Position Research Paper

Teenage Pregnancy

            Almost one in every three females will become pregnant as a teenager in the United States every year. Two-thirds of the pregnant teens will drop out of school leaving them to work in order to pay for their baby necessities, and the daily necessities for her. Teenage pregnancy is a very serious and major problem now-a-days in the United States. Nearly 900,000 girls will become pregnant every year, most of them in the eighteen or nineteen age range. There have recently been many debates about whether or not teens should or should not have sex education classes. There have also been debates on if abstinence only education is helpful and effective. The best way to keep teenagers from becoming pregnant is to abstain from sex, but not everyone does that, we should educate people about the importance of abstinence, birth control, and what happens after teens have a baby. We should tell them about the health risks towards your baby and yourself, major problems like poverty and dropping out of school in the future, and how to keep yourself from becoming pregnant like using condoms, birth control and other contraceptives (keep in mind that they only work 99% of the time).

There are many health risks that come from teenage pregnancy to both the baby and the teenager. First of all, a baby born to a teenager can have an extremely low birth weight which could lead to an assortment of problems to the baby as it gets older. Also with a low birth weight, the baby has a much greater chance of dying as an infant. Other risks to the baby include developing blindness, deafness, mental and respiratory problems, and cerebral palsy. “Children born to teenage mothers are less likely to receive proper nutrition, health care, and cognitive and social stimulation. As a result, they are at risk for lower academic achievement,” (Swierzewski).
There are also health risks toward the mother, including hypertension and anemia. Hypertension is a disease where you have very high blood pressure, and it stays high. Anemia is a decrease in the number of red blood cells in your body which could further lead to more serious problems like hypoxia which is lack of oxygen in your body. There are many risks and problems that can come from having a baby at a young age, some even lead to the death of the infant, or even the teenager.

Even though there are many health problems that comes from having a baby as a teenager, but there are a lot of financial problems. Once a teenager becomes pregnant, most teens drop out of their school, so they cannot get the education that they need in order to get a good job.  About 60% of teenagers that become pregnant drop out of their school so they can support their child. Most teen moms are already poor to begin with, so when they have their child, they have a much larger risk of living in poverty. Most teen mothers are not able to even get their high school diplomas. They have to dropout in order to get a decent job so they can support their child. But if the teenager does not get your high school diploma, there is a much larger chance of the teen to not be able to get a profession; a lot of them end up working multiple shifts and multiple tiny jobs like working at a grocery store or a clothing boutique. Less than 2% of pregnant teens get there college degree by the age of 30, which leads to a harder time getting a good job (Update: Teen Pregnancy). There are many financial problems that come from having a baby young. Since they usually drop out of high school, they are not able to get a decent job that pays well, so most teens end up living in poverty.

            There are many ways to keep teenagers from becoming pregnant. According to the Holy Bible, we should abstain from sex until we are married. Abstinence of obviously the best way to keep teenagers from having sex and becoming pregnant, but most teens do end up having sex now-a-days. The best way to keep teens that are sexually active from becoming pregnant is to stay safe. They can use condoms, the women can get on birth control, and there are so many other precautions. There has been a drastic decrease in the amount of teens that become pregnant in the United States since 1990. Teens have become more aware of safe sex and the best ways to keep from becoming pregnant. Researchers say that doctors are more likely to talk about condoms and birth control with teens rather than adults recently. Research shows that contraceptive use is much more common with teens. The only problem with this is that teenagers need to be aware that condoms and birth control are on 99% affective. There is still a slight chance that you will become pregnant even if you’re being safe. Teens should be aware of how to be safe when they have sex; even in abstinence is the best way to stay safe.  

Some schools think that sex education would be a smart way to reduce the amount of pregnant teens. These classes would include information about abstinence, risks to your health and financial, how to be safe like using condoms and birth control, and some schools would even talk about abortion. Some people think that abstinence education is the better way to talk to teens about this problem. They don’t want people to be talking about sex and condoms and abortions. According to Davida Becker, “The government has supported abstinence only education in the past, but now, studies have shown that the classes are ineffective at reducing the amount of teens that have sex.” Other studies show that abstinence only education is ineffective because of the large amount of teenagers who have sex. The studies showed that it would be more affective if they educated teens about risks and how to have safe sex. Study providers use the abstinence counseling not as an “all or nothing approach”, but as a framework for educating teens (Becker).

Also, some people think that teenagers should wait from having sex so they won’t get AIDS and/or STD’s. Teenage pregnancy and STDs are higher in the United Stated then in most other countries. The amount of women who get STDs through sex change in the location that you live in, and vary because of your race and ethnicity. According to Update: Teen Pregnancy, “And even if pregnancy is avoided, teens who have sex run the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases or suffering emotional problems.” It is true that even if people use condoms when they have sex that they still have a chance to get AIDS or STDs, but it’s not only teens that get sexually transmitted diseases. Adults have the same risk that teenagers do. Sometimes you do not even have to have sex in order to get AIDS or HIV. Sometimes you are born with it, not all of those diseases are sexual.

It is obvious that abstinence is always the easiest and best way to keep yourself from becoming pregnant especially as a teen. But if teenagers are sexually active, they need to know about the risks and problems that come from having sex and later on becoming pregnant; like you and your babies health, having to drop out of school, and possibly living in poverty. Teenage pregnancy is a major problem with today’s world, and people need to know just how serious it is.

           

           

Works Cited

Becker, Davida, et al. "Abstinence and teenagers: prevention counseling practices of health care providers     serving high-risk patients in the United States." Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 42.2 (2010): 125+. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.

Chandler, Michael Alison. "Breaking the Cycle." Washington Post (Washington, DC). 20 Jun 2009: B.1. SIRS Researcher. Web. 24 Sep 2010.

"Update: Teen Pregnancy." Issues & Controversies On File: n. page. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 6 July 2007. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. <http://www.2facts.com/article/i1200370>.

Swierzewski, III, M.D., Stanley J. "Teen Pregnancy & Heath Risks to the Baby." Teen Pregnancy. 1 Nov. 2000. Web. 5 Oct. 2010. <http://www.womenshealthchannel.com/teen-pregnancy/baby-risks.shtml>.