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Teen Pregnancy and Ways to Prevent It

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Teen Pregnancy and Ways to Prevent It
Abstract:
Teen pregnancy is an important issue all over the country. This is an ongoing problem that must be dealt with. Teenage pregnancy can ruin a teen’s life and also the life of an infant. In this paper I will discuss the many aspects of teenage pregnancy and how it affects the life of a teenager. Each year in the US almost 1 million teens become pregnant. While the facts are clear, the issues of teenage pregnancy are complicated. Talk of sex is everywhere in our society and young girls are portrayed as sex objects. Sex is used to sell everything from clothing to news and yet people are shocked at the rising number of teenagers who are sexually active. The concern about the welfare of infants and adolescents is so much that we must move beyond the denial and distinguish effective solutions that require us to come to a solution. Nowadays it is becoming more familiar to a teenager to be engaged in sexual activities. They have unprotected sex and have multiple partners. Today’s society is more open about the subject of sex than ever before. It is all over the television, the internet, and even on the radio and in music videos. It is all over the media and therefore teens believe it is ok to be promiscuous and do not think about the consequences they could face with an unexpected pregnancy and how much it will change their lives forever. Even though the best way to prevent a pregnancy is to be abstinent, there are many teens under a lot of pressure to have sex and engage in it quite frequently. Many seek the love and affection that they normally do not get at home and they usually find it in the form of sex with whomever they can get the attention from. They usually have a poor home life or low self esteem and may just be looking for love and acceptance in the form of sex to feel loved. Teenagers need encouragement to abstain from sex all together and they need to be given more information on the prevention of pregnancy if they are to become



References: Stein, R. Rise in teenage pregnancy rate spurs new debate on arresting it. The Washington Post. Retrieved January 14, 2010 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/01/25/AR2010012503957.html Abstinence-Only Advocates Urge Congress to Preserve Funding In Senate Health Reform Bill. (2010). Retrieved January 13, 2010 from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175054.php Adolescent Facts, Pregnancy, Births, and STD’s. (2009). Retrieved January 20, 2010, from http://www.acog.org/departments/adolescentHealthCare/AdolescentFactsPregnancyAndSTDs.pdf By The Numbers National Report. (2010). Retrieved January 20, 2010, from http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/costs/national.aspx Sams, P. Teen Pregnancy and It’s Effects. Article Alley. Retrieved February 4, 2010 from http://www.articlealley.com/article_479589_17.html

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