Cause And Effects Of Teenage Pregnancy In The United States

Improved Essays
In America, approximately 750,000 of 15 to 19-year-olds become pregnant each year. Teenage pregnancy is almost always unintended. The causes and effects of teenage pregnancy are different for every young girl it effects.
Teenage girls are more likely to become pregnant when they have little to no parental guidance in their lives. Because parents of the said demographic are usually too preoccupied with matters such as financial stability and maybe their work, they are not as supportive as they should be. High school girls are a very susceptible and at risk. They need someone they can turn to in times of confusion and someone to confide in when lost. When a parent is absent in a girl 's life, a girl will often turn to the nearest source of constant
…show more content…
Many teenagers, inevitably, will experiment with drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol are both damaging substances and affect a teen’s ability to make rational decisions. Under these influences, a teenage girl is much more likely to agree to dangerous activities, including sex. On the other hand, it is a parent’s responsibility to guide, educate, and positively influence their daughter. For example, parents who habitually abuse alcohol or drugs set. Children repeat everything their parents do, and if a child is a part of a household who lives below the poverty line and lives in a 5-person household, what influence do they have to do something else with their life? If she becomes pregnant, it is possible for the carelessness to be passed down to the next generation. A vicious cycle will continue and girls will be at risk for unintended pregnancy until responsibility takes place.
The effects of teenage pregnancy can be drastic. To start with, education will be delayed whenever a girl becomes pregnant. Priorities will change in her life. Girls who were planning to attend college may have to push back the experience. Focusing on the baby or even getting married could be the new path of the girl. Becoming pregnant alters absolutely everything in a girl 's life; the baby becomes the number one focus. Without an education, young adults will quickly find themselves with financial
…show more content…
Once it is born, teenagers, may not be willing to give it the undivided attention and affection it needs. Giving up all free time to tend and nurture a baby is not in every girl 's agenda. She could develop an anger towards the baby because it takes away her freedom to spend time with her peers. The baby 's constant needs may be overwhelming to the girl, causing her to be an inadequate mother. As stated before, children pick up the same habits as their parents. If a mother does not interact with her child, then the child is likely to have behavioral issues as well as a failure to thrive. Neglecting the baby will benefit nobody in the situation.
In all, the causes and effects of teenage pregnancy vary for each young girl. Teenage girls need dedicated parents who they can trust. They need to be educated to the fullest. Underage drinking is almost inevitable in high school, but with the right guidance, good choices can be made. If a girl becomes pregnant, sacrifices must be made in order for her baby to have a successful life. A girl can over come the struggles of teenage pregnancy with the right mind set, motivation, and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    This could lead to learning deficits, which could lead to worse performance in their education, which could lead to the child having a harder time getting a job in their future. In addition to this, the woman may not want to have a child. When a woman does not want a child, the child could have a worse life because it may get mistreated. Parents are more likely to mistreat a child if they did not want to have a child in the first place. This could cause a person to have emotional problems and mental issues because they did not get a good support system in their…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Research shows that most teen pregnancies happen because of bad decisions. It also shows some teenage girls have better decision making skills after becoming pregnant. These girls chose another path in life, becoming more productive and veering away from drugs and delinquency (BenefitOf. Net). I consider myself to be one of these girls and now a successful woman.…

    • 1465 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Steady Decline of Teen Pregnancy Teen pregnancy, which is most commonly defined as adolescents from ages 15- 19, is not only a private trouble. Childbearing during the teen years not only have negative effects on the young parents but the children as well. Compared to ninety percent of women graduating high school by the age of twenty-two, only fifty percent of teen mothers receive their high school diploma by age twenty-two (NC Dept. of Health and Human Services 2015). These youth are more likely to rely heavily on public assistance and are more likely to be poor as adults, which may adversely affect their children’s education level and wage earnings (Guilford County Dept. of Public Health 2013).…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    teenage girls who get pregnant are definitely not ready to be mothers if a teenage girls has a baby at a young age that could ruin her whole life. not just her life but the baby's life too. if a teenage girl has a child at a young age then she is going to work more than twice as hard to become successful in life. a lot of teens get pregnant on accident. or get pregnant with a boy…

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Teen Pregnancy is all around the world and us. A lot of teenagers are having babies and they are still babies themselves. They cannot financially take care of kids because they do not have any money, and also they are being taking care of by their parents. The result for this not happening most teens should be on birth control. Some teens don’t want their parents knowing that they are having sexual intercourse, they should get birth control over the counter.…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are many health risks for the baby and for the teenage mom during teen pregnancy. Women who become pregnant during their teenage years have a higher risk for medical complications. Such as, premature labor, and social consequences. Teenage births are typically connected with lower annual income for the mother. Eighty percent of teen mothers must rely on welfare at some point.…

    • 1474 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    They go through different phases such as financial, physical, emotional, and mental. “Studies show the lack of financial support is one more consideration when thinking about how being pregnant affects a teenage mother” (Theobald).Being financially stable makes it easier on the teen mother and her mom because they would not have to stress over so much. Becoming a mother you have to have the money to do what you want and need to do. If you don’t have the enough money that causes the family to worry how they’re going to get what they need. The mother and daughter faces so many things, such as: child care, medical care, family burdens, and more.…

    • 1317 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why shouldn’t teens get pregnant? Getting pregnant at an young age could make people look down at you. Also, your body isn’t fully developed itself to fully and healthy support a baby. Many teens get pregnant while their attending school.…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Abstinence In Teens

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages

    It’s every parents fear for their child to become pregnant as a teenager. To have your child go through something that is as hard as having a child. Then having them have to go through all the criticism that comes with it. With all of these challenges you would think that all parents would support sexual education, but no some still live in a world where abstaining is the only way to prevent pregnancy. What is hard to understand is why the parents think that if you teach them that how to use birth control, it encourages teens to have sex.…

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On Becoming A Teen Mom

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The number of teens that go through a pregnancy rather than abortion or adoption is 34:1000(Werner). A teenager being 15-19. There were 367,700 births in the year 2010 out of 614,400 pregnancies (Werner). In 2010, only four out of 10,000 girls age’s 10-14 gave birth in the US (Erdmans).…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The teens pregnancy is not a new occurrence in our society, however, the perception of American society on this topic changed in the last century. Until late 1800’s, main concern about pregnant teen was to be married before baby was born and most of states codes allowed girls as young as 12 to do so (Teen Pregnancy, 2008). However, due to living condition, poor diet and diseases, most of teen girls did not reach physical maturity until late teens which limited number of early pregnancies. In 1900’s, the changes in law resulted in decreased rate of early marriage and pregnancy, until 1940s to 1960s when rate of teens pregnancy drastically increased (to about 70-80 births per 1000). In 1970s to 1990s, with girls reaching puberty in an younger age and increased numbers of people postponing marriage (due to increasing divorce rate, reliable contraceptive methods, seeking education) more single females become mothers.…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Teenage Pregnancy Satire

    • 1960 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Christina Barcelos compares teen pregnancy to an epidemic and states that it is not only a public health problem, but also a medical problem, a social problem, and an economic problem. “The USA has one of the highest rates of adolescent birth in the developed world, at about 42.5 births per 1000 young women ages 15-19 each year… In comparison, western European countries such as France and the Netherlands have dramatically lower rates, at seven to five births per 1000 women under the age of 20 each year.” One reason that Barcelos points out, is girls are basically getting pregnant because they want to fit in with the social “norm.” They are influenced by peers paying…

    • 1960 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    That is a common question asked by society when they see a young mother. Unfortunately, there are many teenage girls getting pregnant today, “the U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations, and racial/ ethnic and geographical disparities in teen birth persist” (CDC). The percentage of teen pregnancy in the U.S. being higher than other nations should be an alert for a change in how the U.S. is treating the case. Teenage pregnancy is an important issue. People do not realize there are many risks in teen pregnancy.…

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    How does it happen There are many different ways why a teen falls pregnant. Here are four most common reasons. 2.1. Peer pressure Being a teenager can be hard sometimes, all you want is to fit in with the other teenagers.…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The function of the literature review is to summarize, assess, show connections among other studies and show how peer reviewed/published work adds or supports the work of the researcher. This paper focuses on three journal articles on teen pregnancy and poverty from a global perspective. The first article, Impact of Social and Cultural Factors on Teen Pregnancy, the main thesis is “teenage pregnancy is a health issue that affects everyone within a community or society. Teenagers who give birth at a young age face major issues such as poverty, a quality education, and hazardous practices that constitute health issues. The budgetary expense of adolescents having infants is fiscally wrecking.…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays