Teenage Pregnancy: Is it a growing

epidemic?
by: Emily Owen

Teen pregnancy is an enormous problem and spreading in

America. According to Guttmacher Institute the latest U.S. teen
pregnancy rates revealed show that there are about 72 pregnancies
per 1000 women aged 15-19 and the teenage birthrate in 2006 was
about 50 births per 1000 women. That is 4% higher than in 2005 ( U.S.
Teenage Pregnancies, Births and abortions ). There are at least 5 TV
shows featuring teen pregnancies, or teen mothers including "Teen
Mom", and "Sixteen and Pregnant". Changing the channel cant be
done without seeing an add from one of the teen shows or an above
the influence add, saying to use protection or not have sex at all. Not
only is adolescent pregnancy prevalent on TV but also in the news
stands. The stars of these TV shows are now on the covers of people
magazine, OK magazine, and even teen magazines like Seventeen and
Teen Vogue which is highly glamorizing the subject. The covers say
things like, Amber lost 12 pounds in two weeks! or Macys new
makeover and new man!
Most teenagers dont deal with makeovers or being on the cover
of national magazines for losing weight and shouldnt be encouraged
to get pregnant to get a reward like being on a magazine cover or TV
show based on their lives. It is so accepted in this society that some
high schools are now equipped with nurseries for the teens to drop off
their children while they finish class. (Harrison High School Nursery,
whsv.com ) It is a good, and positive thing that they will be able to

finish school; on the other hand, it also means the school has too many
teen pregnancies and that the school isnt teaching effective sex
education well if they need an entire nursery and need to hire a
teacher for the nursery. Todays society has so many options, there
shouldnt be any teen pregnancies. From free birth control at planned
parenthood, to a new form of birth control called Plan B or The morning
After pill, so if any form of birth control was forgotten, there can be no
chance of being pregnant. Of course the most effective form of birth
control would be abstinence. With all of the education, resources, and
campaigns one would think the current generation of teenagers would
have a better decision making skills and know there are so many
options for them to use, rather than just acting on a whim.
According to Unicef The United States has the highest adolescent
pregnancy rate in the world, with the U.K. as a close second (Teenage
Birth Rate [most recent] by Country, nationmaster.com). Both societies
are very media based. This could be one reason why their teen
pregnancy rates are so high, but ours especially. Society is so revolved
around famous people, that the local news stations even air celebrity
news. There are bad influences everywhere, suggestive songs all over
the radio, and awful articles, websites, pictures, and videos streaming
all over the Internet. One of the most controversial songs on the radio
is glamorizing sex as a teen, which could obviously lead to teen
pregnancy. The lyrics are Lets go all the way tonight, no regrets, just

love... you make me feel like Im living a teenage dream (Katy Perry,
Teenage dream). This is the perfect example of societys main stream
icons expressing ideas that shouldnt be in kids' ideals or accepted by
kids. There are also those icons in society that mean well, but are not
helping much. Bristol Palin is one of them. In a recent interview, she
said, While it was unrealistic to expect teens to refrain from sex, they
should at least follow careful contraception practices. Abstinence is
realistic, and [Not having sex] is the safest choice. (Bristol Palin Talks
about ten pregnancy, politics.usnews.com) But what media doesnt
realize is that her being on the covers of magazines as well as the
other teen moms she is also glamorizing teen pregnancy, and her
recent appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" is also a great example
of glamorization. I don't think she should be known as a star for being
the pregnant teenage daughter of the governer of Alaska.
Not only is the media glamorizing teen pregnancy with all of its
television shows and magazine covers, but our government is holding
back our progress as well. When President Bush was in office, he gave
$100 million dollars to fund abstinence-only programs, which means
only programs that told teens to not have sex were being funded with
that money. The new budget passed in 2010 by President Obama gives
$50 million in funds for states to use for teen pregnancy prevention
programs (Obama budget eliminates funding, health.usnews.com),
which will fund any pregnancy prevention organization, including those

that encourage the use of contraceptives, instead of only funding

abstinence-only programs. This is good because as much as adults try
to stop teens from having sex, they wont. Although the government is
beginning to get on the right track with funding, the government isn't
funding enough. We spend billions of dollars a year paying for teenage
pregnancies, but we only use millions on prevention programs (Teen
Pregnancy Statistics, pregnantteenhelp.org). So while millions of
teenagers are having babies paid for by the government, We are losing
funding to prevent the reckless mistakes teens make that cause the
U.S. to lose so much money a year.
Teens dont think before they act, which is another reason why
our country has so many cases of teen pregnancy. As most teens will
agree, there is no sense of responsibility. Teens like to do stupid things
like drink obscene amounts at parties, smoke things they shouldnt just
because they were told not to, and ultimately defy everything theyve
been taught, including having sex. They often think of themselves as
invincible, and that nothing bad could happen to them. This is
obviously untrue. When they have sex they dont think about the
consequences that could arise if they do become pregnant. Not only is
it risky for the babys sake but Their own futures as well. They dont
know that teen mothers are more likely to receive late or no prenatal
care, which is why teens are more likely to have low-birth-weight
babies. ( guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html , childbearing) They also

dont understand that low birth weight could kill a baby. Not only are
the babies at risk but the mothers futures are too. Two out of three
teen moms will not graduate from high school, and are more likely to
end up in the poverty bracket. (Teen Pregnancy Statistics,
pregnantteenhelp.org) This puts both the mother and the child at risk
of not having food or a vehicle or a house. They could end up being
homeless, hungry, and jobless, and all because of one stupid mistake.
What most teens don't realize are the effects that they will make
on their children. If a single teen mom has to raise her baby on food
stamps and minimum wage, the food she feeds her child won't be the
best. Most mothers at a young age don't know what foods are best for
her baby. Her baby could be malnourished and dehydrated and she
wouldn't know it. Because she didn't get the chance to graduate high
school, she would have an awful time searching for jobs, never
knowing what it would pay or if she would get it because the job she
applied for might not accept high school drop outs. If she has a
boyfriend or a father figure for the baby, it will also be hard, but it will
be helpful. According to and experiment funded by The Ford
Foundation, 400 teen fathers were surveyed in a two year period. 82%
reported having daily contact with their children; 74% said they
contributed to the child's financial support. Almost 90% maintained a
relationship. (Teenage Fathers, time.com).

Teenage mothers also don't understand what impact they will

make on they're ancestors and family. The women of our country, and
even of the world have fought for such a long time for equal
opportunities for women. Women throughout time have fought so
incredibly hard for us to be able to go to college and see the world, and
get an education, because they couldn't. They were frowned upon,
laughed at and even hurt to try and make us a better future. When
today's generation wastes their futures on a boy, and throw their
education out the window because they became pregnant, it
disappoints the women of the past that risked their lives to give every
girl the opportunity she has today. College's depend on finished high
school classes, and a diploma, which two thirds of pregnant teenagers
don't have. The fight that was fought for these girls was hard, and
most of the girls don't acknowledge that there was ever a time when
they couldn't go to college, or have a career other than a mother or a
teacher. It used to be a good thing to be a mother at a young age, and
it was expected of young women to be married and have a baby as a
teenager, and now that girls have a choice they choose the way
they're ancestors tried to keep them from.
Teen pregnancy has been so stressed lately that more people
have been realizing the problems our society faces. Ten percent of all
U.S. births are to teens (U.S. Teenager Pregnancies, births and
abortions, guttmacher.org) but only 21 states and The District of

Columbia allow all minors to consent to contraceptive services without

a parents involvement, and only two require consent. ( U.S. Teenager
Pregnancies, births and abortions, guttmacher.org). That means, in
over half the states, there are limited ways for teens to obtain
adequate birth control. If there is no birth control, how do they expect
teen pregnancy rates to go down. Some states think that not selling
contraceptives to minors will stop them from having sex, but this is
unfortunately and ultimately untrue. This could be another factor of
our once again rising teen pregnancy rate.
Although, not all teens are too irresponsible to practice
abstinence, the ones that do not practice abstinence need to learn how
to stay protected. There is an organization called true love waits. They
exercise abstinence through rings. They use "purity rings" and express
their views of their religion through their abstinence. They believe that
god will be happier and ultimately help their way to heaven more if
they stay abstinent (lifeway.com/tlw/students/) . This is a great help
towards the fight against teen pregnancy and the people that help
spread the word about this great organization are helping reduce the
number of teen pregnancies, and aren't ever alone in their striving to
be better followers of their faith.
The abstinence-only approach is a good start to teaching
pregnancy prevention, but what goes along with the carelessness of

teenagers is defiance. Teens will never stop having sex, and they need
to learn how not to get pregnant so they aren't able to become
pregnant. We need more programs for middle school age children
through high school, teaching them about what can happen if they
have unprotected sex. In some middle schools there is a small course
on STD's but there is not a thorough discussion on what ultimately
could happen. There is also a course in most high schools about sex
education, but it should be less brief. Teens need to know they have
options and that if they ever do make a mistake, they aren't alone.
They need to know that there is a place that will give them free birth
control so if anything does happen, they will be sure of their safety and
to understand that whenever they do have sex, it's giving a little piece
of yourself away, and that abstinence is their best bet to never be
heartbroken severely , get pregnant or any diseases.
Sarah Owen, a mother of a two year old, at 22 years old, knows
what it is like to be a pregnant teenager, and all the struggles that are
faced. She was nineteen when she found out she was pregnant with
her daughter Olivia. Although it was planned,she does somewhat
regret having her daughter at such a young age. She married her
boyfriend at the time, and later divorced him for infidelity on his part.
When asked if she could change her decision to have Olivia, she said
Yes and no. Yes because I like that I can be a current young mom and
relate to her in that way, but I dont like being financially unstable.

She says she lost all of her friends, because she sees that she needed
to be a responsible parent. They still party, and I dont, but Im glad I
dont. Its not cool. Although she had a rough patch, things are looking
up for her now. She is currently attending Aveda Cosmetology Institute
and training to be a hairstylist. She has a boyfriend of about a year and
Olivia is healthy and happy. Although this is a story that ends well,
some teens, arent as lucky. The younger they get, the more severe the
stories become, and not everyone has a grandmother or a mom willing
to help with thier babies. Not all parents are as supportive, and caring.
All in all teenage pregnancy is on the rise. It is 4% higher than in
2005 ( U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and abortions ) America has
plenty of ways to prevent this epidemic, and we know the
consequences, but it still begins to grow. America has the highest
pregnancy rate in the world, and a lot that has to do with it is the overglamorization of teen pregnancy. From the reality television shows, to
the pregnant girls on television getting paid millions of dollars for being
on the show. The magazine covers will keep growing with teenage
stars having a pregnancy scare, or being pregnant. If we could educate
the generation of teenagers more on ways to prevent pregnancy, and
the consequences that could unveil if teens aren't cautious. If we could
show teens that their futures could be ruined by dropping out of high
school and giving their all to try and provide for their kids. Teens as a
whole will never stop having sex, but if we could get a majority to

exercise abstinence, we might be able to stop the growing epidemic.

America needs teens to be more aware of the past and to respect
boundaries set by their parents and guardians for a reason. Parents
aren't trying to make anyone angry or trying to stop anyone 's fun.
They know what's best and are looking out for their kid's best interest.
They don't want their daughter to end up heartbroken, and jobless with
a two week old, and they don't want their son supporting a family on
minimum wage, struggling to even get food for himself. Teens need to
realize they don't own the world, and it shouldn't matter if they're
favorite television show about teen moms is casting. Being a pregnant
teen isn't glamorous and it shouldn't be portrayed that way. Along with
the severe pain one would experience, physically and mentally and the
risk for the child, there should not be any teen pregnancies. What can
teens do? They can educate themselves, make better decisions, and
try their hardest, to either be safe, or not have sex at all.