Teenage Pregnancy

I believe the majority of pregnant teenagers are more likely to drop out of school, have inadequate prenatal care, rely on public assistance, develop health problems or end up divorced BUT there are cases where these things do not happen. There are always some who are able to rise above the usual results but for now we will just focus on the overwhelming majority. The Family Connection of St. Joseph Country, Inc states “Each year, nearly one million teenagers in the U.S.-approximately 10 percent of all 15- to 19-year-old females-become pregnant. About one third of these teens abort their pregnancies, 14% miscarry, and 52% bear children, 72% of them out of wedlock. More than 9 in 10 teens who give birth keep their babies; few place their babies for adoption.”

I believe that teenage mother’s do have a grimmer future than those who decide to wait to have sex or a baby. First off, they’re time is consumed with taking care of their child and according to the above statistic most of the women are single and don’t have a husband to help them so they must do all the work on their own. The father, is more likely to leave his girlfriend when she tells him she’s pregnant or when she has the baby becomes he is either scared of having a child and isn’t ready or want one; or he got what he wanted from his girlfriend (sex) and now he is done with her and doesn’t care about the baby at all. If the father does try to take up some responsibility and marry his pregnant girlfriend it is likely it will end in divorce as they were not ready to take on the full commitment and strain that comes with marriage. Having a baby at such a young age creates its own stress but also trying to mature and deal out the problems that are inevitable in marriage when you’re still a “child” in the world only makes things worse and the couple Is likely just to give up.

On top of the stress of dealing with the relationship, the stress and frustration of being a single mother could cause some serious health problems. First off she could find herself in a state of depression as she is not able to spend as much time with her friends or keep up her grades. The things she once got to do-go to parties, stay out late ect, she cannot do anymore. She may take her hurt or frustration out on her child by always seeming annoyed, yelling at it, not proving comfort or love which could result in the child’s own hostility as he/she grows up. However, there are a lot of parents who are willing to help their pregnant teens. When they help, the teen is more likely to feel relieved and not as burdened. They are able to rely on the help of their parents and even go out with their friends every once in a while. There are other cases though where the parents of the teen disown them and what nothing to do with them. They only burden the teen with more guilt and shame. The teenage mother will then have to rely on public assistance because it is virtually impossible for a teenager to raise their child on their own, with no hope on top of trying to go to school. There are some schools today that have so many single mothers that they now have a daycare so that the girls can continue their high school career. Overall the effects of teenage pregnancy are staggering, it is no surprise that those who wait to have sex or children will have a brighter future as they can focus on college and their career rather than trying to make enough to feed another mouth.

“The children of teenage mothers are at greater risk of lower intellectual and academic achievement, health complications, social behavior problems and problems of self-control than are children of older mothers, primarily due to the effects of single parenthood, lower maternal education, and large family size.
Seven in 10 teen mothers complete high school or eventually earn a G.E.D., but they are less likely than women who delay childbearing to go on to college.”

"Teenage Pregnancy." Local Community Organizations Web Pages. Web. 20 Mar. 2011. .