Amidst problems of drug abuse and ineffective insurance, there is a great epidemic affecting the lives of everyday people in communities. Teen pregnancy is a problem that needs to be confronted before the effects resonate throughout the generations. Through effective education, teen pregnancy can reach an all time low and eventually be seen as a rarity, and not a common issue. Teen pregnancy might seem like an isolated issue, but it actually affects a whole community everyday. The issues that a teen faces are faced by everyone surrounding that teen, including friends and teachers. It 's no wonder they say, “it takes a village to raise a child”. Looking at some of the statistics of teen pregnancy, it is easy to see that it is an epidemic of
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It might not seem like a large number at first, especially compared with the 1991 rate (about 62 births per 1000 girls), but the fact is United States still has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates of the world. The girls featured in this study were between fifteen to nineteen, and many times, this was not their first pregnancy. (Fletcher, 2008)Hispanics have the highest rates of teen pregnancy, followed by African Americans. Poorer societies have higher risks of teen pregnancy, and less access to proper prenatal care. Also, areas that have high unemployment have higher rates than those coming from areas with high employment. (Jencks, 1991) This could be due to the fact that there is more free time involved to make poor choices without knowing the consequences. It is important to note that the effect of this issue is one that resonates even with people …show more content…
Economically speaking, the teens that are not working damage the economy by not having an income. These teens are forced to grow up too quickly and have to worry about money for their new family. Because of this, pregnant teens tend to rely more on governmental assistance to help pay for their basic needs. This in turn creates an ever sinking population that cannot leave poverty and will cause a cycle of negative outcomes. Since 2004, nine billion dollars have been spent by tax payers for teens going through this issue. If this was lowered, then the community could spend the money on things that benefit the whole population. (Fletcher, 2008) With that money, more parks could be built, more after-school programs started, and a healthier society could begin. If this were to happen, then our teen pregnancy rate would drop exponentially because the teens are more likely to spend their time being more involved in society. (Frost) There has been data linking the amount of extracurricular activities to teen pregnancies. Some believe this is because a teen with more free time has more chance of making negative decisions. Others think it is because of the morals taught in the activities that help teens make better decisions. (Jencks,
It might not seem like a large number at first, especially compared with the 1991 rate (about 62 births per 1000 girls), but the fact is United States still has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates of the world. The girls featured in this study were between fifteen to nineteen, and many times, this was not their first pregnancy. (Fletcher, 2008)Hispanics have the highest rates of teen pregnancy, followed by African Americans. Poorer societies have higher risks of teen pregnancy, and less access to proper prenatal care. Also, areas that have high unemployment have higher rates than those coming from areas with high employment. (Jencks, 1991) This could be due to the fact that there is more free time involved to make poor choices without knowing the consequences. It is important to note that the effect of this issue is one that resonates even with people …show more content…
Economically speaking, the teens that are not working damage the economy by not having an income. These teens are forced to grow up too quickly and have to worry about money for their new family. Because of this, pregnant teens tend to rely more on governmental assistance to help pay for their basic needs. This in turn creates an ever sinking population that cannot leave poverty and will cause a cycle of negative outcomes. Since 2004, nine billion dollars have been spent by tax payers for teens going through this issue. If this was lowered, then the community could spend the money on things that benefit the whole population. (Fletcher, 2008) With that money, more parks could be built, more after-school programs started, and a healthier society could begin. If this were to happen, then our teen pregnancy rate would drop exponentially because the teens are more likely to spend their time being more involved in society. (Frost) There has been data linking the amount of extracurricular activities to teen pregnancies. Some believe this is because a teen with more free time has more chance of making negative decisions. Others think it is because of the morals taught in the activities that help teens make better decisions. (Jencks,