Paola Ospina
Massey, Syretta
ENC1101
April 1, 2013
Preventing Unplanned and Teen Pregnancy
The teen pregnancy rate dropped between 1990 and 2005, and then increased slightlybetween 2005 and 2006, before resuming its decline. In 2008, there were nearly 750,000 pregnancies to women younger than age 20 and the rate of pregnancy was 67.8 per 1,000 women age 15-19. Between 1990 and 2008, the teen pregnancy rate decreased 42 percent. Teen pregnancy decreased from 117 to 68 pregnancies per 1,000 teen girls. The trend in the teen pregnancy rate was similar for all ethnic groups and for both older and younger teens. In 2008, the teen pregnancy rate among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic teen girls age
15-19 was more than two and a half times higher than the teen pregnancy rate among non-Hispanic white teen girls age 15-19. The teen pregnancy rate was 43 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic white teen girls in 2008. Since 1990, the teen pregnancy rate has decreased 50% among non-Hispanic white teens. The teen pregnancy rate was 117 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic black teen girls in 2008. Since 1990, the teen pregnancy rate among non-Hispanic black teen girls has decreased 48%. The teen pregnancy rate was 107 per 1,000 among Hispanic teen girls in 2008. Since 1990, the teen pregnancy rate has decreased 34% among Hispanic teen girls.
Teen pregnancy is linked to several of other social issues such as: poverty and income, child well-being, out-of-wedlock births, health issues, education, and child welfare. There are also public costs associated with teenage pregnancies. If more children in this country were born to parents who are ready and able to care for them, we would see a significant reduction in many social problems affecting children in the United States, from school failure and crime to child abuse and neglect.
Unplanned pregnancy among young adults is linked to various public health and social challenges. Unplanned pregnancies are frequently resolved by abortion. There were 1.3 million abortions in the United States in 2001. In 2012, there were about 567,000 births from pregnancies that women themselves say they did not want at the time of conception or ever in the future. These children are especially vulnerable. For example, even when taking into account various social and economic factors, women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy are less likely to obtain prenatal care, and their babies are at increased risk of both low birth weight and of being born prematurely. They are also less likely to be breastfed. Children born from unplanned pregnancies also face a range of developmental risks as well. These children report poorer physical and mental health compared to children born as the result of an intended pregnancy. Children 2 years old who were born as the result of an unplanned pregnancy have significantly lower cognitive test scores when compared to children born as the result of an intended pregnancy.
Most children from an unplanned pregnancy are born to unmarried women and children raised in single-parent families face more challenges in a variety of areas than children raised in two-parent, low-conflict married families. When compared to children who grow up with two parents, children in one-parent families are more likely to be poor, drop out of high school, have lower grade-point averages, lower college aspirations, and poorer school attendance records. As adults, they also have higher rates of divorce. Reducing unplanned pregnancy will increase the number of children born into homes that better support their growth and development.
Preventing teenage pregnancy has become the responsibility of various groups including: health professionals, sex educators, parents, teachers, and even the government. Thanks to the efforts of these professionals and prevention programs, teen pregnancy rates have decreased overall since 1990, but still remain high.
Parents and school professionals have taken greater steps to involve themselves in teen pregnancy prevention. Many parents still find talking with their teenagers about sex embarrassing and uncomfortable. Research shows that conversations about sex might have positive effects on preventing teenage pregnancy. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (NCPTP), 46% of 1,008 teenagers polled in the “With One Voice 2010” survey say their parents are the ones who most influence their decisions about sex. According to these teenagers, having more open and honest conversations about sex with their parents would help delay sexual activity and avoid pregnancy.
Teenagers without open relationships with parents find it difficult to talk about pregnancy, abstinence, and other sex topics they encounter during adolescence. Some teenagers find it so uncomfortable that they are less likely to buy birth control such as condoms, fearing that their parents would find out. Because parents and teenagers find it difficult to discuss these sensitive topics, more parents are turning to the education system to provide teenagers with knowledge about sex and pregnancy prevention. School counselors and teachers now provide the most information about sexual education and pregnancy prevention.
This shows a need for counselors to work with teachers, so teachers become familiar with classroom techniques that facilitate discussion of sexual development. The idea is that with greater discussion and acknowledgment of development, students will make correct decisions about whether to engage in sexual activity or not. Facilitating open and honest discussion about sex education in the classroom prepares students for further discussions in pregnancy prevention programs. Teenage pregnancy is often a moral and political question, with differing views on whether to teach “abstinence-only” sex education or “abstinence-plus” education.
Abstinence-plus education focuses on teaching students to wait until they feel ready to have sex, while also providing students the necessary knowledge to correctly use contraceptives. Most studies agree that abstinence-plus education is the most effective way of preventing teenage pregnancy. Programs should educate and assist teens in increasing their abilities to abstain from or delay sexual intercourse. These programs provide information on abstinence for students who have not engaged in sexual activity and information on contraceptives for students already engaging in sexual activity. Pressure to engage in sexual activity is strong for many teenagers. These programs focus not only on the emotional and physical risks of sexual intercourse, but also on refusal techniques for those pressured to have sex.
The program teaches adolescent girls techniques to resist sexual pressures with their boyfriends if they are not ready in addition to techniques to avoid high-risk situations involving drug use. The program was shown to be an effective way of delaying sexual intercourse in teenagers as well as promoting contraceptive use for those who have already had sex.
Another pregnancy prevention approach focuses on showing teenagers what life options exist for them outside of young pregnancy. These programs typically include service learning opportunities and life planning to broaden the skill sets of teenagers. These programs don't necessarily focus on high-risk behaviors like teen sex, but rather on the development of personal values and problem-solving skills.
In 2010, President Barack Obama made significant changes to budget appropriations for sex education and pregnancy prevention programs. Under the president's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI), $75 million in funds were made available to teach programs that were evaluated and shown to be effective. This is in stark contrast to former President George W. Bush's administration, which promoted a strict “abstinence-until-marriage” sex education policy.
Because no “abstinence-until-marriage” programs have proven effective in the long-term, President Obama eliminated more than $170 million in annual funding directed at these programs. Focus has shifted to promoting abstinence-until-ready in addition to providing students with birth control options.
Under this new policy, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has partnered with the Office of Adolescent Health to develop program goals and implement these programs in high-risk communities. The new focus also increases the link between teen pregnancy prevention programs and community-based clinical services such as community hospitals and organizations like Planned Parenthood. By increasing access to contraceptives such as birth control and life-planning services, the CDC predicts by 2015 that it can reduce teen birth rates in targeted areas by 10%.
Education is the key to preventing teen pregnancy. Informed teens are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, which lead to unplanned pregnancies. It has been shown that programs promoting prevention and providing education to teens has made a major impact on teen pregnancy rates over the years. Continuing these programs is essential to lowering teen pregnancy statistics.
Massey, Syretta
ENC1101
April 1, 2013
Preventing Unplanned and Teen Pregnancy
The teen pregnancy rate dropped between 1990 and 2005, and then increased slightlybetween 2005 and 2006, before resuming its decline. In 2008, there were nearly 750,000 pregnancies to women younger than age 20 and the rate of pregnancy was 67.8 per 1,000 women age 15-19. Between 1990 and 2008, the teen pregnancy rate decreased 42 percent. Teen pregnancy decreased from 117 to 68 pregnancies per 1,000 teen girls. The trend in the teen pregnancy rate was similar for all ethnic groups and for both older and younger teens. In 2008, the teen pregnancy rate among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic teen girls age
15-19 was more than two and a half times higher than the teen pregnancy rate among non-Hispanic white teen girls age 15-19. The teen pregnancy rate was 43 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic white teen girls in 2008. Since 1990, the teen pregnancy rate has decreased 50% among non-Hispanic white teens. The teen pregnancy rate was 117 per 1,000 for non-Hispanic black teen girls in 2008. Since 1990, the teen pregnancy rate among non-Hispanic black teen girls has decreased 48%. The teen pregnancy rate was 107 per 1,000 among Hispanic teen girls in 2008. Since 1990, the teen pregnancy rate has decreased 34% among Hispanic teen girls.
Teen pregnancy is linked to several of other social issues such as: poverty and income, child well-being, out-of-wedlock births, health issues, education, and child welfare. There are also public costs associated with teenage pregnancies. If more children in this country were born to parents who are ready and able to care for them, we would see a significant reduction in many social problems affecting children in the United States, from school failure and crime to child abuse and neglect.
Unplanned pregnancy among young adults is linked to various public health and social challenges. Unplanned pregnancies are frequently resolved by abortion. There were 1.3 million abortions in the United States in 2001. In 2012, there were about 567,000 births from pregnancies that women themselves say they did not want at the time of conception or ever in the future. These children are especially vulnerable. For example, even when taking into account various social and economic factors, women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy are less likely to obtain prenatal care, and their babies are at increased risk of both low birth weight and of being born prematurely. They are also less likely to be breastfed. Children born from unplanned pregnancies also face a range of developmental risks as well. These children report poorer physical and mental health compared to children born as the result of an intended pregnancy. Children 2 years old who were born as the result of an unplanned pregnancy have significantly lower cognitive test scores when compared to children born as the result of an intended pregnancy.
Most children from an unplanned pregnancy are born to unmarried women and children raised in single-parent families face more challenges in a variety of areas than children raised in two-parent, low-conflict married families. When compared to children who grow up with two parents, children in one-parent families are more likely to be poor, drop out of high school, have lower grade-point averages, lower college aspirations, and poorer school attendance records. As adults, they also have higher rates of divorce. Reducing unplanned pregnancy will increase the number of children born into homes that better support their growth and development.
Preventing teenage pregnancy has become the responsibility of various groups including: health professionals, sex educators, parents, teachers, and even the government. Thanks to the efforts of these professionals and prevention programs, teen pregnancy rates have decreased overall since 1990, but still remain high.
Parents and school professionals have taken greater steps to involve themselves in teen pregnancy prevention. Many parents still find talking with their teenagers about sex embarrassing and uncomfortable. Research shows that conversations about sex might have positive effects on preventing teenage pregnancy. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (NCPTP), 46% of 1,008 teenagers polled in the “With One Voice 2010” survey say their parents are the ones who most influence their decisions about sex. According to these teenagers, having more open and honest conversations about sex with their parents would help delay sexual activity and avoid pregnancy.
Teenagers without open relationships with parents find it difficult to talk about pregnancy, abstinence, and other sex topics they encounter during adolescence. Some teenagers find it so uncomfortable that they are less likely to buy birth control such as condoms, fearing that their parents would find out. Because parents and teenagers find it difficult to discuss these sensitive topics, more parents are turning to the education system to provide teenagers with knowledge about sex and pregnancy prevention. School counselors and teachers now provide the most information about sexual education and pregnancy prevention.
This shows a need for counselors to work with teachers, so teachers become familiar with classroom techniques that facilitate discussion of sexual development. The idea is that with greater discussion and acknowledgment of development, students will make correct decisions about whether to engage in sexual activity or not. Facilitating open and honest discussion about sex education in the classroom prepares students for further discussions in pregnancy prevention programs. Teenage pregnancy is often a moral and political question, with differing views on whether to teach “abstinence-only” sex education or “abstinence-plus” education.
Abstinence-plus education focuses on teaching students to wait until they feel ready to have sex, while also providing students the necessary knowledge to correctly use contraceptives. Most studies agree that abstinence-plus education is the most effective way of preventing teenage pregnancy. Programs should educate and assist teens in increasing their abilities to abstain from or delay sexual intercourse. These programs provide information on abstinence for students who have not engaged in sexual activity and information on contraceptives for students already engaging in sexual activity. Pressure to engage in sexual activity is strong for many teenagers. These programs focus not only on the emotional and physical risks of sexual intercourse, but also on refusal techniques for those pressured to have sex.
The program teaches adolescent girls techniques to resist sexual pressures with their boyfriends if they are not ready in addition to techniques to avoid high-risk situations involving drug use. The program was shown to be an effective way of delaying sexual intercourse in teenagers as well as promoting contraceptive use for those who have already had sex.
Another pregnancy prevention approach focuses on showing teenagers what life options exist for them outside of young pregnancy. These programs typically include service learning opportunities and life planning to broaden the skill sets of teenagers. These programs don't necessarily focus on high-risk behaviors like teen sex, but rather on the development of personal values and problem-solving skills.
In 2010, President Barack Obama made significant changes to budget appropriations for sex education and pregnancy prevention programs. Under the president's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI), $75 million in funds were made available to teach programs that were evaluated and shown to be effective. This is in stark contrast to former President George W. Bush's administration, which promoted a strict “abstinence-until-marriage” sex education policy.
Because no “abstinence-until-marriage” programs have proven effective in the long-term, President Obama eliminated more than $170 million in annual funding directed at these programs. Focus has shifted to promoting abstinence-until-ready in addition to providing students with birth control options.
Under this new policy, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has partnered with the Office of Adolescent Health to develop program goals and implement these programs in high-risk communities. The new focus also increases the link between teen pregnancy prevention programs and community-based clinical services such as community hospitals and organizations like Planned Parenthood. By increasing access to contraceptives such as birth control and life-planning services, the CDC predicts by 2015 that it can reduce teen birth rates in targeted areas by 10%.
Education is the key to preventing teen pregnancy. Informed teens are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, which lead to unplanned pregnancies. It has been shown that programs promoting prevention and providing education to teens has made a major impact on teen pregnancy rates over the years. Continuing these programs is essential to lowering teen pregnancy statistics.