Esha Aubreen Mercado 11 – ABM (Tourmaline)

It is really alarming how many teenagers, between the ages of 15 and 17, become pregnant.
There are still risks of them getting pregnant even though most teenage pregnancies are
unplanned. In the middle of the 1950s, there were about 100 births per 1,000 young girls in
the United States among teenage moms. The number of live births to teenage mothers in the
United States fell to a record low of 34 births per 1,000 in 2010. Since 1946, the United
States' adolescent birth rate has been at its lowest level. In the middle of the 1950s, there were
about 100 births per 1,000 young girls in the United States among teenage moms. The
number of live births to teenage mothers in the United States fell to a record low of 34 births
per 1,000 in 2010. Since 1946, the United States' adolescent birth rate has been at its lowest
level. Allow me to discuss the effects of teenage pregnancies and what teenagers can do to
avoid them. Teens reach a point in their lives when they require assistance and support. A lot
of teenagers who become pregnant sometimes wish they weren’t. This happens because they
either don’t want to be parents or they know it's not the right time. By the time they find out
they are pregnant they start stressing out because it was never meant to happen and also
because they don't want their parents to know or to find out. Teen pregnancy rates are
increasing and more teenagers are getting HIV and other STDs. Teenage moms may "have a
maternal death rate at 2.5 times greater than women aged 20–24" and are more "prone to
health complications."

Sexual intercourse teenagers can now acquire contraception in every state to prevent
themselves from unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases - even if they can't
talk about sex with their parents. However, some local and federal officials want to restrict
minors' capacity for self-defense. Teenagers who are sexually active shouldn't be able to
acquire birth control unless they first tell their parents, according to one group. Teenagers
would be put at danger by these ideas, which would drastically alter long-standing public
health policies. According to studies, banning teenagers from using birth control without first
telling a parent won't stop them from having sex. They won't seek out the services they
require to safeguard themselves, which will increase the prevalence of unwanted pregnancies
and STDs like HIV. The top medical associations are against legislation that would have
minors consult with their parents before obtaining contraception for these reasons. Such laws
would violate minors' rights and jeopardize their health and life. Some people say that
 allowing teenagers to get contraceptives without first telling a parent encourages them to
become sexually active and that, conversely, requiring teenagers to tell their parents before
they get birth control would discourage sexual activity. But research about how teenagers
behave flatly contradicts this theory. Teenagers don't become sexually active because they
can go to a family planning provider and get contraceptives confidentially. In fact, on
average, young women in the U.S. have been sexually active for 22 months before their first
visit to a family planning provider. And studies show that making contraceptives available to
teenagers does not increase sexual activity. Students in schools that make condoms available
without requiring parental notification are less likely to have ever had sexual intercourse than
students at schools that don't provide condoms confidentially. Moreover, in schools where
condoms are readily available, those teens who do have sex are twice as likely as other
students to have used a condom during their last sexual encounter. The research thus shows
that requiring teens to tell a parent before they can access contraceptive services doesn't
reduce their sexual activity - it will just put their health and lives at risk.

No one wants to become a parent when they are a teenager. Teenagers cannot get a decent
education, and some don’t know what they want to do with their lives. Teens don’t want to
stay home and take care of a child. Yes, a baby is really cute and all, but teenagers really need
to think about what they are getting themselves into. There are many things teenagers have to
give up: having a child at a young age when they are a child themselves. Teens should think
about what they are doing before they accidentally become teenage mothers. And it is the
responsibility not only of a parent but of other adults to assist a child so that she will not be
pregnant early. Teachers or relatives can be the ones to guide the teenager so that she can
withstand her problems and refrain from being pregnant at an early age. Teen pregnancy is a
long road. You will most likely end up walking that road by yourself most of the way. If you
do get pregnant, take responsibility for your actions.
Abstinence is key.