Teenage Pregnancy Essay, Research Paper

Although the rate of teenage 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 the 1990’s than they were only a

decade ago. The United State’s teenage birthrate exceeds that of most other

industrialized nations, even though American teenagers are no more sexually

active than teenagers are in Canada or Europe. (Gormly 348) Recent statistics

concerning the teen birthrates are alarming. About 560,000 teenage girls give

birth each year. Almost one-sixth of all births in the United States are to

teenage women are to teenage women. Eight in ten of these births resulted from

unintended pregnancies. (Gormly 347) By the age of eighteen, one out of four

teenage girls will have become pregnant. (Newman 679) Although the onset of

pregnancy may occur in any teenager, some teens are at higher risk for unplanned

pregnancy than others. Teenagers who become sexually active at an earlier age

are at a greater risk primarily because young teenagers are less likely to use

birthcontrol. African-American and Hispanic teenagers are twice as likely to

give birth as are white teenagers. Whites are more likely to have abortions.

Teenagers who come from poor neighborhoods and attend segregated schools are at

a high risk for pregnancy. Also, teenagers who are doing poorly in school and

have few plans for the future are more likely to become parents than those who

are doing well and have high educationsl and occupational expectations. Although

the rate of teenage pregnancy is higher among low- income African-Americans and

Hispanics, especially those in inner city ghettoes, the number of births to

teenagers is highest among white, nonpoor young women who live in small cities

and towns. (Calhoun 309) In addition to the question of which teenagers become

pregnant, interest is shown in the social consequences of early parenthood.

Adolescent parents (mostly mothers) may find that they have a "lost or

limited opportunity for education." (Johnson 4) The higher a woman’s level

of education, the more likely she is to postpone marriage and childbearing.

Adolescents with little schooling are often twice as likely as those with more

education to have a baby bafore their twentieth birthday. Some 58% of young

women in the United States who receive less than a high school education give

birth by the time they are twenty years old, compared with 13% of young women

who complete at least twelve years of schooling. (Tunick 11) Teens who become

pregnant during high school are more likely to drop out. (Calhoun 310) A teen

mother leaves school because she cannot manage the task of caring for a baby and

studying, and a teen father usually chooses a job over school so that he can pay

bills and provide for his child. (Johnson 4) Teen mothers usually have fewer

resources than older mothers because they have had less time to gather savings

or build up their "productivity" through work experience, education,

or training. (Planned Parenthood 1) Because of this, teen mothers are generally

poor and are dependent on government support. (Newman 679) The welfare system is

usually the only support a teen parent will receive. Welfare benefits are higher

for families with absent fathers or dependent children. (Calhoun 309) In some

cases, teen mothers may also receive help like Medicaid, Food Stamps, and

"Aid to Families with Dependent Children" (AFDC). (Newman 679) Besides

educational and financial problems, teenage mothers may face a great deal of

emotional strain and may become very stressed. Teen mothers may have limited

social contacts and friendships because they do not have time for anything other

than their baby. Lack of a social life and time for herself may cause the

teenage mother to become depressed or have severe mental anxiety. (Johnson 5)

Depression may become worse for a teenage mother because she usually does not

know much about child development or about how to care for their children.

Children who are born to teenage mothers usually suffer from poor parenting. (Berk

188) Also, children of teenage parents start being sexually active before their

peers and they are more likely to become teenage parents themselves. These

children may also suffer from financial difficulties similar to that of their

parents. "Children whose mothers are age seventeen or younger are three

times as likely as their peers to be poor, and are likely to stay poor for a

longer period of time." (Calhoun 311) The children born to teenage mothers

sometimes score lower on development tests than the children of older mothers.

It seems that "rather than declining over time, educational deficits

increase in severity and the children show lower academic achievement, higher

drop out rates, and are more likely to be held back in school." (Calhoun

310) Teenage pregnancy comes with not only a child, but also many consequences.

Teen mothers face greater health risks than older mothers, such as anemia,

pregnancy induced hypertension, toxemia, premature delivery, cervical trauma,

and even death. Many of these health risks are due to inadequate prenatal care

and support, rather than physical immaturity. The teenage mother is more likely

to be undernourished and suffer premature and prolonged labor. (Calhoun 311) The

death rate from pregnancy complications are much higher among girls who give

birth under age fifteen. (Gormly 347) Poor eating habits, smoking, alcohol and

drugs increase the risk of having a baby with health problems. (Johnson 3) The

younger the teenage mother is, the higher the chances are that she and her baby

will have health problems. This is mainly due to late prenatal care (if any) and

poor nutrition. (Planned Parenthood 1) An adolescent mother and her baby may not

get enough nutrients and, because the mother’s body is not fully mature, she may

have many complications throughout the duration of the pregnancy. (Johnson 4)

Along with the mother, the children of teenage parents too often become part of

a cycle of poor health, school failure, and poverty. Infants born to teenage

mothers are at a high risk of prematurity, fragile health, the need for

intensive care, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and mental retardation. (Johnson 5)

Low birth weight is the most immediate health problem. Babies born to teenagers

are often born too small, too soon. Low birthweight babies may have immature

organ systems (brain, lungs, and heart), difficulty controlling body temperature

and blood sugar levels, and a risk of dying in early infancy that is much higher

than that of normal weight babies (five and one-half pounds or more). (Calhoun

310) "The death rate for babies whose mothers are under fifteen years of

age is double that of babies whose mothers are twenty to thirty years old."

(Johnson 5) Because of these extremely serious problems, many government, as

well as local, organizations are fighting to stop the occurence of teenage

pregnancy by helping to educate children of the risks involved and the

consequences after. Some research indicates that "the percentage of teenage

birthrates has declined simply because fewer teenagers are having sexual

intercourse and more adolescents are using contraceptives." Researchers say

that the recent trends in sexual activity and contraceptive use are the result

of a number of factors, including greater emphasis on abstinence, more

conservative attitudes about sex, fear of contracting sexually transmitted

diseases, the popularity of long-lasting birthcontrol methods such as the

contraceptive implant (Norplant) and the injectable (Depo-Provera), and even

because of the economy. In addition, researchers say that young people have

become somewhat more conservative in their views about casual sex and

out-of-wedlock childbearing. Some attribute this change in attitude mainly to

concern about sexually transmitted diseases. Others say that it is because of

the involvement of conservative religious groups in the public debate over

sexual behavior. Many researchers believe that the strong economy and the

increasing availability of jobs at minimum wage have contributed to fewer births

among teenagers. (Donovan 32) Americans, however, seem to be against some of the

methods used by these various organizations to reduce the teen pregnancy rates.

"The most controversial aspect of adolescent pregnancy prevention is the

growing movement to provide teenagers with easy access to contraceptives."

Most Americans believe that giving teenagers birthcontrol pills and/or condoms

is the same as telling them that early sex is allowed. Some studies that were

conducted in Europe show that some clinics in Europe that distribute

contraceptives to teenagers have the same sexual activity rate as in the United

States. However, in these European studies, it is apparent that teen pregnancy,

childbirth, and abortion rates are much lower. (Berk 190) Teenage pregnancy does

cause many problems for the mother, child, and economy. There are, however, some

incidences where the mother overcomes this down-hill trend and makes a

successful life for her and her child. The outcome of teenage pregnancy turns

out better if the mother goes back to school after she has given birth. (Berk

190) Staying in school may help to prevent teenage mothers from having a second

pregnancy. (Planned Parenthood 2) The outcome is also better if the mother

continues to live with her parents so that they can help to raise the child.

Young, teen mothers need health care for themselves as well as their children.

An adolescent mother also needs a great deal of encouragement to get her to

remain in school. Single teenage mothers also need job training so that they can

get a good job to support themselves and their children. Teen mothers need to be

taught parenting and life-management skills and also need high quality and

affordable daycare for their children. Schools that provide daycare centers on

campus reduce the incidence of teenagers dropping out of school. These school

programs also decrease the likelihood that the teen mother will have more

children. (Berk 189) Because the government has begun to take action in

preventing teen pregnancies, the rate has continued to decline. The large

numbers of young people in America–as well as the values, health, education,

skills they gain–will greatly affect the future of society. Therefore,

increased attention should be given to the well-being of adolescents. Since

greater care is being given to the young people, improvements are already

occuring. The level of education that young people receive is much higher than

that of their parents, and the "expectation that young people should obtain

at least some secondary schooling" is growing. The numbers of women who

have a child during their teen years is declining, and recognizing the impact of

childbearing on education, parents and communities are continuing to discourage

sexual activity, marriage, and motherhood at a young age. (Tunick 13) These

recent trends, if continued, will more than likely educate the adolescent

population about the risks and consequences of teenage pregnancy and reduce the

incicence of teen pregnancy and childbirth altogether.

Berk, Laura E. Child Development. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1997.

Calhoun, C. et al. Sociology. New York: Glencoe-McGraw-Hill, 1995. Donovan,

Patricia. "Falling Teen Pregnancy, Birthrates: What’s Behind the

Declines?" The Guttmacher Report. 1.5 (Oct. 1998); 31-34. Gormly, Anne V.

Lifespan Human Development. 6th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1997. Johnson,

Sherry. Teen Pregnancy: Too Much, Too Soon. Waco, TX: Health Edco., 1995.

Newman, Philip R. and Barbara M. Newman. Childhood and Adolescence. Pacific

Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co., 1997. Planned Parenthood Federation of

America. "Pregnancy and Childbearing Among U.S. Teens." Online.

Internet. 29 Mar. 1999. Available http://plannedparenthood.org/Library/teen-pregnancy/childbearing.htm

Tunick, Barbara. "Issues in Brief: Risks and Realities of Early

Childbearing Worldwide." The Guttmacher Report. (Feb. 1997); 10-14.