Teens, like all people are seeking love and acceptance. Being in a relationship is perfectly healthy and normal, as long as you use your head. If you are s**ually active, don’t get lost in the heat of the moment. Be prepared and always have a condom on hand.
Every year in the US around 750,000 teenagers will get pregnant. This astonishing statistic is even more sobering when you break it down. Just under one third of all girls will get pregnant in their teen years, making the US the country with the highest rate of teen pregnancy and births in the western industrialized world. Teen pregnancy costs the US around 7 billion dollars annually.
Teen pregnancy can be attributed to several factors, but nowadays sex education in the school system is prevalent and finding facts on the subject is easy to come by, especially with the Internet as a resource.
Teen births have dropped by almost a third since the beginning of the 1990s. Like I mentioned before, this can be attributed to pregnancy prevention programs and more understanding and teaching about safe sex in schools. This is progress, but it’s not enough. If kids and teens are getting educated in school, then why do they keeping getting pregnant?
Perhaps sex education in schools is too biological and doesn’t focus enough on the emotional aspects of relationships and sex.
Problems in the home and poor communication between teens and parents are likely a contributing factor. Simply having a conversation about pregnancy prevention and safe sex can make all the difference. Talking about the daily difficulties of raising a baby may deter one from having unprotected sex, or even having sex at all. It’s not glamorous being up all night with a crying baby, changing diapers, and taking care of another’s needs before your own. The reality is enough to scare anyone not prepared to raise a child.
If you think that teen pregnancies are always accidental, then think again. In the summer of 2008, 17 girls in Gloucester, Massachusetts, got pregnant after making a pregnancy pact with one another. Most likely these girls were lonely and probably didn’t feel loved by their families. For them, a baby meant unconditional love from another human being. Sadly, these young girls never stopped to think about what was best for their baby.
Abstinence is the best and only full-proof method of preventing pregnancy. However, if you are sexually active, BE SAFE. If you have questions about sex or birth control and don’t feel that you can discuss it with your parents, then talk to your doctor. Remember, doctor-patient confidentiality guarantees that your doctor will keep everything that you discuss private.
- If you are pregnant and need help or want to learn about issues relating to pregnancy, visit: Planned Parenthood
- For teen pregnancy statistics and other information, visit: Pregnant teen help
|
Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
