Teenage Pregnancies



Teenage pregnancies

Thesis statement

Teenage pregnancies can only be eliminated if the society on a whole plays its part. Parental control, a positive influence by media, neighbors and society, and sex education are all needed to curb this menace. This problem also needs to be addressed because of the negative implications it causes such as high school drop-outs and social stigma for the girls, and disrupting the development of the society.

Introduction

A number of factors are responsible for teenage pregnancies in America and the world over. If these factors are correctly identified and addressed, then teenage pregnancies can be controlled to a reasonable extent. These factors vary from place to place. The factors being studied here are the ones that are primarily responsible for incurring pregnancies in the United States of America. These factors also continue to be the main reason why the problem of teenage pregnancy dwells worldwide. These factors range from peer pressure to limited access to contraception to the increasing depiction of sex in media. These factors play a significant role in compelling teenage females to engage in sex which results in pregnancies in some of the cases. The natures of these sexual activities are different. They could involve self agreement to those involving coercion and force. Research has indicated that eleven to twenty percent of the pregnancies are the result of rape. Some studies also suggest a close relationship between teenage pregnancies and rape (Klepinger, et.al, 1994). This includes contact of the teenagers with adults who would lure them into such activities.

Girls who become pregnant in their teenage years grow up in poverty, counter health problems, and suffer higher rates of abuse, neglect, and discrimination. They drop out of schools, face failed marriages, and commit acts of crimes. They also attain negative stereotypes which they find hard to evade. All these negative implications make it imperative that this menace be addressed immediately and effectively. This also means identifying the correct measures that would root out this problem. This can only be done once the factors responsible for teenage pregnancies are identified. These factors are different and range from those at the individual level to the family and societal level. Since the factors occur at all these levels, hence the strategy to counter this problem must be made on all these levels. Starting with the parents, it must extend to the school where sex education must be given, the neighborhood which must provide a positive influence to the teenagers, the society which must inhibit such activities among the teenagers and the media that must not portray sex as an integral part of the societal norms.

Discussion

Some of the factors that are the most influential cause of teenage pregnancies are going to be discussed one by one.

Individual Factors

These factors contribute towards teenage pregnancies by a large percentage. Individual factors that because the greatest numbers of pregnancies have been identified as:

Substance abuse

Poor academic achievement

Sexual abuse

Development crisis

Social conflict

Personal distress

The risk of pregnancy is also advanced due to behavioral ...