Teenage Pregnancy in the United States
The United States, although it has had a recent decline, has highest rates of teen pregnancy in the developed world. About 34% of teens get pregnant at least once before they are 20 years old, totaling more than 820,000 teen pregnancies per year (capefearteen, 2015). 82% of teen pregnancies are unplanned, and more than a quarter of those unplanned pregnancies end in abortion (guttmacher, 2014).
Teen pregnancy is a huge issue, as it negatively affects not only the mother and the child, but also society, both short and long term. Teen mothers are less likely to finish high school, less likely go to college, more likely to have families with many children, and more likely to stay single; this increases the likelihood that their children will live in poverty (5). Less than one-third of teens who start a family before age 18 ever earn a high school diploma (thenationalcampaign, 2012). Only 1.5% of teens obtain a college degree before age 30 (thenationalcampaign, 2012). Teenage mothers are also more likely to get several serious health risks. Some medical issues often seen in teen mothers are inadequate weight gain, pregnancy induced hypertension (preeclampsia), anemia, STDs, and cephalopelvic disproportion …show more content…
The first is the teenager’s family. Teens from single parent families, or teens that were a product of teen pregnancy, are more likely to report having sex and or getting pregnant around age 15/16 (Bonell, 2015). Studies conducted have shown that this phenomenon is not attributed to parenting style, but rather, just the situation in general (Bonell, 2015). Some other family related factors are, but not limited to: single mothers’ dating behaviors, lack of positive family interaction, lack of parental supervision, and lack of positive parent child communication (siphidaho.org, 2015). The greatest factor by far, though, are if the mother was a teen
The United States, although it has had a recent decline, has highest rates of teen pregnancy in the developed world. About 34% of teens get pregnant at least once before they are 20 years old, totaling more than 820,000 teen pregnancies per year (capefearteen, 2015). 82% of teen pregnancies are unplanned, and more than a quarter of those unplanned pregnancies end in abortion (guttmacher, 2014).
Teen pregnancy is a huge issue, as it negatively affects not only the mother and the child, but also society, both short and long term. Teen mothers are less likely to finish high school, less likely go to college, more likely to have families with many children, and more likely to stay single; this increases the likelihood that their children will live in poverty (5). Less than one-third of teens who start a family before age 18 ever earn a high school diploma (thenationalcampaign, 2012). Only 1.5% of teens obtain a college degree before age 30 (thenationalcampaign, 2012). Teenage mothers are also more likely to get several serious health risks. Some medical issues often seen in teen mothers are inadequate weight gain, pregnancy induced hypertension (preeclampsia), anemia, STDs, and cephalopelvic disproportion …show more content…
The first is the teenager’s family. Teens from single parent families, or teens that were a product of teen pregnancy, are more likely to report having sex and or getting pregnant around age 15/16 (Bonell, 2015). Studies conducted have shown that this phenomenon is not attributed to parenting style, but rather, just the situation in general (Bonell, 2015). Some other family related factors are, but not limited to: single mothers’ dating behaviors, lack of positive family interaction, lack of parental supervision, and lack of positive parent child communication (siphidaho.org, 2015). The greatest factor by far, though, are if the mother was a teen