There are many social issues that affect the lives of people in the community. Some of the social issues affecting our community include drug abuse, crime, teen pregnancy, social discrimination, racism, sexism and pollution. Most of these issues have been addressed by various philosophers in the world with the motive of ending them. Many communities are affected by most of these problems in one way or the other. However, there are some communities that are more affected than others. Teen pregnancy is a social issue that has increasingly affected many communities in the world. This issue has been taken seriously since there have been increase in teen pregnancies in many communities.
It is important to start by understanding the meaning of the term teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy is a situation whereby a female person gets pregnant before she reaches the adult age of getting children (Martin 2009). The affected people get pregnant when they are at their teen age. This means that they bear children before they reach the age of eighteen. The issue of teen pregnancy can be viewed by looking at two broad categories; causes and effects. Some causes of teen pregnancy can also be viewed as effects of this issue.
One cause of teen pregnancy is poor parental guidance. Parents should help their children in thinking critically in order to avoid unwanted behavior (Chaffee 2011). They should teach their children about every moral issue that may bring about negative implications to the society. There are many parents who do not advice their children on sexual matters that may affect them. Some of the parents assume that children are told everything in their schools. Some teachers do not warn students against teen pregnancy. This leaves the children to indulge into sexual activities that lead to early pregnancies. Some children are not aware whether they are doing the wrong thing. This is simply because they have no person to warn them against this behavior.
Another cause of teen pregnancy is drug abuse. Some of the children indulge into drug abuse at a tender age. After abusing drugs, most children get drunk and engage into sexual acts without knowing. There may also be indiscipline among the teenagers which may lead to teen pregnancies. This usually happens if a child has grown in an environment that has many children who lack discipline. These children influence the child to indulge into sexual behaviors that lead to teen pregnancy. Children should be taught how to criticize the ideas of other teenagers in order to avoid bad influence (Chaffee 2011)
Adolescence is a phenomenon that affects many young students (Chaffee 2011). The social media has been blamed for publicizing sexual images that make young teenagers to gain interest in sexual matters. They therefore explore social matters by having sexual affairs with their counterparts. This therefore increases the number of teenagers who get pregnant at a young age. Low income is another factor that causes teen pregnancies. Some of the teenagers lack the money to buy drugs that are meant for birth control. They therefore end up getting pregnant. In addition, some of the teenagers do not get adequate education regarding methods of preventing unwanted pregnancies.
One effect of teen pregnancy is that it leads to depression both to the teenager and her parents (Martin 2009). The teenager might lose hopes of having a happy life like her friends. The parents may also feel bad since this act may bring shame to the society. Some of the friends of the teenager may lose interest in her and this may make her to be affected psychologically (Chaffee 2011). Another effect of teen pregnancy is that it may lead to delays in the education of the affected person. For instance, it is difficult for a pregnant person to attend classes in her situation. Most pregnant women are forced to drop schools in order to deliver the babies. Their classmates usually go ahead with their examinations. This makes them to lose some of their friends since most of them will be in higher classes. In certain African communities, young pregnant women are forced to leave school completely in order to take up their roles as mothers.
Financial problems usually occur when one becomes pregnant at a very young age. Raising babies requires adequate finance, which is not available among unemployed young mothers. This problem occurs especially when the teenager is abandoned by her parents for getting pregnant at an early age. Some of the pregnant teens may opt to take an abortion in order to prevent all these problems. There are some pregnant teens that have died while trying to carry out abortion. Many of them try to abort in order to avoid all these problems. In addition, they do not want to bring shame to their family.
The issue of teen pregnancy is relevant to our community because it has affected the lives of many young people. There are many young people who have dropped schools due to pregnancy. This has affected the level of education in the community. There are some deaths that have been reported in the community as a result of pregnant girls trying to abort. This issue should therefore be addressed in order to prevent such scenarios. Most communities have a large portion of the population as young people. Addressing the issue of teen pregnancy will therefore safeguard the future of this young generation in order to have a developed community in the future (Martin 2009).
Another relevance of the issue of teen pregnancy to the community regards the unexpected increase in population. Due to unwanted pregnancies in the community, the overall population has increased tremendously. This may have negative implications in the allocation of social amenities in the community. If the level of population increases progressively, the social services will not be adequate to all the members of the society. In addition, increase in teen pregnancy will increase the cost of population control.
Teen pregnancies in the community are also one of the causes of congestion in some communities. Some of the pregnant teens are abandoned by their parents. They therefore seek refuge among other family members. This creates a situation of congestion, which affects the dispensation of social services. The development of a country depends on the productivity of the young generation. If young people drop out of school because of teen pregnancy, then there will be wasted future productivity (Chaffee 2011). In some communities, the pregnant teens give their babies to their mothers after birth in order to continue with their education. This shifts the burden to the parents, which in turn affects their productivity.
Religious beliefs have also played an important role in addressing this issue. It is important for young students to get religious teachings in order to prevent the occurrence of teen pregnancy. Many religious leaders have advocated against sex before marriage (Martin 2009). These leaders argue that children should not indulge into sexual behaviors. According to them, children should be warned against such behaviors in order to comply with biblical teachings. Some children have found it difficult to be convinced by this ideology since there are some religious leaders who have been mentioned in sexual abuse with teenagers.
In the bible, the issue of teen pregnancy can be related to the Ten Commandments given by God. One of this commandments state that a person should not commit adultery (Martin 2009). This means that a person should not have sexual intercourse before marriage. This teaching should be followed by young students in order to prevent them from indulging into unwanted behaviors. In the second testament of the bible, there are certain instances where people committing adultery have been disciplined by religious leaders.
The social norms of a community also prevent a young person from indulging in certain behavior. Social ethics prevent a young person from having sexual relationships with other teenagers. The leaders of a community should ensure that these practices are adhered to in order to prevent teen pregnancy (Martin 2009). In some cases, the teenagers are impregnated by older people within the community. The elders of the community should ensure that such people are punished mercilessly. The elders should also lead by example.
Ethical and political theories are relevant in addressing the issue of teen pregnancy. One ethical theory that is relevant in this issue is the consequence theory. This theory argues that the actions of a person are responsible for bringing consequences to him (William 2011). This shows that no one should blame another person for actions done. This theory also argues that everyone should be his own guardian in all activities undertaken. This means that a person should perform an activity knowing that he/she is the one to bear the consequences of such an activity. Therefore, a teenage girl should know that she is the one to bear the pain of pregnancy once she indulges into sexual abuse.
One political theory that is relevant with this issue is the behavioral theory. This theory points out that it is important to view the behavior of individuals in the community. According to the theory, individuals should be examined rather than larger governing bodies. It also points out that the behavior of leaders should act as an example to the rest of the community. If the behavior of the leaders is good, then the rest of the community will continue with the same trend (Chaffee 2011). However, if the leaders are not morally upright, the members of the community will not have a benchmark for their behaviors.
The consequence theory can be used to show that teen pregnancy is the consequence of unwanted sexual habits in the community. This theory also shows that the teenage girls are the ones that bear the consequences of unwanted sexual behavior. In order to avoid these consequences, the teenage girls should abstain from sexual practices. They should also abstain from factors that might cause teen pregnancy. In order for teenagers to achieve positive consequences, they should indulge in activities that are morally acceptable in the community (William 2011).
The behavioral theory can be used to show how the teenagers should behave in the community. The teenage girls should follow the behavior of the moral leaders of the community. This theory condemns unwanted behavior among the members of the community (William 2011). The leaders of a community should ensure that the young people are aware of the good as well as the bad in the society. Good leadership is responsible for shaping the behavior of the young people in the society. If there is good leadership, the teenagers will get adequate teachings regarding what is morally upright.
In conclusion, teen pregnancy should be addressed in all communities in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies in the society. This will prevent young people from dropping out of school as a result of pregnancy. It will also reduce the number of deaths caused as a result of abortion. Leaders in a community should take active part in creating awareness in preventing the factors that cause teen pregnancies. The teenagers should also be educated on the effects of teen pregnancy in order to show them the consequences of sexual abuse. Finally, the issue of teen pregnancy should be addressed also by the development planners in order to carry out prompt and effective planning. This will help to implement effective population control that is meant to induce economic prosperity.
References
Martin, K. (2009) Causes and Effects of Teen Pregnancy. London. Palgrave Macmillan.
Chaffee, J. (2011). Philosopher’s way: Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas. New York. Nancy Roberts.
William, K. (2011) Ethical and Political Theories and Their Relevance. Chicago. Chicago University Press.
