First Draft
Teenage Pregnancy: First Draft
Introduction
Parents are raising their children with the fervent hope and desire that they would grow as mature, productive and responsible adults in the prime of their lives. In contemporary societies, however, as children approach the most precarious stage of development, adolescent stage, teen-agers who are exposed to negatively influential behavior could imbibe risky demeanor which could significantly impact their future. One of the unwanted trends manifested by teenagers is teen pregnancy. According to the Office of Adolescent Health, “the U.S. teen birth rate is higher than that of many other developed countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom” (Office of Adolescent Health, 2013, par. 1). The overall trend in birth rates of females within the 15 to 19 age group since 1999 to 2012 has evidently been on the decline . However, teen pregnancy still remains an important social dilemma that needs to be addressed. One hereby asserts that more stringent policies and strategies should be designed to minimize or ultimately prevent teen pregancies.
The current research hereby aims to present relevant facets and concerns regarding teen pregnancy in contemporary times. Relevant statistics, including abortion rates and the profile of birth rates of teenager according to race or ethnicity would be revealed . The factors which could be deemed contributory to preponderance of teenage pregnancy would be explored; as well as the confounding effects, not only to the teenagers involved; but more so, to society would likewise be determined. Further, the strategies designed by state and government regulating bodies to prevent and address this concern would also be expounded.
Relevant Statistics
The long-term monitoring made by state and federal health organizations have revealed a
decline in overall birth rates of teenagers within the 15 to 19 age group from 1999 to 2012, as shown in Figure 1, below:
Figure 1: Birth rates per 1,000 females ages 15-19, by race/ethnicity, 1990-2012
Source: Hamilton, B. E., Martin, J. A., & Ventura, S. J.(2013). Births: Preliminary data for 2012. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; cited in Office of Adolescent Health, 2013.
In terms of abortion rates, the latest figures which were revealed noted that the “Guttmacher's analysis shows a 4% increase in the teen birth rate and a 1% rise in abortion rates, based on federal statistics and Guttmacher's abortion research” .
Factors Contributory to Teen Pregnancy
There were factors that have been disclosed to influence adolescent childbearing. From the perspectives of the teenagers, it was revealed that teenagers who are actively involved in academic endeavors were noted to have lesser tendencies to become pregnant or to father a baby at a very young age . Concurrently, family factors that impact teen pregnancy were revealed to include: similar experiences from the teenagers’ biological mother and living with biological parents until the onset of adolescent stage. Likewise, community factors include the socioeconomic status of the neighborhood where teenagers reportely reside; in conjunction with levels or opportunities for employment .
Effects of Teen Pregnancy
The negative impact of teen pregnancy is accounted for, especially in terms of the effect on the newlyborn child. As evidence had revealed, children of teenagers were noted to manifest greater health impairments; exhibit lower academic performance; and exemplifies behavioral problems . Likewise, most crucial were the impacts to society, including costs amounting to as much as “$11 and $28 billion a year through public assistance payments, lost tax revenue, and greater expenditures for public health care, foster care, and criminal justice services” (Office of Adolescent Health: Negative Impacts, 2013, p. 1).
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012, November 21). About Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved from cdc.gov: http://www.cdc.gov/TeenPregnancy/AboutTeenPreg.htm
Chavez, L. (2001, May 1). The Battle Against Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved from Townhall: http://townhall.com/columnists/lindachavez/2001/05/01/the_battle_against_teen_pregnancy/page/full
Hamilton, B., Martin, J., & Ventura, S. (2013). Births: Preliminary data for 2012. Hyattsville: MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
Jayson, S. (2010, January 26). Teen pregnancy, abortion rates rise. Retrieved from USA Today: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-01-26-1Ateenpregnancy26_ST_N.htm
Office of Adolescent Health. (2013, September 30). Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing. Retrieved from hhs.gov: http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/teen-pregnancy/trends.html
