Teen pregnancy is still a major concern in today’s society and is a social problem that affects the entire community. There are many ways to prevent teenage pregnancy, many decisions to make, and many challenges to face. It is important to examine the main causes of this problem, the effect this problem has on our society and the individual and some of the possible ways of fighting this problem.
There are a wide variety of causes that give rise to teenage pregnancy; these consist of family, community, and social dysfunctions. Over the years, it seems that all the efforts to fight teen pregnancy are beginning to pay off. Thanks to the continued dedication of our parents, teachers and community leaders, the young people today have more support and education concerning the dangers, consequences, and challenges of adolescent sex. In 2015, there was a total of around 230,000 babies born from women who were 15-19 years old. Teenage parenthood is by no means a new social phenomenon. Historically, women have tended to begin childbearing during their teens and early twenties. During the past two decades the U. S. teenage birth rate has actually declined. In the late 1950s, 90 out of 1000 women under 20 gave birth as compared with 52 out of 1000 in 1978. There is currently a large number of young women in the 13 to 19 age range, so that while the birth rates are declining, the absolute number of teenagers is increasing. These statistics do not distinguish between intentional and unintentional pregnancies, or pregnancies occurring in or out of wedlock. From the 1978 figures, only one in six pregnancies concluded as births following marriage, and eight in ten premarital teenage pregnancies were unintended.
The negative consequences override the positive aspects of teen pregnancy by far. When teen pregnancy occurs there are many sacrifices that have to be made. Such as education, most girls dropout of school to stay with the baby and so they don’t graduate and further their education. Money is also a big issue. They are young and are most likely living with their parents and on their parent’s income, and are not financially ready for a baby. It is also difficult for single teenage mothers to make a living, because they do not have the education qualifications to have a good paying job, and also have numerous commitments to the baby. Many pregnant teens feel guilt, shame, and secrecy. Another negative consequence is that they don’t get to experience their childhood to the fullest. They have so many responsibilities that they aren’t mentally and physically prepared for, so their body and mind have to adjust to being more of an adult, so they are forced to grow up.
Teen parents also agreed that bearing a child provide them higher self esteem, give them more confidence in decision making, reaches maturity at a higher level and a very challenging life. These positive confidences added up to total out the emotional, stressful, and physical time they may have experienced.
Many methods can be used to prevent teenage pregnancy and can decrease the birth rate significantly. Doctors and parents play a key role in teen pregnancy preventions. Since teen birth rates are still effective, teens need to have access to preventions in order for it to be effective. With having permission from a guardian to engage in preventions, children can prevent themselves from becoming a parent at such a young age. Parents should properly inform their child on the subject of sex and communicate with them daily to figure out if further methods should be considered. The most common and effective type of prevention is contraceptive use. Adolescents have to learn about these contraceptives to prevent pregnancy and this is where sex education comes in play. With an increase in knowledge on contraceptive methods and other ways to prevent pregnancy, many teens can take precautions to avoid getting pregnant. Pregnancy rates are high which have led to the invention of pregnancy prevention programs. These programs are designed to communicate on a teenager’s level to help them better understand the consequences of engaging in sexual intercourse. Several studies have demonstrated that adolescents often underestimate the demands involved in parenting and tend to perceive minimal negative social consequences associated with a teen pregnancy. The findings of these studies suggest that interventions that increase perspective-taking skills and provide information about the demands involved in parenting may be more effective than traditional programs in preventing teen pregnancy. Teens that are uneducated on the topic of parenthood think of unexpected pregnancy as being inconsequential. Prevention programs can introduce adolescents to what it takes to be a parent and can provide them with the knowledge to prevent pregnancy.
In conclusion, there has been a declining rate in teen pregnancies throughout the years; however, there is still a large amount of teen pregnancy in the world and there happen to be more negative consequences than there are positive. Furthermore, there are many precautions one can take to prevent it from happening to individuals.
