Teenagers today have a higher risk of pregnancy, and one of the reasons is their lack of knowledge in contraception.

Many teenagers often think that pills and condoms are the only contraceptives. There are many methods of contraception that they did not know. Most of the time, they believe their friends negative comments and stories about contraception. Teenagers are also concerned about the side effects like weight gain, acne, tiredness, abdominal pains, etc. In the United States, according to the 2002 National Surveys of Family Growth, sexually active adolescent women wishing to avoid pregnancy were less likely than those of other ages to use contraceptives (18% of 15- to 19-year-olds used no contraceptives, versus 10.7% average for women ages 15 to 44). 1 Most of the teenagers who became pregnant unintentionally were those who did not use contraceptives and those who used it incorrectly. Some admitted that it was embarrassing to buy a condom from a store or to ask information from a doctor. Contraceptive failure rates are higher for teenagers, particularly poor ones, than for older users.2 Though this statement is true, still, using contraceptives can reduce the danger of unplanned pregnancy and can also reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted disease (STD). Many teenagers today also lack knowledge about sex education. According to many surveys on the internet, they agree that sex education is necessary so we, teenagers can be aware and avoid unwanted pregnancies. But Biblically speaking, it is not the schools responsibility to teach the students about that sensitive matter, it is the
1 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_pregnancy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_pregnancy#Contraception

parents responsibility. When a girl starts to menstruate, the parent, especially the mother should tell her daughter to be aware of things like sex and if she has questions about those things, she should ask her mother rather than knowing these things from porn sites, and other things on the internet. Sometimes, during Sunday church services or prayer meetings, the pastor should talk about sex, saying that God designed it for marriage and it should not be done outside marriage or what we call premarital sex. And women should be respected and cared for. Some lack parental guidance or parental supervision. Parents who are busy with their work and have no time for their children often find it results in the rebellion of their children. Teenagers listen to their friends and trust them more than their parents because they dont feel they can say their secrets and problems to them. Some parents who work abroad and are not with their children everyday find it often that leads to broken families. Teenagers who have broken families regularly have boyfriends who are older than them. Older men who seek out school girls in the hope of avoiding STDs/HIV infection may have had more sex partners than younger men and therefore have a greater chance of being infected with STDs/HIV.3 Those teenage girls are also more likely to become pregnant than teenage girls who have boyfriends from their own age group. Then the younger or the older guy would leave the girl and will not take responsibility of what he did, and the girl will probably abort the baby. Thats what people usually do today.

R. Gringle, Identifying the Intersection: Adolescent Unwanted Pregnancy, HIV Aids and Unsafe Abortion, (USA: Bates Graphics., 1969), p. 4.

Another cause of teenage pregnancy is the increased sexual activity in teenagers. Friends can give so much influence in life, especially to teenagers. Many listen to their friends advices and stories, which are often immature, like when your peers have boyfriends, and then you are forced to have one too or if you like to be cool or popular, you should do what they say or do whatever they are doing. For example, in a Kaiser Family Foundation study of US teenagers, 29% of teens reported feeling pressure to have sex, 33% of sexually active teens reported "being in a relationship where they felt things were moving too fast sexually", and 24% had "done something sexual they didnt really want to do."4 According to this information, many teenagers are just forced to have sex because of pressure and they do not really want to do it if they would be given the second chance to not do it. In fact, true friends accept you for who you are and dont force you to do things that you dont want to do. If they continue to pressure you, then you should stay away from them and find people who can accept you for who you are. Drugs and alcohol can affect teenagers lives. Surveys of U.S teen-agers indicate the majority have at least experimented with such drugs as alcohol, cocaine, Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), or marijuana.5 They usually use drugs because of the example of parents, curiosity, boredom or unconscious desire to escape mental or emotional pressure. The effects of drugs are juvenile delinquency, participation in crime like rape, and robbery; various diseases, and some even commit suicide. Rapes are usually done by family members or other persons the victim knows. Sometimes, there
4 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_pregnancy#Adolescent_sexual_behavior J. Adams, World Encyclopedia, (Las Vegas: Sage Publications., 1975), p. 60.

was even news on the television that a teenage boy raped a girl because he was drunk and taking drugs. Almost all drugs that teenagers take are prohibited and cannot be used legally among countries, except alcohol. Alcohol is the number one used drug, both among teenagers and adults. But alcoholic beverages/ alcoholic drinks cannot be legally sold to people under 18 years old in most countries, and in some countries, the legal age for drinking is 19, 20 or 21. Marijuana is the number two most used drug. But unlike alcohol, this cannot be sold legally. The lives of teenagers in Thailand are examples of what may happen if teenagers around the world will be prone to drugs. According to the news article that Ive read, the growing violence, drugs, and alcohol of teenagers may affect Thailands dream of becoming one of the worlds most developed countries, because instead of being a good example to other countries and having a good economy, their teenagers are giving them so much problems and so much money is being spent to find solutions to these problems. When teenagers drink and smoke, it relates to violence, fighting, and premarital sex that leads to unwanted pregnancies. The Thai news media reported in July that the country had the worlds largest number of people addicted to methamphetamines, an illegal stimulant that is especially popular to young people. 6 In 2010, many people were killed; others were shot and beaten with poles by fraternities of teenagers. Thats why police were called many times a day. Also, according to the doctors in the country, pregnancies and abortions were common among girls as young

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/world/asia/25iht-thai.html?

as 13 years old. This proves that drugs and alcohol bring no good to the lives of people and teenagers. Teenage girls who become pregnant are expected to take care of their baby, which explains why they will not be attending school. Pregnant girls are often expelled from school and are discouraged from to continuing their education. Most of these teenagers only finished high school and only a few pursued college. Countries like Brazil, values a girls virginity. Girls who have sex before marriage may not be respected and may have difficulty in finding a husband. 7 The consequences of losing ones virginity are negative gossip, pressure from boys to have sex, and neighbors or people not allowing their daughters to play with or to be friends with non-virgins. This may be one of the reasons why teenage girls who had unwanted pregnancies dont want to come back to school. There are cases when the father of the child is the husband of the teenage girl. But in most cases, the teenage mothers are not married to the fathers of their children. Like in UK, half of all teenagers with children are single parents, 40% are living as a couple and only 10% are married. Marriage is important, especially when a boy has impregnated a girl. He should marry the girl, be responsible, and not just leave the girl, which often leads to abortion. If the couple married each other, they will probably leave school, because they have to work for the child. Or if the teenage boy leaves the girl, the girl has to find a job so she and her baby can live.

R. Gringle, Identifying the Intersection: Adolescent Unwanted Pregnancy, HIV Aids and Unsafe Abortion, (USA: Bates Graphics., 1969), p. 3.

Like what I said earlier, the teenage mother has to look for a job for her and her baby to live. But most of teenage mothers today are unemployed. Of course, who would hire them for a job, if they only finished high school? Some dont even complete secondary education. Young women who give birth before marriage may be disowned by their families and left with the responsibility of raising the child by themselves.8 For parents, of course, especially for mothers, their daughters pregnancy is hard to accept. They dont help them to find a job and let them face the consequences by themselves. According to many surveys, there are more teenage pregnancy cases in poorer countries like Niger and Bangladesh, compared to rich countries such as Japan and Switzerland. It only means that unemployed teenage mothers are increasing today and even malnutrition. Many children are malnourished because they dont have enough food to eat, especially in poor countries. Most of them are children of teenage parents. They dont have proper shelter from the cold and proper education because their parents dont have enough money. Or if their parents have a job, they may be a vendor of fruits and vegetables in the market, a babysitter, or a construction worker. Their salaries may not be enough for the needs of the family. And what they said is true: those people who have no job have more children compared to those people who have a job. Depression is one of the psychological effects of teenage pregnancy. Forced sex or rape is physically and psychologically rough as it tears the vaginal wall and may
8

R. Gringle, Identifying the Intersection: Adolescent Unwanted Pregnancy, HIV Aids and Unsafe Abortion, (USA: Bates Graphics., 1969), p. 6.

result in depression. Most of rape cases put the victims into depression and at risk of STDs. In Uganda, studies showed that half of the sexually active girls had been forced to have sex. Also, these young women who have boyfriends may be threatened with rape if they do not agree to have sex. These young women who have depression are often out of their minds. Like for example, when you talk to a depressed person, he will just look at you and nod to what you are saying. They are always sad and are like always frightened with different things. They are also afraid to have a relationship again because of what they had experienced. Some even commit suicide when they knew theyre pregnant. Women exposed to abuse, domestic violence, and family strife in childhood are more likely to become pregnant as teenagers, and the risk of becoming pregnant as a teenager increases with the adverse childhood experiences.9 Studies have found that boys raised in homes who have a battered mother are more likely to impregnate a girl. Also, girls who never met their father or whose father left them when she was still a child, have higher rates of early sexual activity, rape and teenage pregnancy. Foster care youth are also more likely to have unwanted pregnancies. In some cases, the girl was raped by the one who adopted them. Some were even killed. Early childbearing may result in birth complications and different diseases. These teenagers are at higher risk of cervical cancer. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually-transmitted, wart forming virus that has been implicated in causing cancer of the cervix.10 Women who are at risk for having this, are those who had sex or became
9

10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_pregnancy#Childhood_environment Alarming Statistics on Teen Pregnancy, MOD May 2008, p. 24.

pregnant before 18, and those who had many sexual partners or have had a partner with many sexual partners. If a girl had sex at an early age, she is more likely to have many sexual partners before she can be satisfied; thus, creating the risk of having cervical cancer. HPV Digene test is a way to know if women have HPV, but theres no test for men so they cant know if they have it. Using a condom cannot protect women from having cervical cancer for it cannot cover the testes, where the warts can grow. Lack of prenatal care is common among pregnant teenagers. The reason for this is delayed pregnancy testing, denial, or fear of telling others about the pregnancy. Most premature and low birth weight babies are from adolescent mothers, because of lack of prenatal care and proper nutrition. They should drink prenatal vitamins, folic acid, and know the dos and donts of eating and drinking. But instead, they attempt to lose weight by dieting, skipping meals, etc. Another problem facing teen mothers is the use of drugs and alcohol, including cigarette smoking.11 Premature birth and low birth weight can cause the baby to have physical disabilities like cerebral palsy, problems in the heart, and other parts of the body. Teenagers may also have difficulties in childbirth for they have an undeveloped pelvis. But if they cant do normal childbirth, they can have a caesarean section, which requires a lot of money. But in some countries where a caesarean section is unavailable, it may lead to eclampsia, which includes seizures and coma; Obstetric fistula, includes severe infections and ulceration; infant mortality or infant deaths; and maternal death, the death of the teenage mother shortly after birth.

11

http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/teenpregnancy/a/teenpreg.htm

Preventing teenage pregnancy is the responsibility of the parent and the teen. One of the parents ways to prevent teenage pregnancy is by the use of rules. Preventing their teenagers from going out of their house at a specific time would prevent them from meeting with someone. Curfews could help prevent a teen from having sex because it would prevent them from meeting up with someone that would likely be their mate. Also, a few other rules could prevent them from getting pregnant. Making a rule that makes them busy in the house is another way to force the teenager to stay at home and do what her parents told her to do. The parents should also explain to them that theyre doing this for their safety and for their own good. And this is one of the ways to show that they love them. Parents should talk to teenagers about sex. They should explain to them that sex should be inside marriage and this is not the right time for them to do it. This is better rather than knowing these things from porn sites or from friends who can influence them. They should focus first on their studies and not things like this. Most of the time, teenagers have a boyfriend/girlfriend just because they are bored. They should also bond with their teens so their teens could trust them. Many parents are busy with their work or other things, and have no time with their children. Thats one of the reasons why most teenagers dont trust their parents. Also, privacy is important to teenagers. Parents should give them privacy so their teens will not be annoyed. Also, parents should tell them that they are willing to listen if they have problems, especially when they have crushes and stuff. Crushes are normal for teenagers. The parents should be the one to give advices to their teens instead of other

people. In that way, they can be sure that their teens can deal with problems and they can be safe. Dreaming of a future can get the teenager distracted from having sex that might lead to pregnancy. Having a goal in their mind, an example is to be a college graduate, would keep them from thinking of having sex. When they think of a future, they would give emphasis to the risks of sexual intercourse. As a result, teenagers would think that having sex might risk their future and they would refrain from having sex. Also, parents should tell their teens to study harder for their future; that by the will of God, they can know what course they will take in college. Many jobs require a college education, which may cost thousands of money. Parents should tell them about this so they would be more motivated to study harder. Theyll know that their parents are working hard for their tuition fees.