A sexually active teen who does not use contraceptives has a 90% chance
of becoming pregnant within a year.
Often when I discuss teen pregnancy with people I am surprised with their negative reactions. I often hear comments about how teen mothers are uneducated and mainly found in small, impoverished towns. Although I am from a small town and do remember a number of people I went to high school with having children before graduation, I do not believe that this is an accurate assumption. I am appalled by how often pregnant teens and mothers are viewed as "trailer trash". Don't get me wrong, I am by no means condoning teenage pregnancy. I just do not believe that looking down on teen mothers or judging them is appropriate. Considering the fact that the majority of high school students are having sex and the majority of those students are not always having safe sex - I think it's amazing that more high school students do not become pregnant. I think that the real problem here is a lack of education and that so many boys and girls have false beliefs about sex and conception. Some teens believe that you have to be having regular intercourse to get pregnant and many teens believe that the withdrawal method will protect them from pregnancy. Teens often account their unplanned pregnancies to simply getting "carried away." They had not planned on having sex, so they did not have any contraceptives... which lead to them having unprotected sex. This is why education is so important. Good health educators, who have the trust and respect of their students, can make them understand why it is necessary to have safe sex every time and how they can be safe. The only way for us to dramatically reduce the number of teen pregnancies in our country is for parents and educators to work together, informing students about safe sex practices, making safe sex the norm for all people, and creating an environment where it is not only acceptable, but also expected to talk about sex.
Facts:
In the U.S., in 2006, the teen pregnancy rate increased for the first time in more than a decade. We currently have a higher teen birth rate than any other industrialized nation. 10% of all U.S. births are to teen mothers; 1 in 5 teen births is to a teen who already has a baby. There are numerous negative consequences for teen mothers, such as: decreased level of education, poverty, and increased dependence on public assistance. The children of teen mothers also face serious health issues such as being born prematurely and having lower birth weights.
How does this affect you?? Teen childbearing cost taxpayers more than $9 billion per year!
Why are teens getting pregnant? Lack of an adequate, comprehensive health education, false information about safe sex practices, language barriers, and problems at home are just a few of the reasons why some teenagers become pregnant.
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