Having a baby in high school - Essay Example

Having a Baby in High School (Cause and Effect) Introduction It is a dream for majority , if not all, to complete their high school or college studies in time and with few or no interruptions. However, this dream is sometimes not achieved as some avoidable and unavoidable interruptions sometimes come on the way of students during their studies (Farquharson and Mary 15). One of the most common interruption, particularly among girls students, is conceiving a child at an early age; that is, when still in high school or in early college. This situation often presents serious challenges to the affected students especially in their bid to complete their school in time and succeed in their exams. Conceiving a child at an early age is one of the most serious challenges facing the education sector and which need to be well understood and addressed (Cherry 9). This paper will discuss the causes and effects of conceiving a child at an early age, and in this case, when a student is in high school or early college. Whereas the causes of conceiving a child at an early may differ slightly from one geographical, social, cultural, and economic context to another, they largely remain similar in all contexts. The first cause that contributes to conceiving a child at an early age is lack of parental guidance (Arai 31). Social workers, teachers, and psychologists have pointed out that most people evade talking about sex with their children. The situation is even worse in some cases as some parents provide false information about sex and fail to encourage their children to take part in any informative discussion regarding sex. As a result, teenage girls are not well educated regarding the subject while in school or early college and this leads to early pregnancies. Early conceiving of a child has also been attributed to the adolescent sexual behavior where peer pressure among the adolescents is cited as the major factor that encourages the teenage girls and boys to engage in sexual activities (Wong and David 26). It has been observed that early dating, which starts as early as 12 years of age; and pressure by peers for one to indulge in sexual activities with their partners has been cited to contributing greatly to early pregnancy. Various studies have shown that about 30 percent of teens at any given time are pressurized to have sex, and about 33 percent of teens are sexually active and engage in sexual activities quite frequently (Caldas 402). Inadequate knowledge regarding safe sex has been said to be another cause of conceiving a child at an early age (Wong and David 99). Most teenagers tend to be unaware of safe sex and the importance of engaging in safe sex. Most of them probably do not even have access to the traditional pregnancy prevention methods. The main reason behind this situation is that they either fear to seek information about safe sex or they are too embarrassed to do so (Farquharson and Mary 34). This argument is supported by the fact that over 80 percent of teenage pregnancies are not on purpose. Another cause of his problem is exploitation by older men – there is a high likelihood for girls dating older men to get pregnant before they achieve womanhood. Sexual exploitations and rape are often reported in relationships involving teenage girls and older men this leading to cases of unwanted pregnancy (Arai 68). The final main cause of conceiving at an early age is socioeconomic factors. Several studies have found out that teenage girls who belong to poor families are more likely to conceive at an early age. This is because they are likely to be involved in relationships where they are sexually exploited in exchange of money or they will simply lack information about sex due to lack of exposure (Cherry 22). Conceiving at early age is a pertinent issue that has serious effects on the life and future of the affected girl. One of the effects of early pregnancy is medical complications. According to medical research, pregnant teenagers are often affected by medical complications compared to older women (Caldas 402). This has been attributed to the fact that most of them do not seek sufficient medical care during pregnancy, which is crucial in preventing complications from threatening the well-being of the mother as well as the pregnancy. Complications associated with teen pregnancy include high blood pressure, premature birth, placenta previa, toxemia, and anemia among others (Wong and David 63). The other effect of early pregnancy is delayed education. Once a teen becomes pregnant, education may be put on hold while some affected students may decide to leave school altogether (Farquharson and Mary 49). Emotional crisis is the other main effect of conceiving at an early age. The affected student may suffer from emotional crisis if she conceives and if she was unprepared for such an eventuality (Cherry 30). The situation may lead to quick decisions such as attempting suicide or self-aborting the baby. Related to that effect is uncertainty or worries about the future. Early pregnancy may cause uncertainty about the future. When a high school student conceives these worries may arise from the thinking that as a student, she does not have sufficient knowledge on how to become a mother, and how having a baby will affect her own life as well as her future dreams (Caldas 402). Early conceiving can also lead to smoking and drug abuse as the affected teen may not have the willpower to stop such an abuse. Trouble with finances is the other effect of early pregnancy as the affected student may not be in a position to raise finances to take care of the baby. Raising a baby is an expensive affair and most students might find it difficult to cover the expenses because they do not have reliable sources of income such as full-time employment (Arai 77). Conclusion As discussed in this paper, it can be seen clearly that teens are predisposed to situations that can cause early and unwanted pregnancies. While all the causes of early pregnancy can be avoided, some teens sometimes find themselves in situations that lead to them conceiving a child. As has been noted, teenage pregnancy has serious effects that can affect both the pregnancy and the well being of the affected student. Therefore, it is important for teachers, parents, and counselors to enhance efforts towards helping teens avoid early pregnancy. In addition, teens should know that they are responsible for their lives and should try as much as possible to avoid conceiving at an early age thereby avoiding possible negative effects that come along with such an eventuality. Works Cited Arai, Lisa. Teenage Pregnancy: The Making and Unmaking of a Problem. Bristol, UK: Policy Press, 2009. Print. Caldas, Stephen J. "Teen Pregnancy." Phi Delta Kappan 75.5 (1994): 402. Professional Development Collection. Cherry, Andrew L. Teenage Pregnancy: A Global View. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press, 2001. Print. Farquharson, Roy G, and Mary D. Stephenson. Early Pregnancy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print. Wong, James, and David Checkland. Teen Pregnancy and Parenting: Social and Ethical Issues. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. Print. Read More