Rates of Teen Pregnancy in the United States - Research Paper Example

AR Teen Pregnancy 11/23 Teen Pregnancy Teen pregnancy is a term used for pregnancies which occur in females who are in their teen ages. It has been seen that throughout the world teen pregnancy has increased steadily. In United States the pregnancy rate among teenagers was the highest in 2006 after undergoing a sharp decline in 2005 (1 USPT Trends). It was analyzed in United States that from 1995 till 2002 the rates of pregnancy had decreased and it is believed that the most significant factor for this decrease was the increased use of contraceptives. Previously it was believed that teen pregnancies are usually because of socio-economic factors, lack of sex related services and decreased contraception but nowadays this view is challenged by many as all these aspects have been overcome by the growing society (Kost et al 2010). It is shown by many researches that teens have an increasing desire to have babies because of their boyfriend’s aspiration, their desire to have unconditional love, lack of education including sex education and low income level. Rates of teen pregnancy in United States Bleakley observes that teen pregnancy in the United States is on the decline, falling from 20% in majority of the states since 1991. The highest decline was noted beginning from 1996 when the welfare reform law was enacted, leading to the commencement of the abstinence education program (Bleakley 2006). This was a strategic approach that emphasizes the avoidance of sex among teenagers until marriage. It is a program that promotes good morals through counseling and mentorship. The program delays the onset age for sex connected with allowing teens to make informed decisions regarding sex when they have to attain maturity. They are taught on coping strategies that help them to deal with the pressure of having sex at an early age. Teens are made to understand that sex is an affair of married people. They are also educated on the physical and emotional stress associated with teenage sex. In essence, abstinence- only policies are significant in the derailment of the onset age. Factors causing the teens to have babies It is noticed that many teens want to get pregnant for the reason of unconditional love and care. A study conducted by the University of Alabama showed that females belonging to low income groups were more wanting to have a child at an early age. Susan Davies on this instance proposed that the income of females was a factor which was affecting their child bearing activities. In another study in the journal of Health, Education and Behaviour it was seen that the desire of having a child by females was greatly affected by their partner’s views. In other words females who had a boyfriend who wanted a child were more likely to have the desire to bear a child at an early age (Salynn Boyles 2004). In another research done by Cowley and Farley it was seen that the perspectives of boyfriend greatly affected the desire of the females to bear a child (Cowley & Farley 2001). Socioeconomic factors are also cited by Davies who states that females belonging to low income families are more likely to have the desire of having a child. The reason mentioned here is that the females do not have much to do in their life or do not have a particular aim like the college going girls. Hence their life is based on the factors of love and motherhood. Educational expectations were also cited to be a reason because of which the females wanted to have babies. Less educational expectations by the females and their parents means more affinity to have the desire to bear a child at an early age. This was shown by a research done by Myers, Hanson and Ginsburg (1987) which showed that females with higher educational expectations were less likely to think about early child birth. The teen females are excited about having a baby as one of the girls is quoted as saying when her friends watch other pregnant teenagers around them “Theyre so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally”. Unconditional love by the babies is also thought to be a factor which is causing these teenagers to have babies at an early age (Kingsbury 2008). When teens do not get the necessary education from guardians, schools or other reliable sources of information about risky sexual behavior, they are likely to ignore the danger involve until they fall victims of teen pregnancy. Brown observes that the various methods of birth control are not known to a large number of teenage girls. The girls usually have sex at an early age because they do not know how to deal with their male friends who influence them to engage in sexual intercourse before marriage. They are left with no choice but to expose themselves to pregnancy. Most of the teenagers have no information regarding the core details of human sexuality. There is an indication of the dangers that teenagers are exposed to as a result of lack of information on their sexuality, which makes sex education a significant and relevant subject for school-going teenagers (Brown 2010). However, sex education is one of the issues that generate mixed reactions among parents and stakeholders in schools. Even though health experts advocate for sex education as a way of minimizing teenage pregnancies, some parents and churches would not wish to believe that teenagers will have sex and therefore view the subject as the motivator towards have sex at an early age. Nevertheless, failing to admit the fact that teenagers engage in risky sexual behavior due to ignorance regarding their sexuality and coping strategies will not help. Few teenagers understand the meaning of safe and unsafe sex. It is common for them to confuse the terms with some understanding safe sex as the sexual intercourse with a person whom they trust. On the other hand, unsafe sex is regarded as involvement in sexual activity with a strange person or one who is thought to cause a harm. This for them means that having sex with a boyfriend is safe and totally disregarding the possibility of getting pregnant so as long as they derive pleasure from it. They forego the use of condoms in favor of uninterrupted pleasure (Sullivan 1128). The policies supporting sex education in US schools are significant in enlightening the youth regarding issues of safety in sex. Most of the schools in the US offer sex education between grade 7 and 12 (Bleakley 2006). They understand human reproduction, family planning methods, contraception and child bearing. With this knowledge, they are able to avoid involvement in risky sexual behavior and the avoidance of teen pregnancy can be accomplished. However, opponents of sex education argue that it promotes pre-marital sex which may put the teens at risk of contacting sexually transmitted diseases. Harmful Effects of Teen Pregnancy Teen pregnancy is generally believed to be harmful by many for not only the pregnant woman but also for the baby. Teenage pregnancy can pose health risks to the baby because the teenager woman would not be capable enough to take care of the baby at such a tender age. Similarly the teenager woman would also not be able to support her child financially and thus this would disrupt safety and life plans for the baby. These are the very reasons that a prevention program has been targeted on these teens so that the root cause is prevented. The problem of teenage pregnancy has been such that programs have not been launched by the nursing departments to help the teenagers who are pregnant. The nursing departments are asking the government to enact laws which help these teenagers financially and emotionally both. Thus it is necessary that programs be highlighted in this review along with the recommendations of researchers who want a program to be effective. (Teenage Pregnancy Prevention; Kost et al 2010; De Jonge 2001). Methods to lower teen pregnancy rates Similarly University of California researched on the practices which would prove to be effective when reducing teen pregnancy and found many aspects which could help to reduce it. The research showed that youth development programs can play a significant role in enlightening the teens about their future and skills. This would help the teens to realize that a pregnancy at such a tender age is unwanted for. A program which would involve family and peers is considered to be best in such instances. Family and peer involvement in the lives of teenagers can ensure that sex life of these teenagers is not private enough. Here the family can intervene and ensure that the teens do not cross their limits to get pregnant. Campaigns should be community based so that every community is targeted and the message is broad enough for everyone. Teenage pregnancy is not only being targeted in United States but also being targeted in the United Kingdom. It is seen that the government of United Kingdom launched a teenage pregnancy strategy in 1999 which would help to reduce pregnancy amongst the teens. This strategy created several programs which ensured that the rate of pregnancy amongst the teenagers decreased. Similarly it is also seen that programs which encouraged protection amongst teenagers decreased the rate of pregnancy (Teenage Pregnancy Prevention; Kost et al 2010). References Bleakley A, Hennessy M, Fishbein M. “Public opinion on sex education in US schools”. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006. Brown, Sarah. "Preventing Teen Unplanned & Pregnancy." Policy & Practice (19426828) 68.2 (2010): 11-14. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. Top of Form Cowley, C., & Farley, T. (January 01, 2001). ORIGINAL RESEARCH - Adolescent Girls Attitudes Toward Pregnancy - The best predictor of a girls desire to have a baby may be her perception of her boyfriends opinion on the topic. The Journal of Family Practice, 50, 7, 603. Bottom of Form de, Jonge. A. (January 01, 2001). Support for teenage mothers: a qualitative study into the views of women about the support they received as teenage mothers. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 36, 1, 49-57. Hanson, S., Myers, D., & Ginsburg, A. (1987). The role of responsibility and knowledge in reducing teenage out-of-wedlock childbearing. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 49, 241-256. Kost K, Henshaw S, Carlin L. U.S. teenage pregnancies, births and abortions: national and state trends and trends by race and ethnicity. 2010. Guttmacher Institute. Available at: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/USTPtrends.pdf. Kathleen Kingsbury. Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High. 2008. Salynn Boyles.Many Teens Want to Have Babies. 2004. WebMD O’Sullivan, Lucia, et al. "A Cognitive Analysis of College Students’ Explanations for Engaging in Unprotected Sexual Intercourse." Archives of Sexual Behavior 39.5 (2010): 1121-1131. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Read More