Teen Pregnancy on the Rise
Wednesday January 7, 2009
The CDC released the final birth data for 2006 as it does every year. One thing that they track is the teen parenting stats, which were up 3%. And again, teen pregnancy is rising for the first time in many years. I offer you Bristol Palin or reports from last summer Time Magazine reported that one high school in Massachusetts had a group of teen girls make a pact to become pregnant in high school.
While some people want to blame it on Hollywood and the "glamorization" of single parenthood and young motherhood with films like Knocked Up and Juno, others aren't so sure. Others want to point their finger at the lack of birth control or the "benefits" offered by the school like free onsite day care.
All I can say is that being a parent is hard work. Even though I was married, had an income and a lot going for me, I was completely and utterly taken by surprise at what parenting brought for me - the good, the bad and the ugly. What about you? What are your thoughts on teen pregnancy, these pacts and parenting in general?
Comments
I don’t believe that hollywood is to blam. I think that schools need to start teaching what pregnancy really is and what comes along with it. I’m currently 36 weeks pregnant with my first child and 21 years old. And taking lamaze opening my eyes to many things i have no idea had to do with pregnancy. If i would have taken this class before had or and information before hand about pregnancy and all the details about it, I would have taken a second thought about haveing a baby so young. Also, instead of schools teaching abstinence, they need to teach safe sex and birth prevention as well. Abstinence is just one form of birth control and schools needs to teach them all. If students aren’t given all the information about sex and the what if’s surrounding sex then they’ll keep on haveing sex with out a second thought.
People used to get married a lot younger than they do now, and have kids. I’m not opposed to someone in their teens having a baby, I’m opposed to a culture that encourages a prolonged childhood, that gives teens too much free time, too few responsibilities, and too few opportunities for truly living life- maturing, marrying, and having children. They’re trapped in high school, wasting time, instead of vocational schools that could actually prepare them for life.
I believe in teaching kids abstinence- but it is going to make it WAY harder on them if you’re saying “Abstinence until marriage” and marriage is something that happens at 28. I married at 20, and have never regretted waiting until then.