools may recognize the importance of preventing teenage pregnancy, they are often hampered by the mistaken belief that informing youngsters about contraception can encourage them to become sexually active.” Although, teens are using contraception more, not always in the right way. “Still, too many fail to use the most effective methods or use them incorrectly or inconsistently, resulting in ill-timed or unwanted pregnancies.” Teens that have been informed about contraceptives don’t have access to them. Teens don’t use them consistently, and that results in unwanted pregnancy. Pregnancy disrupts a teens education and future.
Half of the states have affirmed the right to teens the right to contraception, some only allow a select category of minor’s consent to contraceptive. However, Pregnant teens are perceived as dropouts. Gionna Martin is senior and full-time mom and she goes to school then works at night at a craft store. She says she is always up in the morning, and that she is broke after having to buy diapers every three weeks.
Most teens in high school dropout because of the workload plus a child is a lot of hard work. However, she goes to a school that is dedicated to helping pregnant people graduate and prepping them for their future. Pregnant teens need more schools like Nowell Leadership Academy because they are dedicated to graduating pregnant and preparing them for their future.
Teachers like Judith Russell make home visits to check up on students and to make sure no students are left behind after having a child. Nicole Lewis founded Generation Hope, a nonprofit that helps teens in Washington area who are attending college (Stringer). While, teens do drop out of school when having to take care of a child. First helping girls understand that their bodies belong to them. Providing a program not just for teen pregnancy but also, programs that help prevent child abuse (Stringer). Showing teens, they have a future will help prevent pregnancy at a young age. Half of the teen moms are living in poverty, and it only increases as their child grows older and this usually happens when the teen leaves their parents’ house. Still, teens do not have the funds to care for a child.
Medical bills only get higher, all the doctor visits and the hospital delivery. Most teens that become pregnant do not have a job or they have a minimum wage job. Preparation for the child such as crib, car seat, diapers, and formula are very costly but is a necessity for a baby. 58 % of teenage mothers do not have any financial support from the father.
“Financially, it was really hard because I had to make tough decisions between buying diapers and buying a book for a specific class.”But, Pregnancy will affect teen’s mental and emotional health. “Researchers discovered girls from 15 to 19 have experienced postpartum depression at rate twice as high as older woman from 25 an older.” Studies have shown teen mothers face high levels of stress that can lead up to increase in concerns of mental health. Teenage mothers seem to neglect their heath when caring for a child. Teen mothers have higher rates of suicide ideation than other teens that are not mothers. They are at higher risk to experience Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Teenage mothers have experienced or are likely to experience mental and physical abuse. In conclusion teen pregnancy is a big deal in past and current generations. Teenagers misuse of contraception has caused teen pregnancy. It has affected teens education. Teenagers are supposed to be enjoying life, but they get pregnant and must take care of not only their self but also another human being. Teens must get a job to care for the child and balance school, this leads to a lot of stress.
