Teenage Pregnancy In the United States Posted: 10-13-07 13:56pm
This statistic got me searching this
topic:
40% of all 14 year olds will get pregnant
before they are 20 years old.*
Teenage Pregnancy in the United States
James Trussell
Family Planning Perspectives, Vol. 20, No.
6 (Nov. - Dec., 1988), pp. 262-272
doi:10.2307/2135482
Abstract
One out of every 10 women aged 15-19
becomes pregnant each year in the United
States. Of these pregnancies, five out of
every six are unintended-92 percent of
those conceived premaritally, and half of
those conceived in marriage. The teenage
pregnancy rate is high because only a
minority (one in three) of sexually active
young women always use contraceptives, and
only one in two of these women rely on the
most effective methods. The two most
common reasons given by adolescents for
not using contraceptives are believing
that the risk of pregnancy is small, and
failing to anticipate intercourse.
Experience in other developed countries
clearly shows that the incidence of
adolescent pregnancy can be reduced if
effective contraceptives are made widely
available. Although high quality sex
education programs that include
information about contraception,
reproductive biology and responsible
sexual behavior can enhance the
effectiveness of contraceptive delivery
systems, they are not a substitute for the
actual provision of services and supplies.
However, there is formidable political
opposition to the provision of such
services by a vocal minority who believe
that the crux of the problem is premarital
sexual activity, and that lowering the
cost of such behavior by reducing the risk
of pregnancy will both legitimize
adolescent sex and increase its
prevalence. Consequently, there is a
political impasse that guarantees a
continuing large number of adolescent
pregnancies. Further, even if
contraceptives and sex education were
readily available to all adolescents,
there would still be a pool of teenagers
who would see little benefit in postponing
parenthood. This pool would be composed
overwhelmingly of the poor and of blacks
and Hispanics. Increasing the demand for
pregnancy prevention among young women and
men in this hardcore, high-risk group will
be extremely hard to achieve without a
fundamental restructuring of society.
* Nine reasons in favor of retaining
abortion access
7. Outlaw abortion, and more children
will bear children: Forty percent of
14-year-old girls will become pregnant
before they turn 20. This could happen to
your daughter or someone else close to
you. Here are the critical questions:
Should the penalty for lack of knowledge
or even for a moment's carelessness be
enforced pregnancy and childrearing? Or
dangerous illegal abortion? Should we
consign a teenager to a life sentence of
joblessness, hopelessness, and
dependency?
Joined: 23 Oct 2006 Posts: 3791 Location: South East, England
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Posted: 10-13-07 14:22pm
one in three use protection? Is that it?
Jeez. I got pregnant when i used
contraception but not even bothering, i
just don't get it sex makes babies,
contraception (usually) stops babies.
Putting two and two together might help
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Verizon-y
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Posted: 10-13-07 16:49pm
Really. The ignorance is shocking.
Someone should stand up in 8th grade and
say, "Listen up!!!! Almost half of you
girls will be pregnant by the time you are
in college if you don't wise up!"
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Birch
Supporter
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Posted: 10-13-07 18:01pm
That's rather old. I've heard that teen
pregnancy rates significantly dropped in
the nineties. What are the current stats?
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Jincks013
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Posted: 10-13-07 20:50pm
Future in 8th grade most of them are
getting to the stage they think they are
immortal; stuff only happens to other
people; not them.
I remember 14.. I was more concerned with
the new Def Leppard record then anything
remotely having to do with pregnancy..
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Georgia59
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Posted: 10-13-07 22:50pm
Yeah teen pregnancy rates have only gone
down. I can't remember what they are right
now.
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embarrassed40
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 323 Location: topeka, kansas
Posted: 10-13-07 23:28pm
futureshock
wrote:
Really. The ignorance is
shocking. Someone should stand up in 8th
grade and say, "Listen up!!!! Almost half
of you girls will be pregnant by the time
you are in college if you don't wise
up!"
You act like that is a bad thing!
Ridiculous!
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Georgia59
Supporter
Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 5557 Location: Along the Mississippi, USA
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Posted: 10-13-07 23:32pm
No actually, teen pregnancy rates are
going down, at their lowest rate in 30
years.
http://w
ww.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/09/12/USTPstat
s.pdf Here is an article...
The article is very thorough and gives
stats for teenage pregnancy, abortion, and
births from the 70's to now.
BUT we have the highest teen pregnancy
rate (still) among the Western world, even
though our teens are NOT more sexually
active. They are just under educated or do
not have access to contraceptives.
I just posted this on Rainfire's topic,
it's equally valid here.
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embarrassed40
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 323 Location: topeka, kansas
Posted: 10-13-07 23:34pm
Georgia59
wrote:
BUT we have the highest teen pregnancy
rate (still) among the Western world, even
though our teens are NOT more sexually
active. They are just under educated or do
not have access to contraceptives.
Or they actually WANT to be pregnant, a
difficult concept for you to understand!
