Teen Pregnancy Essay Example for Free

Teen Pregnancy Essay Teen Pregnancy has always been a sensitive topic to many. Recently though teen pregnancy has become a major problem in society. The question that comes to mind is then, what can be done to reduce the number of teen pregnancies? Whether it be done by way of sexual education programs or other methods it is clear that something must be done. Currently not enough is being done to fight the number of teen pregnancies. â€Å"Teenage pregnancy and birth rates both dropped in the 1990s. Increased use of contraceptives and increased abstinence among teens could explain the decrease. However, the U. S. still has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy among western industrialized nations, 42. 9 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19. In 2002, there were 431,988 births to females under twenty. Four out of ten girls become pregnant by the age of twenty. Eighty percent of these teenage pregnancies are unintended, and 79 percent of pregnant teens are unmarried. The birth rate remains high in low-income, minority neighborhoods, where the birth rate still remains at 153 and 138 births per 1,000 for black and Hispanic teenage girls respectively. Sixty percent of all teenage mothers are in poverty at the time of birth† (Teenage Pregnancy Prevention 1). These numbers plainly show that teen pregnancy is still a major problem. I believe one of the most prominent causes of teen pregnancy is stress. Many teens in today’s society are too stressed by daily life, and could be turning to pregnancies as a way of continuing their â€Å"name†. In a small Massachusetts community where teen pregnancy rates were high it was also noted that their families were also going through a rough patch. An additional cause is that teens do not have enough teaching when it comes to sexual education. Parents need to talk to their children about the dangers of sex. Doing something about this problem is something that many believe involves sexual education. A recent study showed â€Å"A growing number of sex education programs that support abstinence and the use of contraception for sexually active teens have revealed a positive effect† (Sex ed programs actually can work 14). Sex education should be made mandatory in schools. Another method that many adults believe is necessary is making items such as condoms easily available for teens. Some school nurses have gone as far as o pass out condoms to students. This however crosses a boundary with another controversial topic. One Final prevention plan involves everyone who is willing to help, by simply making sure your community clinics and help services are open long enough you can help provided teen in need with a place to go. Teen Pregnancy is a problem that can not be fixed immediately, but by promoting awareness a decline may be in the future. The general public must find a way to help the efforts in whatever means possible. One thing we do know is that without our action this problem will not be changed.