Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Teenage pregnancy carries high costs in terms of both the social and economic health of mothers and their children. Teen pregnancy puts a lot of strain on the teen parents. A teen having a child cuts into their education learning. According to Family First Aid “Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school (only one-third receives a high school diploma) and only 1.5% has a college degree by age 30. Teen mothers are more likely to end up on welfare (nearly 80 percent of unmarried teen mothers end up on welfare).” This means that teen mothers are less likely to complete high school and more likely to live in poverty then any other teens. While records show that teen pregnancy is decreasing it is still the highest in the western part of the world.
Teens that grow up in broken house holds, in poor living conditions, abusive environments, and/or early or unprotected sex are all subject to become pregnant. When growing up I went to school with a girl named Chrissy. She was sexually active. She wasn’t very attractive and she was from a broken home. She wore the same outfits multiple times each week. None of the boys cared that she was “easy” because they were inexperienced. I once asked Chrissy “Why do you have sex with all the boys?” I explained to her what they actually thought about her and why I didn’t understand her sexual behavior. She looked at me so sadly. I will never forget that face. She said, “Holly, I’m trying to get pregnant so that I can have someone to love and someone who loves me.” I’ll never forget that day either. After school was over that year and summer arrived, I never saw Chrissy again. I don’t know what ever happened to her. I still to this day wonder if she ever got her baby.
Most teens say that it would be easier for them to postpone sexual activity if their parents would be more open about sex with them. Most parents don’t get discuss sex, protection, or pregnancy with their...
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