Teenage Pregnancy has always been an issue in the United States, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2013 there were 273,105 babies born in the U.S. to teenage mothers between the ages of fifteen and nineteen years old. This means, the birth rate for teenage pregnancy is 26.5 out of 1000 teenage girls. Traditionally, teenage pregnancy was though to be exclusively due to poverty. However, there are multiple factors that lead to teenage pregnancy, such as peer pressure, childhood abuse, alcohol and substance use, and poverty. Roosa, Tein, Reinholtz and Angelini (1997), argue that it is necessary to identify factors that contribute to high rates of teenage pregnancy in order to create both better policies and programs
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Edwards (2002), argues that becoming a teen parent does not change the life trajectory of a girl already subjected to poverty. He illustrates that the main reason having a child has little effect on a teen mom’s life is because poverty is what is preventing them from achieving more, not the possibility of having a child. Having a child does not negatively impact their situation, since due to poverty, they are essentially already subjected to any negative impacts having a child would otherwise impose. Thus, Edwards (2002) theorizes that the only way to prevent teenage pregnancy in poverty stricken areas is by showing the teens a mean of escape from poverty. It seems to be clear that Edwards’s point of teenage pregnancy is relevant to poverty. If a teenage girl can get access to education and resources, then she will understand there are things she can achieve before being pregnant, it would make sense for her to wait. In contrast, if a teenage girl is trapped in poverty, it would seem to make sense for her not to get more education and the repercussions of getting pregnant would not be as severe. In this instance, without improving environmental conditions of teens in poverty, they are will remain in an area that increases their risk for pregnancy due to the conditions around them that do not punish them for …show more content…
It can result in limited job opportunity, school failure, and poverty as a trend. Domenico, and Jones (2007) claim that teenage pregnancy may create later on poverty for childbearing. They claim that nearly 80% of unwed adolescent mothers grew up in extreme poverty and the likelihood of their children growing up in poverty is high as well (p.8). This means, teenage pregnancy not only negatively impacting young mothers but also impacting their children in the long run. This is understandable, since teenage parents who became pregnant in part due to the circumstances of their environment are much more likely to raise their own children in a similar environment. This continues the cycle and sets their children up for a similar fate. This can be most easily seen in the earlier discussed example of poverty. A teenage parent who has their child while in poverty will be raising that child up in the same environment that facilitated the behavior that led to the child. The main way to break the cycle effectively is to change the environment to one that enforces decisions and behavior that does not set up teens for potential
Edwards (2002), argues that becoming a teen parent does not change the life trajectory of a girl already subjected to poverty. He illustrates that the main reason having a child has little effect on a teen mom’s life is because poverty is what is preventing them from achieving more, not the possibility of having a child. Having a child does not negatively impact their situation, since due to poverty, they are essentially already subjected to any negative impacts having a child would otherwise impose. Thus, Edwards (2002) theorizes that the only way to prevent teenage pregnancy in poverty stricken areas is by showing the teens a mean of escape from poverty. It seems to be clear that Edwards’s point of teenage pregnancy is relevant to poverty. If a teenage girl can get access to education and resources, then she will understand there are things she can achieve before being pregnant, it would make sense for her to wait. In contrast, if a teenage girl is trapped in poverty, it would seem to make sense for her not to get more education and the repercussions of getting pregnant would not be as severe. In this instance, without improving environmental conditions of teens in poverty, they are will remain in an area that increases their risk for pregnancy due to the conditions around them that do not punish them for …show more content…
It can result in limited job opportunity, school failure, and poverty as a trend. Domenico, and Jones (2007) claim that teenage pregnancy may create later on poverty for childbearing. They claim that nearly 80% of unwed adolescent mothers grew up in extreme poverty and the likelihood of their children growing up in poverty is high as well (p.8). This means, teenage pregnancy not only negatively impacting young mothers but also impacting their children in the long run. This is understandable, since teenage parents who became pregnant in part due to the circumstances of their environment are much more likely to raise their own children in a similar environment. This continues the cycle and sets their children up for a similar fate. This can be most easily seen in the earlier discussed example of poverty. A teenage parent who has their child while in poverty will be raising that child up in the same environment that facilitated the behavior that led to the child. The main way to break the cycle effectively is to change the environment to one that enforces decisions and behavior that does not set up teens for potential