Teen Pregnancy: A Preventable Normality

796 Words4 Pages
Support can be a powerful force. With a decent support system, people can accomplish anything they set their minds to. Without it, the chances of failing increase drastically. This applies to teen pregnancy and young parenthood. With teen birth rates on the rise, and becoming more socially acceptable, teen mothers need all the support they can get to be successful. It is unclear what exactly has caused this unexpected rise in teen pregnancy, but there are several possible contributing factors. These factors could include but are not limited to: social acceptability, lack of proper education, improper use of contraception and insufficient access to certain medical treatment. Pop culture may also be affecting the decisions that teens make when it comes to sex and having children. With more reality television shows revolving around celebrity mothers, such as MTV’s show “16 and Pregnant,” pregnancy and parenthood are being glamorized, showing mostly the easier parts of parenting. “And teens, heavy consumers of such mass media, are getting the message that “having a baby is the new handbag” says Nicole Fischer, 17, who lives in Calgary and just gave birth to her son Cristian five months ago” (Gulli, 2008). Being accepted socially plays a major role in adolescents. Now, being pregnant is not the worst thing that could happen to a teen. With the transfer of sexually transmitted diseases, gang violence, and drug abuse on the rise, the stigma and shame of being a teen mother has been reduced. The Louise Dean Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada is a school that caters specifically to pregnant teens and young mothers aged 14 to 20, by offering support groups and teaching parenting skills to the youths (Gulli, 2008). Some schools are even instituting a maternity leave for expecting teens so that they can adjust to motherhood and then return to finish school. Communities in
Open Document