Teenage Pregnancy

It's Tuesday night, 7pm, a father is returning home from work. He heads up the stairs to take a shower. As he passes his daughter bedroom, he notices his wife and daughter crying in the middle of the floor. His imagination can only think of the worst - terminal illness or even death. It was neither; his thirteen year old daughter was pregnant. Could the pregnancy been prevented with sex education? Were the parents at fault? Should parents discuss with their teens about sex, the effects, and having a baby.

As parents, we should discuss sex and the consequences of having sex with our teenaged children. Conversely, parents should be aware of their children's sexual activity at an early age. However, some parents are reluctant and apprehensive because they conceptualize their children as "little angels" that could never engage in sexual intercourse. Although sexual activity has declined among teenagers in recent years, teenaged children are still having sexual intercourse (Jayson). According to Pregnant Teen Help, over 70 percent of all teenagers are continuing to engage in sexual activity (citation). Most teenaged children are not sexual vigilant and need to comprehend the importance of birth control. According to Guttmacher Institute "sexually active teens, which do not use contraception, have a 90 percent chance of becoming pregnant within the next 12 months (citation)." Additionally, some teenagers, who become pregnant, use abortion as a viable solution. Researchers at the Guttmacher Institute assert "teenage pregnancy and abortion rates, in the United States, are still considered exceptionally higher compared to other developed countries (citation)." Nevertheless, the most plausible method to prevent abortion and teen pregnancy is abstinence. In most instances, abstinence guarantees he or she will not become pregnant or contract an STD.

In addition to the physical effects of teenaged pregnancy, there are also sociological factors that encompass teenaged cultures. For instances, when a teenaged female becomes pregnant, it has an adverse effect on the relationship between her family, friends, education, and employment. Many teenaged mothers are unable to attend school or work, regularly, because of the amount of attention required to care for a newborn child. According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry "some may want a baby to have someone to love, but not recognize the amount of care the baby needs (citation)." In essence, a newborn child can impede a teenager from of having normal interaction with