Pregnant Teenagers - Essay Example

Argumentative Essay - Pregnant Teenagers Teenage pregnancy is a serious problem which creates social, physical and emotional problems among the teenagers. To be specific, most of the pregnant teenagers get pregnant due to ignorance or the urge to know the unknown facts about sex. The teenagers may not be aware of the physical and emotional changes in human body related to pregnancy. Besides, teenage pregnancy and child birth is not safe for a teenager in her later life. So, teenage pregnancy should be considered as a serious social problem which curbs the physical wellbeing and emotional development of the teenagers. Thesis statement: The innovative measures like sex education, involvement of the parents, solving family problems and emotional problems, counseling and awareness programs can save teenagers from the social problem of teenage pregnancy. Argument: society should assume more responsibility for pregnant teenagers and children. The society should assume more responsibility for pregnant teenagers and children because teenage pregnancy and teenage child birth curbs the development of the society. Besides, teenage pregnancy is a serious social evil which hinders the development of teenagers to responsible citizens in the future. Collins made clear that “Texas gobbles up more federal funds than any other state for the purpose of teaching kids that the only way to avoid unwanted pregnancies is to avoid sex entirely (A31)”. When the society assumes more responsibility for pregnant teenagers and children, the problems related to the same can be avoided. To be specific, it is the responsibility of each and every member of the society to take apt measures to hinder teenage pregnancy. Counter-argument: When society assumes more responsibility for pregnant teenagers and children, their individual development will be hindered. From a different angle of view, the society need not assume more responsibility for pregnant teenagers and children because it may hinder their individual development. Most of the teenagers are aware of the problems related to teenage pregnancy. An individual who is above 18 years can take his or her own decisions. Besides, decision making capacity is an integral part of individual development. The society can provide advice to the teenagers, but is not responsible for the problem because it is strictly limited to the sphere of decision making capacity of an individual. Argument: Sex education should be increased in social institutions like schools to reduce teenage pregnancy. Sex education provided during adolescent age and teenage can help teenagers to keep themselves away from sexual intercourse and pregnancy. Schools play an important role in the growth and development of the adolescents and teenagers. So, school authorities can implement sex education as an integral part of the curriculum. Phillips stated about sex education in schools in New York that “Several parents said that teenage pregnancy rates and the number of young people with H.I.V. had made it difficult to oppose the requirement on moral grounds” (A18). Besides, teachers can guide their students and keep them safe from pregnancy. Sex education in schools can help the teenagers to have an idea on the physical and emotional problems related to pregnancy. Counter-argument: To control teenage pregnancy, schools should not be utilized for sex education because it will be a burden to the teachers. The most important role of a teacher is to teach his or her student. Besides, class-room instruction may not allow enough time for sex education. Most of the teachers are not qualified to provide sex education to their students. Within this context, sex education will be a burden for a teacher with a little knowledge in this subject area. So, schools should not be utilized for sex education. Argument: Parents can play the most important role in reducing the problem of teenage pregnancy. The parents are fully responsible to provide sex education to their children. To be specific, mothers can help their children by providing knowledge about the problems related to teenage pregnancy. This is important because children value the words of their parents. When the teenagers realize that their parents are so vigilant, they will keep away from the circumstances which lead to pregnancy. Counter-argument: Most of the teenagers are not under the direct control of their parents and the parents have some limitations. Generation gap between the teenagers and their parents does not provide enough space for healthy discussions on sex and teenage pregnancy. Coleman opined that “When parents and schools teach about menstruation, and about conception, they rarely give enough attention to the signs of pregnancy” (107). Besides, most of the teenagers do not like direct control from their parents. For instance, teenagers act like grownups and consider that they can take independent decisions. Within this context, parents are helpless and face difficulty to provide sex education to their children. Argument: Teenage pregnancy should be considered as a personal/family problem and must be solved within family. Teenage pregnancy is a personal/family problem and it should be solved within one’s family. To be specific, cohesion among family members can solve this problem. When a teenager provides ample importance to the opinion of relatives, there is little scope from teenage pregnancy. One can see that family is a social institution which can solve almost all the personal problems faced by an individual. So, family can take precautions against teenage pregnancy. Counter-argument: Teenage pregnancy should not be considered as a personal/family problem because it is a national problem. As thousands of teenagers are becoming the victims of teenage pregnancy, the same cannot be considered as a personal/family problem. As a serious national problem which curbs the growth and development of the teenagers, teenage pregnancy should be considered as a national problem. To be specific, co-operation among social institutions like schools, counselors and families can help the teenagers to keep away from pregnancy. Argument: Family problems and emotional problems lead to teenage pregnancy. Teenagers undergo much pressure in their life and it leads to a number of emotional problems. But families can solve these emotional problems. When one’s family is not able to solve one’s emotional problems, one gets attracted to other sources of relief. When this is superimposed into the context of teenagers and the emotional problems faced by them, family is a strong force which can solve these problems. As pointed out, problems within a teenager’s family leads to a number of emotional problems and this ultimately leads to teenage pregnancy. Counter-argument: Family problems and emotional problems may not lead to teenage pregnancy, but peer-group influence, ignorance and unwanted curiosity lead to the same. Nowadays, teenagers are more self-reliant and problems within their private circle (one’s family) are less influential in public circle. In addition, they are able to take decisions on their own. On the other side, peer group influence is an important factor which leads to teenage pregnancy. Besides, ignorance about sex and curiosity to know the unknown facts about sex added with peer group influence leads to teenage pregnancy and related problems. Argument: Counseling and awareness programs can reduce teenage pregnancy. One can see that counseling sessions and awareness programs on teenage pregnancy can hinder the teenagers from sexual activities and can reduce the scope of teenage pregnancy. For instance, during counseling sessions, teenagers can discuss their problems with counselors and seek advice from them. On the other side, awareness programs can create awareness on the problem of high rate of pregnancy among the teenagers. Counter-argument: Conducting counseling and awareness programs is not the one and only solution to reduce teenage pregnancy. The government is conducting a number of programs like counseling sessions and awareness programs to reduce teenage pregnancy. But these measures prove less successful in reducing the high rate of pregnancy among the teenagers. So research works must be conducted to identify the grass root level reason behind teenage pregnancy. Arai stated that “There is a large research literature on the factors associated with teenage pregnancy and motherhood in nations of developed world, and it demonstrates that teenage pregnancy is not equally distributed in most populations” (19). When the cause is identified, the government, schools, parents, and counselors can take effective measures to rectify the same. But there must be co-operation and cohesion among the members of the family of a teenager. So, counseling sessions and awareness programs are important, but not the one and only solution to solve the problem of teenage pregnancy. Summing, teenage pregnancy is a burning issue which curbs the development of the society as a whole. Proper education based upon moral values and sex education in schools can prevent teenage pregnancy. But the most important factor which can hinder teenage pregnancy is the care and attention from parents and teachers. Besides, parents and teachers must be aware of peer group influence and emotional problems faced by the teenagers. Counseling sessions and awareness programs can help teenagers to be cautious about pregnancy. In short, the society should try to solve the problems faced by the teenagers in their domestic and public domains and this will be the most effective step to reduce teenage pregnancy. Works Cited Arai, Lisa. Teenage pregnancy: the making and unmaking of a problem. Bristol: The Policy Press, 2009. Print. Collins, Gail. “Mrs. Bush, Abstinence and Texas.” New York Times 17 February 2011: A31. Print. Coleman, John C. Sex and Your Teenager: A Parent's Guide. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2001. Print. Phillips, Anna M. “Some Catholic Officials Urge Parents to Opt Out of Mandated Sex Education.” New York Times 11 August 2011: A18. Print. Read More