The Situation With Teen Pregnancy In The Us Should Be Changed
Since my mom was a teen mom this is an issue that was interesting and important to me. “In 2017, a total of 194,377 babies were born to women ages 15-19 years”. Teens pregnancy 1991-2015, teen birth rate went down 61%. In the district of Columbia 67% has the highest rate of teen pregnancy. Massachusetts has the lowest teen pregnancy at 8.5%. The teen pregnancy rate in Minnesota is 18.8% and the teen pregnancy rate in Wisconsin is 15%. This is not acceptable. Just because someone has a baby doesn't mean that they shouldn’t get an education. Everyone deserves an education. We need to change this.
Teen pregnancy could be the result of consensual or non-consensual sexual intercourse. The cost of teen pregnancy is for health care, daycare, and the essentials for babies like diapers or formula. Most teen moms go to their parents or someone they’re close to for help with those costs. The cost to a city or a community is county assistance. Some of the things that are a part of county assistance are food, housing, health care, and parenting resources. Many teen moms don’t go to school or graduate after getting pregnant. One reason teen moms can't go to school because of lack of support, not everyone has friends and family they can turn to. Another one of the reasons teen moms don't go to school or graduate is some teen moms can't afford college, so they don’t see a point of finishing highschool. Many teen moms can get separation anxiety from their babies, and some teen moms don’t have parents to depend on to watch the babies while there at school.
Daycare is also very expensive. The average cost of daycare in Wisconsin a year is $12,597, and the average cost of daycare in Minnesota is $13,579. Minnesota and Wisconsin’s average costs are somewhat above the national average cost is $11,666. Teen parents need to get a job- some teens cant do jobs and school at the same time. Without good daycare, that is affordable and safe- teen parents can not go back to school and be successful.
Teenage pregnancy is something that affects a large number of people. Pregnancy is the number 1 reason that girls drop out of school. Approximately 70% of teenage girls who give birth leave school. When teens get less education, they get fewer good-paying jobs, which means it is harder for them to support themselves. According to an article by the ACLU, over half of these girls who dropped out would have stayed if they had more support.
Teen pregnancy is an issue that everyone should care about, it is not just something that affects the mom or dad. When a group of people doesn’t succeed that affects everyone. Some ways that we can prevent teen pregnancy are taught more about abstinence and safe sex like birth control or condoms in school. Parents could also help teach their teens about abstinence and safe sex. What is something you can do to prevent teen pregnancy?
Blackman, Kate. Teen Pregnancy Prevention, 11 Oct. 2018, http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/teen-pregnancy-prevention.aspx.
“About Teen Pregnancy.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 Mar. 2019, https://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/about/index.htm.
Elflein, John. “Top U.S. States by Teenage Pregnancy Rate 2013.” Statista, 9 Aug. 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/295891/pregnancy-rates-among-us-teenagers/.
