Proposal Essay on Teen Pregnancy
Introduction
As many people know, teen pregnancy is one of the most significant and most serious issues facing the world today. Many teenagers between the ages of 14½ to 16½ do not get to experience or finish their time in high school because they are trying to concentrate on their studies while preparing for their baby’s arrival, it can be argued that while a teen can go to school while pregnant, there is never a guarantee that they will finish. Ironically, Louisiana has become known as the teen pregnancy capital of the world and the rate is only climbing despite the fact that there are teens getting pregnant everywhere else in the U.S.
Baton Rouge in particular, teen pregnancy has gone up substantially; that means less young women graduating from high school and going on to pursue college. Also, it means that many pregnant teen women are singled out as making a poor life choice. It cannot be argued that Baton Rouge has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world due to lack of birth control and someone to talk to about the pressures of teen pregnancy as well as prevention techniques, many of these same teens are told beforehand about the benefits of saving themselves for marriage. However, it has been proven that the more a teen is told not to do something, it only multiplies their chances of doing it more.
The only way to minimize not to mention eliminate teen pregnancy in Baton Rouge is to employ unlimited birth control methods and get people involved who care and can help.
Based on the rapid rate of teen pregnancy in Baton Rouge, LA, a proposal has been implemented to curb the amount of teens having babies. Employing the partnership of several organizations that center on helping teens who are either pregnant or thinking of having sex so as to prevent them from acting on those feelings of peer pressure, it has been proven that many Baton Rouge teens give into peer pressure out of curiosity and to the extent to have something that is theirs alone. Borne explained, “Baton Rouge parents have an obligation to talk to their teen about teen and premarital sex, religion should not come into play at all” (Borne, 5).
Teen pregnancy prevention hotlines should be open on a 24 hour basis so as to keep teens from having sex before the end of high school, it is important that these teens know the importance of finishing high school before having a baby. Schools should contact parents for a one on one about their teen’s urgency to have sex, parents should be open to talking to their child about the temptation of becoming a teen parent and the discussion with the child will make them feel safe about talking about it to their parents as so to establish trust.
Having school and professional counselors on 24 hour standby can really help teens exercise patience not to mention steer them clear of becoming teen parents, having sex before one is ready will upset the balance of a teen’s future. As many parents of teens are aware, raising a baby is no way to a bright future for a teen still in high school.
Implementation of IUDs in teens who enter high school should be a mandatory step toward graduation, the IUDs will prevent teens from getting pregnant from having sex; they will also be protected from the failure of finishing high school. Alpert reported, “Teen pregnancy is down in other states and up in Louisiana, a proposal could save teens all over Louisiana not to mention cities in said state” (Alpert).
Benefit #1
The above proposal has been put in place not just out of concern for Louisiana teen’s future, but to help steer them in the right direction. When it comes to a teen’s future, nothing is more important than ensuring that they have a future and nothing is in the way of it whether it is to go to college or to get a job doing something that they love to do. Outside of certain hotlines and safety precautions, there are other benefits to the proposal to help teens get it together. Monteverde reported, “Teens with help and options will be less inclined to give into the pressures of teen sex and pregnancy” (Monteverde).
One of the benefits is that teen pregnancy is decrease substantially, this will ensure that preteens and teens can finish their schooling before having babies. Although it is going to take a while before the number drops, it is a step in the right direction; teen pregnancy need to be eliminated from existence. It cannot be argued that there are too many teens in Baton Rouge throwing their future away just to take care of a child by themselves, some people are inclined to believe that many teen parents are usually single moms which can hardly be argued as inaccurate.
The money from the federal grants can help strengthen the amount of contraceptives that are given to teens entering high school, the greater benefit to doing this is that more teens will be protected against teen pregnancy and STDs which are also common among high school students. Make no mistake, Louisiana is well known for teens getting pregnant between the ages of 13 to 17, there are also cases of 11-year-old girls getting pregnant or at least having sex well before their bodies are fully developed.
Teen pregnancy is one of the most dismal aspects of a teenager’s existence, it should not be in a teen’s plans no matter where they live or who their friends or mates are.
Benefits #2
For a teen to make it through high school in the ‘skin’ they are in really speaks volumes of their character and their sense of integrity, the benefit of the said proposal is that teens can graduate from high school and the amount of teens graduating would only escalate. The problem with teen pregnancy is that everyone is quick to turn their back on a teen or preteen because of a situation in which she felt she had no choice, lending a shoulder to cry on or listening to their pleas will only benefit them. When people take the time to help teens, they excel and go on to achieve greatness such as finishing high school as well as looking into prospective colleges or even getting a job at a local retail store in order to save money for college; the sky is the limit. Andrews reported, “Louisiana teens are getting pregnant every year and every year there is less of them graduating from middle school or high school, the parents of these teens need to wake up” (Andrews).
The secondary benefit of the proposal is that the more preteens are lectured and told about the dangers of premarital sex, the less open to unprotected sex they will be. There is not a court in the country that would argue against preteen birth control so as to keep Baton Rouge females from messing up their bodies and having premature responsibilities before they have the means to handle that responsibility. The Baton Rouge officials are aware of the pregnancy trend at present are seeking to put an end to it and give teens a chance to be children instead of unwed teen mothers and fathers.
Parents should be made aware that their contribution makes a big difference because a child’s teens is when they need their parents the most and it is in that parent’s interest to listen to their children especially if they are teenage, a preteen talking to a pregnancy prevention hotline before their parents should be outlawed, but used as a last resort.
Benefits 3, 4, 5 and 6
A tertiary benefit is that Louisiana teens that graduate when they are supposed to instead of getting pregnant will blessed with open doors to their futures, they are given options that they would not otherwise have if they made the choice to get pregnant early on. Morris explained, “Young teen girls are more susceptible to having intercourse at a young age, this is where a parent’s intervention would do the most good” (Morris, 1).
Being able to reach one’s potential is another great benefit to the proposal and to teens everywhere, it cannot be argued that some teens just lack the provisions in order to protect themselves from being tempted based on where they live or where they go to school. Some teens never get to find themselves because they are a teen parent with a child to raise which can make living with limited ability difficult. Sheppard reported, “There is a proposal in place that keep teens from destroying their educational futures, preteens and teens will agree to a pregnancy test; no matter what happens they will finish their education” (Sheppard).
The fifth benefit to the proposals is that Louisiana teens are taught the importance of not becoming a statistic and many will have access to the future instead of waiting until their 30s to go to college to be something great. The true power of the proposal lies in people helping people, parents taking the time to listen and pay attention to the environment in which their child is in; that makes all of the difference. Although teens can still be pressured to have sex because their friends are, does not mean that they are completely safe from temptation.
The final benefit of the proposal is the children of teen parents will not end up growing up to follow in their parent’s footsteps. It cannot be argued that children will follow their parent’s example, if it is negative then they will do it as they will if it is positive. Generational lessons are what makes well-disciplined and upstanding adults.
Counterarguments
Baton Rouge, LA has become a cesspool of teen pregnancy and unwed teen parents living in poverty. Although there are programs and proposals in place to help these seemingly wayward teens, the opposition feels as if all of the proposals and programs in the world are not going to help these kids. In the case of IUDs, even though they will protect young girls from getting pregnant, this might and probably will motivate them to believe that their iron clad birth control protects them from not just pregnancy, but enable them to further their promiscuity; birth control does not make a young woman immune to STDs.
24 Hour Hotlines for teen pregnancy prevention is a total waste of time because why would people let alone at risk teens call a hotline to keep from having intercourse, it is because the hotlines are there that many teens do not see a reason to use them. It can be argued that the hotlines are age-old ways of talking to people who have gone through what that teen is, but it is not a panacea nor is it effective enough to keep an average teen reaching their sexual peak at bay.
The home study program is, without any doubt, a very prominent way of keeping pregnant teens as well as teen parents in school so they can finish. However, the counterargument to this is that many of those teens are still out there spending more time being sexual than doing their schoolwork even if it is a home study program; it is not without its fault. On average, teens entertain thoughts of activities that they want to do not what they have to do on which schoolwork falls.
Middle and high schools across Louisiana will dispute the idea that getting parents involved will only help their child or at risk teen, but some parents work jobs to the point where they are too tired to deal with their teen and their issues. The parents would be no good in this situation, if they are too busy for Betsy’s pregnancy scare, they are too busy to care.
Conclusion
The future of a teen is a parent’s most precious treasure, it can hardly be argued that parents love the idea of their child or children looking forward to the future of “their” world. However, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a mass majority of teens are not so lucky. More than half of the average teens between the ages of 15 to 17 are teen parents and have no concept of the future as well as their role that they play in it. While it is good to talk to teens about the pressures of teen pregnancy, it is also important to prepare them for what awaits should they decide to have intercourse. Several programs have been employed in order to help teens face the worst case scenario which is succumbing to teen pregnancy, there are hotlines available for teens who are at risk and have no parents to talk to about their troubles as well as their temptations.
A particular program called the home study is where pregnant teen females will be able to conduct their schooling from home while pregnant, but it is a very strict program; girls who refuse to take a pregnancy test will automatically be seen as pregnant and sent through the program. Although it might not seem fair, rules are rules. Louisiana has the highest teen pregnancy epidemic in the world, it affects not just the teen but the parents as well. A lot of the benefits supporting the proposals is that despite the teen being pregnant and having a baby, they will still be able to finish high school or middle school; wherever they are in their educational development. But, the greatest benefit to the proposal is that it keeps teens from becoming teen parents by giving them contraceptives that will help aid them in steering clear of ruining their future.
Most teens cannot help the fact that they are not thinking with their minds, there are precautionary measures that they can take in order to stay safe and avoid becoming another statistic. Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s teen population will make it through.
Work Cited
Alpert, Bruce. "State Still Has 5th Highest Rate in U.S." Nola.com. 6 May 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/05/report_teen_pregnancy_down_in.html>.
Andrews, Travis. "Louisiana Teen Pregnancy Rates at National Average, May Be Lowering." The Louisiana Weekly. 3 June 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://www.louisianaweekly.com/louisiana-teen-pregnancy-rates-at-national-average-may-be-lowering/>.
Borne, Pilar Thompson. "SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD TEENAGE PREGNANCY PREVENTION: THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIGIOSITY AND FEMINIST IDEOLOGY." The School of Social Work 1.1 (2011): 5. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Monteverde, Danny. "New Programs Launched to Reduce Teenage Pregnancies in Louisiana." Nola.com. 17 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nola.com/health/index.ssf/2012/05/new_programs_launched_to_reduc.html>.
Morris, Naomi M. "The Biological Advantages and Social Disadvantages of Teenage Pregnancy." Alpha Publications. Aug. 1981. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.71.8.796>.
Sheppard, Kate. "Pregnant? No School for You in This Louisiana Public Charter." Mother Jones.com. 6 Aug. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/08/pregnant-no-school-you-louisiana-charter>.
