teen or not?? teen or not??
does this reinds you of someone you know???
Teeenage pregnancy
In
today’s society, teenage pregnancy is increasing now more than ever. Television
shows such as, “16 and pregnant,” and “the pregnancy pact” which is broadcast
by the media and various magazines, are promoting teenage pregnancy. “Teenage
pregnancy” is now a common term among our youths. Instead of being supported to
bring another life on to this earth, teens need to be told to WAIT! Sex isn’t
going anywhere. In result of that the birth rate of teen pregnancy every year
can decrease drastically.
There
are many reasons why teenagers get pregnant. One of the most commons reason is
that they have not been fully educated on the matter of sex. Watching porn’s and
listening to your somewhat educated partner is not the way to go. If you are a
teen girl who has decided that you cannot wait, but you would rather have sex
now, by all means go and do what you would like. However do your research ahead
of time, talk to an adult, follow every safety precautions there is, see your
doctor, talk about possible starting birth control and go get tested.
Statistics
show that teens are really not familiar with the dangers of having sex. Yes
they have some insight on what it is, how it feels but they are UN AWARE of the
outcomes. In your teen years your body need to finish develop. Upon doing so
while pregnant it is a great hazard for you. You could end up dead or
physically damaged after pregnancy. It could happen to any woman at any time,
but being that your body is fully not develop the risk of it happening to you
is higher than it would to an adult.
Teen
and unplanned pregnancy remains a serious challenge in the United States. Consider the following:
·
At present, nearly three in ten girls
get pregnant by age 20.
·
After declining for 14 straight years, the
teen birth rate has increased five percent since 2005.
·
The rates of teen pregnancy and childbearing
in the United States remain far higher than in other comparable countries.
·
Fully seven in ten pregnancies among
unmarried women in their 20s are unplanned.
Nearly 1.5 million teen
girls and single women in their early 20s who find themselves unintentionally
pregnant every year don’t get there by themselves. Seventeen Magazine did a survey on teen boys and men perspective on
sex. The results are:
·
Two-thirds (66%) say they would rather
have a girlfriend but no sex compared to only one-third (34%) who say they
would prefer to have sex but no girlfriend.
·
Similarly, two out of three (66%) agree
that they could be happy in a relationship that doesn’t include sex.
·
More than half of sexually experienced
guys would rather give up sex for a month than give up going online for a
month.
·
More than half (53%) say they would not
have sex with someone unless they really loved her (58% of the younger group,
48% of the older group).
·
Many (35%) worry that sex will change their
relationship.
Seventeen
Magazine then went on writing an article on:
|
SEX ISN'T NECESSARILY THE FIRST THING
ON A GUY'S MIND by seventeen magazine |
45% of guys in this sample are
still virgins and 40% are not looking for sex or hook-ups. Many are not in a
rush and may actually regret moving too fast: 45% have had sex with someone
and regretted it afterward, and almost half say it's good to wait to have sex
until you're married.
If
these statistics are true then why are there still so many babies having babies
each year? Well in biology it teaches you that even if you have protection you
can still get pregnant. It does not matter if you have the protection, what
matters is do you know how to use it and are you using it correctly.
Being
sexually active from an early age could mean that you were expose to early, (whether
it’s from watching TV. or your family members). You don't have positive directions
or role models, and you give in to peer-pressure. In response to this problem,
you need to talk to someone. By talking to someone it is for your own benefit
mentally and physically. Do not feed into peer-pressure and become part of a
statistic. Instead, you should promote abstinence. Do not think because your
school or doctor’s office has a whole lot of things to promote safe sex, by
giving teen’s sexual education classes and by distributing contraceptives such
as: birth control, condoms, spermicide, diaphragm and cervical caps that does
not mean you are ready or you should go have sex.
By
promoting safe sex in schools and in the neighborhood teens tend to take one
message out of it all, and that is to have sex but use protection. These methods
that are being use by the schools to prevent teenagers from getting pregnant
are not working. Even though teen pregnancy has decrease 22% since the year
1991, the birth rate for teenage pregnancy in the United States are too high. Clearly,
the path that the school’s choose in promoting safe sex to prevent pregnancy is
not working. Instead, they should promote abstinence programs, which will allow
teens to become involved in various activities rather than mingle in the
sheets.
According
to Max Sugar, M.D. the editor of Adolescent
Parenthood, “many of the pregnant teenagers come from families in which the
mothers were also pregnant teenagers... In fact, the prime difference between
the mothers and the daughters is that the younger group becomes pregnant two
years before their mothers did.” (Sugar 55) The birthrate of teenage pregnancy
in the United States, of teens between the ages 15-19, in 1984 is as stated,
“Births 469,682. Total pregnancies 1,002,370…. In 1985 the total births is
467,485. Total pregnancies are 1,000,110.” (Teenage pregnancy in the United
States pg. 20) Even though the birth rate between 1984 and 1985 decreased by 2,197.
Since 2002, it is set to be known that teenage pregnancy in the United States
is now “750,000 every year,” according to Danielle Atwood an ehow contributor. With that number being
repeated year after year, the lessons that are being paid for by the government
and the school board seems to be helping one out of every four teenage girls.
In
high schools such as, Gloucester high in Massachusetts, a movie based on a true
story, called The Pregnancy Pact was
aired by Lifetime. In this movie, although six teenage girls got pregnant
willingly, the pact contained seven girls and the last girl who got pregnant was
pressured. Her falling into peer pressure it taught her a lifelong lesson. By
lifetime airing this movie I would imagine that their intentions is or were to
keep girls and mothers across the world inform on what teens in the 21st
century are thinking about while at school. Nevertheless, they fell short in
getting that message across. I say that because even though they showed the
movie and its great story line, they forgot to inform the bored teenagers or
the teenagers that have been searching for attention no matter what, that this
is a clear example of something that you would never want happen to you. Taking
care of a child is not an easy task, neither is it cheap. Airing the show 16
and pregnant is informative to some girls around the world. However, for others the thought of getting
pregnant at an early age than 16 to get their few minutes of fame is the only
message they are sending across. Alfie Patten, thirteen year old boy who looks
like an eight year old is a proud father of a baby girl. The Huffington post
said “Alfie spent his first night home with his daughter acting like a thirteen
year old. He played video games while having the baby in his arms, claiming it
was easier than he thought.” The secret
life of an American teenager is a show in which they try to inform teens on
talking to an adult if not their parents before actually having sex. Even
though the producer and writers intention is to inform, they are also not even
80% effective. They inform teens that they should talk to someone before having
sex or if pregnant they showed ways in the show what one could do. It is
normally a positive thing when they try to help teens in going in the correct
path after making a bad decision, but the show itself had adults helping out
the pregnant teens making teenagers think it will be as easy for them as it is
for the cast in The secret life of an
American teenager.
Would
this be happening if the school board did not promote sex at all, or if teens
weren’t expose to sex at an early age? In studying biology it tells us that it
is impossible as humans or animals even not to have sex. Because it is
impossible that does not necessarily means you have to start having sex at a
young age. Adults should inform teens on sex, and the various things that it
includes ranging for pleasure to pain and ask them to wait until they really
are ready to have sex and not just have sex because a couple of their friends
are having sex .
Adolescent
pregnancy prevention program developed by Michael A. Carrera in 1984, their objective
is to help empower youths to have a productive future and develop a desire for
having their own personal goals. It helps to educate teens on the consequences
of sexual activities starting from ages eleven and up. The pregnancy prevention
program model provides opportunities for teens to discover interests and
develop talents, plus emphasizes education and employment. With programs such
as this one, teens have more options to do a lot of various activities which
will enhance their future instead of promoting safe sex they promote no sex at
all which decreases the opportunity of teenage pregnancy.
As
a teenager, being raised in Jamaica, it was a lot different for me. In Jamaica,
religious beliefs conquer all. Being a Christian we were taught from a very
young age that it is a sin to have sex before marriage and it was installed in
our heads not to have sex before marriage. In Jamaica, teens aren’t as exposed
to sex as American teens. Teens in Jamaica do not have sex education classes,
people who promote safe sex or public health centers that teen could go to and
receive condoms, birth control, and plan B for free. During middle school and
high school, which started in 7th grade in Jamaica, the only thing teens knew
about sex in Jamaica is the gender of people. It was not an issue among teens
that no one is having sex because we has a lot of other various activities to
get ourselves involved in where we could get more than just 15mins of fame. Being
that we weren’t exposed to sex at a young age there is a lot less teenage
pregnancy rate between the United States and Jamaica.
If
your teen is having sex, it is a definite shock to discover that your teen is
having sex. You may feel anxious, angry, disappointed, and distressed, and
wonder "What do I do now?" Here are some suggestions:
1.
Take time to collect your thoughts. Calm down if at all possible before
discussing the matter. Lashing out at your teen can only escalate the conflict
between you.
2.
Let your teen know how you feel in a caring way, and then listen to his or her
feelings as well. You'll get through to him better with dialogue than with a
ranting monologue.
3.
Realize the limits of your power and set limits as you are able. Teens don't
usually stop having sex just because a parent demands it. But you can let your
teen know that you disapprove and will not permit his/her sexual activity in
your own home.
There
is a fine line to be sure between accepting the reality of your teen's sexual
activity and condoning it. But you can let your teen know that you disagree
with his sexual choice, while letting him know, too, you care enough to
emphasize the importance of safe sex and consistent use of birth control if he
or she doesn't choose to abstain.
Works cited page/ Organizations
Atwood,
Danielle. "reasons why teenagers get pregnant." ehow . ehow, n.d.
Web. 29 Mar 2011.
<http://www.ehow.com/facts_5541074_reasons-teenagers-pregnant.html>.
Carrera,
Michael. "children's aid society ." www.childrensaidsociety.org. the
children's aids society, 30092010. Web. 29 mar 2011.
<http://www.childrensaidsociety.org/carrera-pregnancy-prevention?gclid=CMOTxvuj9qcCFQdy5QodoUJeZQ>.
Henshaw,
Stanley, Asta Kenny, Debra Somberg, and Jennifer Vort. Teenage Pregnancy in the
United States . New York: The Alan Guttmacher In, 1989. 20. Print.
Sugar,
Max. adolescent parenthood. New York: spectrum publications, Inc., 1984. 55.
Print.
http://www.seventeen.com/health/tips/teen-boys-and-sex
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/pubs/thatswhathesaid.pdf
http://www.teensadvisor.com/raising-teens/sex-knowledge.html
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/USTPtrends.pdf
http://www.childrensaidsociety.org/pregnancy-prevention?gclid=CNfbm_r7hK0CFaQRNAodpiM4Sw
http://www.pregnantteenhelp.org/statistics/teen-pregnancy-statistics/
The Children's Aid
Society
105 East 22nd Street
New York, NY 10010
http://www.pregnantteenhelp.org/
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/