Argumentative Essay on Teen Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy is a major issue in the United States. Some people say that this is society’s fault. Although having sex and getting pregnant is due to personal choices and decisions, there are a few things society could do to prevent it. Excessive teenage pregnancy could be controlled with appropriate media, more readily available birth control, and people to set good examples for young women. Just flipping through the channels on a Saturday afternoon you can see all sorts of inappropriate media full of sexual suggestions. Even aside from all the sex scenes in movies, there are shows SPECIFICALLY about teen pregnancy. Shows like Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant make pregnancy seem acceptable and cool. If having sex at young ages didn’t seem like the cool thing to do, many teens wouldn’t do it. Taking inappropriate shows and movies off the air could make a difference in the teenage pregnancy rate. There are many forms of birth control. In a lot of arguments about teen pregnancy there is talk about making condoms more readily available, but I think that other forms of birth control that are more consistently effective should be promoted instead. Condoms are important to use, but many times they can break or be ineffective. Plus let’s face it, in the heat of the moment lack of a condom doesn’t always keep sex from happening. Birth control pills are a cheaply made, more effective form of birth control. If forms of birth control such as the pill were cheaper and easier to get, more teens would be protected and less would get pregnant. The world in general is in need of good role models. Anyone that tweens and teens look up to should really try to focus on setting a good example. In a world full of bad examples, its especially important to set good ones for the group of people in that developmental stage. Teenagers need role models to protect them from falling victim to the pressures of today’s society, especially the sexual ones. In conclusion, I believe that teenage pregnancy is a very important issue. The sexual society of today’s America has resulted in a large increase in teen pregnancy. Programs that promote teen pregnancy and things that lead to teen pregnancy should be taken off every day television. Although it is going to be impossible to keep teens from having sex, making birth control extremely easy to use and get ahold of could have a huge effect on the teenage pregnancy rate. These two things along with good parental guidance and support, and good role models to look up to, would keep most teens from getting pregnant.