Teen Pregnancy

Prevent Teen Pregnancy

After reading Martha Balash's article, Schools Can Help to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Balash has put time and effort into this proposal on stopping Teen Pregnancy. I think Balash's introduction is very effective because she goes straight to the facts. She doesn't try to mislead you with any false facts. She goes straight to the point and the point is to prevent teen pregnancy. Balash tells that schools has more influence over teen pregnancy than what the public thinks. She thinks that if schools and parents put enough effort into their teen pregnancy programs that the teen pregnancy numbers will drop. And I agree with Balash on this subject fully.

The United States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of all developed countries. That's pretty scary being compared to China and other developed countries with higher populations and still having the highest pregnancy rate. Schools need to start programs that encourage abstinence, and show or list the consequences of being sexually active. "They are not taught the importance of abstaining from sex nor, at the very least, the proper use of effective birth control and protection from sexually transmitted diseases" (Johnson). And the problem that occurs with this is that the parents or family that interact with the teenagers are no more educated than the teenager themselves.

School districts need to have educators on their staffs that can be available for parents who seek information and guidance. Many parents don't know what is "normal" sexual behavior for children of a particular age. They may rely on personal memories or past experiences. And in a sense it is not helping out the teenagers but actually hurting them in the long run. They will learn from the adults' mistakes and not from there own.

The teenage birth rate is declining. Between 1991 and 2002, the rate fell by 30 percent (from 61.8 per 1,000 women to 43). Still, in 2002 (the most recent year for which data are available), about 4 teenage girls in 100 had a baby. Teen pregnancy rates have declined in recent years. The decline is thought to be attributed to more effective birth control practice and decreased sexual activity among teens. And Balash believes that these rates have declined because of better education and teens are not having as much as sex, since they now know the consequences.

Teen pregnancy is an important issue. There are health risks to the children born to teenage mothers. Most are more likely to suffer health,