Increasing the Rate of Poverty in the United States by Teen Pregnancy: Using of Contraceptive - Research Paper Example

Poverty evolves and sustains in a society as a result of changes to the various factors of socio- economic and political settings. Teen pregnancy is a critical factor that has been increasing the rate of poverty in the United States. Unlike other factors that cause poverty, teenage pregnancy can lead to poverty that continues to the next generation and result in a poverty cycle because teenage parents mostly live below the poverty level and find it difficult to maintain a family and overcome poverty. Teen parents also add to the financial burden of United States because they depend on welfare funds to meet their ends. The various consequences of teen pregnancy that generate and sustain poor households and poverty in the society are discussed. History shows that poverty is linked to environment and can be generational. Starting out in poverty is difficult to pull out.  Teen pregnancy and early parenting results in lower educational achievement, larger families, lower lifetime accomplishment at work and lower income. The dependence of teenage parents on Food Stamps, Medicaid and Aid for Families with Dependent children costs more than $16 billion annually for the state. Poverty rate is increasing in the United States because the magnitude of the issue is alarming. While consumer goods related to sexuality is widely promoted there is nothing much done to familiarize the use of contraceptive among sexually active adolescents. There is an increasing rate of young adolescents having sex and babies and the children of these young parents have limited future and have less opportunity in life to lead a good life or get out of the poverty level (Davis p.665-80). Teen pregnancy and associated socio economic consequences like poverty can be reduced only through effective government programs. A research into adolescent sexual risk-taking attitude and the analysis and application of research based theories and programs that reduce the risk-taking behavior are essential to reduce teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy is not only attributed to social and sexual beliefs but can arise as a manifestation of social disorganization and poverty. A dramatic change can be brought to the situation only with programs that address protective factors and associated risks (Kirby p.91).  Poverty in the United States, specifically child poverty is related to the family structure. The rate of poverty among American children has been rising from 15 percent in 1970 to 20 percent in 1996. The change in social composition to single parents is another reason that increases welfare dependency and poverty. It is very important to step up measures to curb early childbearing and reduce teen pregnancy to bring down the rate of child poverty. The welfare reform bill of 1996 is a related initiative to restore marriage as the foundation for a successful society. The bill requires teenage mothers below the age of 18 years to continue schooling and continue to live with their parents, offers illegitimacy bonus for decreasing the rate of unwed childbearing among all women, offers funds for abstinence education plan and gives importance to establish the role of paternity. The bill also enforces child support obligations in the case of absent parents. In short, reducing the birth rate of unwed teenagers can substantially reduce welfare dependency, child poverty and related social evils (Sawhill p.40-51). It is an undeniable fact that teenagers who give birth to children cause a strain on public funds and values. This is because teenagers do not have the financial capability to support a child and (Luker p.106) this is the truth in most of the cases. Further, poor teen mothers have children who will also grow up in poverty. Therefore, teenage mothers and babies have become components of the poverty cycle in the United States resulting in almost three generations of poverty that has a negative effect on public funds. Reports of media, congress and the National Academy of Science and private voluntary groups associate poverty to teenage childbearing. The resultant assumption indicates that decreasing pregnancy rate among teenagers especially among unwed teenagers can substantially decrease the rate of poverty. The issue of teenage pregnancy among poor teenage population is grave because they do not give importance to education, obtain a job and marry a hardworking and sensible person and then plan about a baby as middle class people do. Though many teenagers try to follow the middle class way, the job distribution for these poor teenagers is considerably low. People with less education live in poor circumstances than ever before and it has become harder for them to maintain a married life and family. If the less educated teenagers find work with one or more lousy jobs with a minimum wage structure throughout the year, the earnings are not sufficient to maintain a family without poverty. It is again proved by preexisting factors that teenagers who become parents eventually become poorer than teenagers who did not become parents. More than half of all teenage women who have a child are from very poor families and just over one fourth women are from families slightly well off though they struggle economically. Considering teenage pregnancies as a whole, above 80 percent teen mothers live in near poverty or poverty prior to their pregnancy (Luker p.107) The negative economic and social consequences caused by teenage pregnancy are significant and apparent. Around 40 percent teenage pregnancies culminate in abortion which is costly both financially and personally and it is considered as morally unacceptable in the society. The 60 percent remaining teenage parents face challenges regarding employment and social lives. These adolescent mothers face high risk to raise their children alone which significantly increase the possibility of poverty and dependence on state welfare. Several policy issues are drafted to tackle teenage pregnancy concerns that ultimately have an effect on the poverty rate of the United States. Policies include programs to reduce the incidence, tackle long terms issues for the teenager and her child and promote better pregnancy results. The policies to control teen pregnancy include sex education at school, school based health clinics, condom distribution and reformative policies to encourage teenagers to complete school, social service interventions, home based health, a number of family planning programmes to be implemented through a coordinated and integrated approach with school based initiatives and welfare. Long term consequences related to teen pregnancy that include poverty can be mitigated by delaying further pregnancies. A planned intervention to empower young mothers to control fertility and childbearing also assists in reducing the poverty rate (Maynard & Rangarajan 1994). At one point of time, teenage pregnancy was considered as an epidemic that affected all classes and race of American youth. It was again emphasized that Teen pregnancy affects everyone in the society because the next victim may be a child in a white middle class family. These concerns garnered the attention of policymakers to generate policies to prevent teen pregnancy by educating children to avoid early sex, pregnancy and parenthood (Pillow p.33). Poverty can be controlled to a certain extent by reducing pregnancy among teenagers who are not economically prepared to support a child (Rank p.221). Teenage pregnancy leads to single parents that have detrimental economic implication on women. Women headed households are at a risk of poverty and their standard of living decreases which reduce the opportunities for the children to lead a good life (Rank p.222). These children cannot avail quality education and skills and there is an increased risk of the child becoming a teen parent and repeat the cycle of poverty (Rank p.224). Around one million teenagers in the United State become pregnant every year with about twenty percent of them being unintended. The increased rate of teenage pregnancy has an effect on the society and results in financial burden to the economy. A significant reduction in the rate of teen pregnancy can reduce the rate of poverty among American youth. Research points out that there are three crucial factors that can effect a reduction. Firstly, children should be given medically accurate education about sexuality at the appropriate age using realistic and balanced content that signifies the reasons for delaying sex till a person is old enough and should promote safe sexual practice. This method has significantly reduced teen pregnancy rate and the associate rate of poverty. Secondly, teenagers should be encouraged to use contraceptives to avoid pregnancy. Thirdly, teenagers must be encouraged to avoid pregnancy especially among teens from poor socio economic backgrounds with negative prospects about life (Rank p.225). The implementation of strict public policies as done in other developed nations of Europe and the west can reduce the rate of teen pregnancy from the dangerous level and reduce the number of people who fall into poverty early in their life. The Carrera Program is an example implemented through Children’s Aid Society that combines comprehensive health care and education with reproductive health assistance and details about contraception with an effort to brighten the future of adolescents. The program comprises academic assessment, tutoring, help with homework and training for standardized exams and supports entrance applications to college (Rank p.226). It may be concluded that reducing teenage pregnancy can reduce poverty to a great extent in the United States. Works Cited Davis S “Pregnancy in adolescents” PEDIATRIC CLINICS OF NORTH AMERICA. Jun;36(3):665-80 1989 Available: http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?BU=http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll&QF0=DocNo&QI0=059885&TN=Popline&AC=QBE_QUERY&MR=30%25DL=1&&RL=1&&RF=LongRecordDisplay&DF=LongRecordDisplay. Retrieved on September 27,2009 Kirby D “No easy answers: research findings on programs to reduce teen pregnancy” National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 1997 Vol.8 p.91 Available: http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?BU=http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll&QF0=DocNo&QI0=136428&TN=Popline&AC=QBE_QUERY&MR=30%25DL=1&&RL=1&&RF=LongRecordDisplay&DF=LongRecordDisplay. Retrieved on September 27,2009 Luker, Kristin “Dubious conceptions: the politics of teenage pregnancy” Harvard University Press: Massachusetts 1997 Maynard, Rebecca & Rangarajan, Anu “Contraceptive Use and Repeat Pregnancies Among Welfare-Dependent Teenage Mothers” Family Planning Perspectives, Vol. 26, No. 5 pp. 198-205 1994 Available: http://www.jstor.org/pss/2135939. Retrieved on September 27,2009 Pillow, Wanda S. “Unfit subjects: educational policy and teen mother” New York: Routledge, 2004 Rank, Mark Robert “One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All” New York: Oxford University Press US, 2005 Sawhill “Welfare reform and reducing teen pregnancy” PUBLIC INTEREST Vol:138 p.40-51 2000 Available: http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll?BU=http://db.jhuccp.org/ics-wpd/exec/icswppro.dll&QF0=DocNo&QI0=148140&TN=Popline&AC=QBE_QUERY&MR=30%25DL=1&&RL=1&&RF=LongRecordDisplay&DF=LongRecordDisplay. Retrieved on September 27,2009 Read More