What society intended as vehicles for entertainment and bringing families together, has proven to be harmful to the minds of adolescents. Parents can no longer depend on society as a whole for moral advice in rearing children. Over two decades of research confirms that families and particularly parents are an important influence on whether their teenagers become pregnant or cause a pregnancy. In a variety of ways, parental behavior and the nature of parent/child relationships influence teens' sexual activity and use of contraception. While parents cannot determine whether their children have sex, use contraception, or become pregnant, the quality of their relationships with their children can make a real difference (Miller, 1998).
Those at highest risk of teen pregnancy are girls from single parent homes, families with low socioeconomic status, and girls with a sister who became pregnant as a teenager (Talashek, Alba, & Patel, 2006). A significant risk factor identified by the National Center for the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy (NCPTP) is that 75% of pregnant teens have mothers who were also pregnant as a teenager (VanLenten, 200?). The lifestyle of the average teenager is not conducive to fetal development. Teen mothers are more likely to smoke, eat a fast food diet, less likely to have adequate prenatal care, and more
Teen pregnancy remains a significant problem and American society but there are steps that can help teens take responsibility for their sexual activity and avoid unintended pregnancy. According to Planned Parenthood, approximately 67.8 per 1,000 women between the age 15-19 ¬ nearly 750,000 American teenagers ¬become pregnant (Kost and Henshaw, 2012). The majority ¬ 82 percent ¬ is unintended (Finer and Zoina, 2011) (1).Unintended pregnancies fuel an abortion rate that some argue is murder and all agreed emotionally traumatizes all of the parties involved. Society benefits from educated and economically productive teens. Teens struggling to handle an unintended pregnancy are less economically productive, their education suffers and their potential is inhibited.
Erica Dixon December 5, 2013 Walden University Winter Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation COUN 6785 Case Study Teenage Prevention In week one case study, Teenage pregnancy has increased over the past ten years. The clinics in the area do not have staff that are addressing the issue. The local high schools are addressing the area in the 11th grade by an abstinence policy. There are some adult in the community that are voicing various opinions. Some adults are saying how the teenage mothers are being irresponsible.
Tashalla Young Professor Austin English 1301.BH1 September 26 2012 The Diversity in Teen Parents A former high school teen parent and graduate, Tashanna Forman said, “With all the teen parents in the world today, you would think people around them would realize that there are many different types of young parents and not every teen parents is the same” (Forman). Her statement is broadly true and completely relevant to the world today. Forman was speaking on how most people are narrow minded to the teen parent world, in today’s society. Some people believe if one high school student gets pregnant and her friend ends up pregnant a year or so later, they must be having some sort of a pregnancy pact. While this scenario might be true in some cases, it is only a stereotype against teen parents.
According to WebMD, the top 6 reasons people abort in the United States are birth control failure, inability to support a child, unwanted pregnancy, to prevent the birth of a child with birth defects, rape or incest, or physical and/or conditions that endanger the women’s health. Even though many of these reasons may be considered valid, there are other ways to solve the problem of an unwanted pregnancy. One way to solve this problem is by adoption. The National Survey of Family Growth estimates that 14,000 babies were voluntarily relinquished for adoption in the United States. There are more couples waiting to adopt a child than abortions performed in the United States.
Leah Hardy Kidder English 9 Honors 20 March 2013 A question commonly asked by frustrated parents to their teenagers: why don’t you just grow up and start acting like an adult? Although it is a rhetorical question, there is an answer. Research has shown that the human brain does not reach full development until people are in their 20s. Teenage brains are strikingly unlike adults’, explaining their often rash, immature behavior exemplified in Mary E. Pearson’s novel The Adoration of Jenna Fox and William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. In The Adoration of Jenna Fox, 17 year old Jenna Fox struggles to recover from an 18 month-long coma that left her with complete amnesia.
The beginning of the chapter starts by describing how parents could no longer control the sexual behavior of their teenagers. They believed that this was brought on by the subversive sexual charge in music. In the ‘50’s teenagers were getting married younger due to their desire to have sex. This resulted in a high rate of teenage pregnancies with what is known as
Teenagers went from feeling like they were being trapped by their parents to a new independent feeling of freedom. No longer did they feel like they “had’ to follow in their parents footsteps. Because this was a new experience for many parents, they thought their children were doomed and their futures hopeless. Parents did not consider that this new independent freedom could be a phase and that once their teens reached adulthood it would be over. The many new fashions trends, activities and most importantly the legendary Rock N’ Roll music Wilson 4 became a direct reflection of the creations established by the rebellious 1950 teenager.
Disregard what you heard because a girl can get pregnant the very first time she has sex, even before she has her first menstrual period, or while during her period, even if the boy pulls out before he comes, if she has sex standing up, or if she forgets to take her birth control pill just one day. (Making decisions about sex and birth control, 2011 ) The affects birth control or the lack of has on the lives of teens. The lack of birth control affects their education. 1/3 of teen mothers graduate from high school. 1.5% has a college degree by the time they reach 30.