Before the twenty-first century, teenage pregnancy has been taboo; however, it has been prevalent in society. Over the years, according to Evelyn Kappeler (2013), director of the HHS office of Adolescent Health, the United States teen birth rate has decreased to “26.5 births per 1,000 females in 2013” for females aged fifteen to nineteen years old making it the lowest teen birth rate in the history of United States (para. 5). The reason behind the decrease in teenage pregnancy can be credited to the addition of health clinics within schools. Jacoba Urist (2015), journalist for NBC News, wrote that these School-Based Health Centers, or SBCHs, offer numerous health services and are completely free of charge (para. 1). The on campus SBCHs are
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The condoms protect both males and females from contracting an STD, but it also helps prevent pregnancy. Condoms are not the only means for preventing pregnancies; there are many other options that the SBHCs offer. Different SBCHs offer intrauterine devices and injections in an effort to prevent teenage pregnancy. A school in Colorado has had major success with the SBHCs. In an area where there are many low-income women and adolescents, when offered free contraceptives, the percent of teen pregnancies in the area decreased by forty (Urist, 2015, para. 6). Research has shown that the number of adolescents engaging in sexually activity has decreased since the 1980s and on the opposite end, contraceptive use has skyrocketed. Though use of contraception has seen a significant increase and the number of sexually active adolescents has decreased, the United States remains number one for the highest teen birth rate in developed countries. In 2013 alone, “273,105 infants were born to teen mothers . . .,” a number that has decreased over the years. Moreover, due to the large amount of high school students that have had sex throughout their lives “one in eight adolescent females will become pregnant before they reach age 20” (Kappeler, 2015, para. 1). The reality of the situation is that we can not stop teenage pregnancies but by distributing contraceptives through SBHCs, we can work to lower the …show more content…
It has been proven that graduation becomes harder once there is a child involved. Not only will schools’ free distribution of condoms and other contraceptives prevent pregnancy, but it will affect the current graduation rates. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, of the girls who had children prior to being eighteen, only half of them graduated. The national campaign also found that “two-thirds of children born to teen mothers earned a high school diploma vs. 81% of children of older mothers. . .” (as cited in Welsh, 2015, para. 7). It is apparent that teen pregnancy does not only affect the mother, but also her unborn child. By providing schools with School-Based Health Centers, the graduation rate will see a positive
The condoms protect both males and females from contracting an STD, but it also helps prevent pregnancy. Condoms are not the only means for preventing pregnancies; there are many other options that the SBHCs offer. Different SBCHs offer intrauterine devices and injections in an effort to prevent teenage pregnancy. A school in Colorado has had major success with the SBHCs. In an area where there are many low-income women and adolescents, when offered free contraceptives, the percent of teen pregnancies in the area decreased by forty (Urist, 2015, para. 6). Research has shown that the number of adolescents engaging in sexually activity has decreased since the 1980s and on the opposite end, contraceptive use has skyrocketed. Though use of contraception has seen a significant increase and the number of sexually active adolescents has decreased, the United States remains number one for the highest teen birth rate in developed countries. In 2013 alone, “273,105 infants were born to teen mothers . . .,” a number that has decreased over the years. Moreover, due to the large amount of high school students that have had sex throughout their lives “one in eight adolescent females will become pregnant before they reach age 20” (Kappeler, 2015, para. 1). The reality of the situation is that we can not stop teenage pregnancies but by distributing contraceptives through SBHCs, we can work to lower the …show more content…
It has been proven that graduation becomes harder once there is a child involved. Not only will schools’ free distribution of condoms and other contraceptives prevent pregnancy, but it will affect the current graduation rates. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, of the girls who had children prior to being eighteen, only half of them graduated. The national campaign also found that “two-thirds of children born to teen mothers earned a high school diploma vs. 81% of children of older mothers. . .” (as cited in Welsh, 2015, para. 7). It is apparent that teen pregnancy does not only affect the mother, but also her unborn child. By providing schools with School-Based Health Centers, the graduation rate will see a positive