Conclusion and Works Cited

Teens face a lot of issues and teen pregnancies is only one of many. Pregnant teens have the option to keep their child, put the child up for adoption or abort the pregnancy, however each option will ultimately change the life of the teen dramatically. Parents must work hard to support their child and grandchild in order to maintain. Although not all parents can afford the expenses of a newborn, all parent must make the best decision for their family. The government is working hard to prevent teen pregnancy by implanting programs geared towards educating teen about sex and proper contraceptive use. Pregnant teens and teen mothers have many issues that they face, but ultimately whatever path they choose will affect their lives and the lives of others around them. Not all of the affects of teen pregnancy are bad, because some teens that put their children up for adoption, give their child a better chance a life, and provide the adopting family with a little one to love. In all teen pregnancy has its pros and cons however it is still our jobs as people to try and educate teen about sex and all of its affects.

                                                                          Works Cited

 1. key questions for consideration as a new federal teen pregnancy prevention initiative is implemented.. (2010). Guttmacher Policy Review, 13(1), Retrieved from http://0-search.rdsinc.com.catalog.lib.cmich.edu/texis/rds/suite/+2dePVpYecxbtqmqM1TFqnh1ccewx1qmwwwwewhanm2yezU1qwww/showdoc.html?thisTbl=CWI

2. Abortion facts. (1998). Guttmacher Policy Review, (1), Retrieved from www.agi-usa.org

3. Association of conventional goals and perceptions of pregnancy with female teenagers' pregnancy avoidance behavior and attitudes.. (2008). Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Healt, 40(2), Retrieved from http://0-search.rdsinc.com.catalog.lib.cmich.edu/texis/rds/suite/+KdenEpYecxbtqmqM1TFqnh1ccewx1qmmwwwewhanmektVHeo85www/showdoc.html?thisTbl=CWI

4. A Follow-up case study on teenage pregnancy: "havin' a baby isn't a nightmare, but it's really hard". (2004). Pediatric Nursing,30(120), Retrieved from http://0-search.rdsinc.com.catalog.lib.cmich.edu/texis/rds/suite/+ktre9Ys5wFqmqM1TFqnh1ccewx1qmdwwwewhanmebxTpexRnwww/showdoc.html?thisTbl=CWI

Parenting A Parent

Parents often have a hard time dealing with the fact that their child is becoming a parent. For families that have financial problems, a teen pregnancy could pose for serious problems. For affluent families a teen pregnancy could be looked upon as a social scar. Not matter the circumstance, a teen being pregnant has its affects on parents. Parents often experience role difficulties. Not only are parents trying to teach their teen how to be responsible and take out the trash now  they’re teaching their children how to change diapers. On one of the episodes of the MTV show 16 and pregnant, one of the teen’s mother was expecting a child and they just received word that they were being evicted from there home. The mother is shown trying to teach her daughter how to make a bottle and changes a diaper all before the her grandchild. This family is an example of how having a teen that is pregnant affect alls areas of the family life. With the mother expecting at the same time as the daughter, it creates issues of spaces and financial strain. The mother was also shown yelling at the daughter telling her that she has to grow up. Parents can become frustrated with the child because of the situation that has come about. Parents in essence have to assume the responsibility of there grandchild. Parents work load sometimes doubles because the already that to parent their child and not they have to teach their child how to raise a child. Some parents can’t take the pressures and then the are others that rise to the occasion. All in all parenting a teen that is pregnant can be tough, but as long as the parent remains present the teen has a chance a making it through.

Options

When a teen becomes pregnant they must consider their options. Teen are faced with making the choice of keeping their child to raise, putting their child up for adoption, and last aborting the pregnancy. Many religious groups feel as though abortion in not an option, so many teens are encouraged to continue through the pregnancy.  Personally I know several women that are teen mothers. These women are having a hard time becoming productive citizens in society. Many have had multiple children durning there teenage years. I recently asked one of my friends about her experience in being a teen mom. She Shared “ It was hard being a senior with two kids, I was pregnant with my second child at graduation. My family supported me however it was hard. I got married a couple months before I started showing. My husband does his best, by working to provide for me and my son from a previous relationship. I love my kids but I wish that I would have waited.” I then asked when she became sexually active, and when did her parents give her the “sex talk” . “ I Started having sex in middle school. I  really didn’t know what I was doing at first but, I had been dating this guy since the 6^th grade so we were serious in my mind, I tried my best to hide it from my parents, but I feel like at some point they knew that I was up to something. They didn’t really have the sex talk with me until after I had been having sex for 2 years.” She also shared that she wish that her teachers would have taught her about sex and about the risk that are involved. My friend is just  one case.  This the quote below was taken from the “A follow-up case study on teenage pregnancy: "havin' a baby isn't a nightmare, but it's really hard".

“Bein' a mother robbed me of my childhood. I could have had more fun, done more partying. I have a friend who is goin' on her third child. It's [being a mother] the hardest job I ever did. It's no quittin' after you get started with a child. Sometimes I think if I didn't have a child I could be out havin' fun with friends. There's a lot of changes in my life, a lot of things you thought you were going to be able to do, you still can't do. My family is great; they, especially my mom, stand by me and help me. But sometimes I feel alone, like I can't do stuff with my friends. It's not the same. Havin' a baby, isn't a nightmare, but it's really hard. I don't ever know how to explain it, but it's so horrible. When you want people to be there sometimes, there's no one there. The only thing I pictured when I was pregnant was holding this little baby. I love my child with all my heart, but I honestly wish I would've waited. He made everything harder."(Janetti Pub. 2004)

In making the decision a teen must consider what they want for the rest of their life within the time frame of 9 months. If a mother decides to  give her child up for adoption it can be hard on the teen as well as the family. In my family I have a cousin who recently gave her child up for adoption without the family’s knowing. In conversation about giving her child up for adoption she reveal “ It was really hard, I didn’t want to tell my family because I felt like they would hate me. I hid all summer and after my daughter was born I relinquished my parental rights to a white couple who couldn’t have children. After I gave her up I felt like a part of me was missing. My father was furious, he is trying to get my daughter back from the couple. To be hones I never wanted to give her up but my mom made me.” My cousin is a classic of a mother that had to make a hard decision. The pressure from parents could lead to a teen putting a child up for adoption but it could also lead a teen to abort the pregnancy. Abortion is becoming more and more acceptable. The are approximately 116,000 abortions that happen each day, which comes out to about 42 million abortions per year(CBR 2010).  When a teen decides to get an abortion, it could potentially affect future child bearing. I know many teens that have had one or more abortions while in high school, and since then they have become parents. This isn’t always the case for some teens. With that being said we should increase the promotion of comprehensive sex education so that teens are being informed about the immediate and later affects of abortions.

Source: Estimated pregnancy rates for the United States, 1990-2005: An Update. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 58 no 4. 2009. Births: Preliminary Data for 2007. National Vital Statistics Reports, vol 57, no.12. 2009.

Communication and Education

 Many will say that it is the teen’s fault , the media, and even the parents, but the fault lies in our lack of communication. As a society we fail to communicate crucial information about sex. The abstinence only education teaches kids to wait until they are married, but happens when they don’t. Earlier research had documented that the significant drop in teen pregnancy rates in the 1990s overwhelmingly had been the result of more and better use of contraceptives among sexually active teens(Guttmacher 2010).  If we aren’t communicating the risk factors, how do we expect teens to know? We often assume that teens should know about sex, but we neglect to realize that if we aren’t teaching them about sex, who is. Teens share a lot of myths and few fact about sex which further promotes more ignorance amongst teens. President Obama has created a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Incentive. This program was created in order to reform the existing “abstinence only” education. This program is constructed as a competitive grant that states must apply for however this program is geared towards shifting the way teens learn about sex. This is just one of many ways that we can prevent pregnancy. The most important way to curve teen pregnancy is communication at home. If parents are talking to their children about sex, and providing them with comprehensive information, teens will be more informed and take more precautions if and when they engage in sexual activity.

                                        Many teens find themselves asking the same questions.
                                                       What is does careful really mean?

Teen Pregnancy

            In today’s society young women face a variety of issues ranging from societal to social pressures. In American schools teachers are instructed to teach children about abstinence but no real comprehensive form of sex education. With the media using sex as its main form of advertisement, it makes it hard for teens to grasp the realties of sex.  Teens are now engaging in sexual activity with no real knowledge of what they’re doing and the risks that are involved. The lack of comprehensive sex education and lack of comprehensive contraceptive instruction have led to the increase in teen pregnancy. Teens are having more and more sex without the use of contraceptive, this could potentially lead to unwanted pregnancies as well as sexually transmitted diseases. This is one of the rising issues in many of the communities across America. Many families are finding that there children are having children younger and younger, this is posing more issues for the American family. Teen pregnancy is an issues that needs to be addressed in order to promote more comprehensive sex education classes across America. With shows like Teen Mom and 16 and pregnant, teens are becoming more familiar with the challenges of becoming a teenage parent. Teen mothers don’t  just affect their own lives, they also affect their families lives and the life of there child. We will take a look at how teens become pregnant and what happens during and after the pregnancy, what are their option for child rearing and many other issues surrounding the topic.