This paper addresses teen pregnancy as a preventable public health crisis in the United States, analyzing its economic costs, social consequences, and underlying causes. The author argues for comprehensive prevention strategies including education on parenthood outcomes, peer pressure resistance, and contraceptive effectiveness. Drawing on expert sources including clinical psychologists and public health advocates, the paper demonstrates how teen pregnancy affects not only individual teens but also their children's academic and emotional development, as well as national healthcare expenditures. The essay concludes that coordinated prevention efforts can reduce these costs and improve outcomes for future generations.
Teens have fallen victim to a very preventable problem. Teen pregnancy has become increasingly common in recent years. Many teens have gone from getting their first kiss to having their first baby while in high school. It seems to be becoming normal in our country. As a nation, we have a responsibility to prevent teen pregnancy. We could start by informing teens about the possible outcomes of being a teen parent, the importance of avoiding peer pressure, and the effectiveness of various birth control methods.
Today's average teen either knows a pregnant teen or is pregnant themselves. This represents a huge epidemic for teens in our country. This fact highlights that teen pregnancy is a public health issue. Teens, the economy, and our citizens are paying the price for these preventable mistakes. More than half of teenage parents use some form of government assistance. According to clinical psychologist Dr. Michelle Golland, "The estimated public cost for teen pregnancy in the U.S. is between $6 and $9 billion a year" (Golland).
During the teenage years, teens need parental guidance more than ever. Between hitting puberty, raging hormones, and schoolwork, mistakes are bound to happen. One can only imagine how emotionally overwhelming it would be to provide support or take responsibility for another human being during this critical stage of life. The fact is that teens still need guidance themselves, so how could they provide their own children with the life knowledge that they simply lack? This represents a major problem because the children of teen parents sometimes have academic and emotional problems.
Dr. Golland notes that "baby boys of teen mothers are at an increased risk for incarceration later in their lives, while girls born to teens are more likely to become teen moms" (Golland). This pattern of intergenerational consequences means that teen pregnancy does not merely affect one generation. As a teen, becoming a parent was the furthest thing from my mind, and I excelled academically, but emotionally I didn't trust many people. Therefore, there is most likely always something teen parents are lacking in their ability to provide for their child—something that affects their children's relationships with others, people who come in contact with them, and ultimately society.
Many times teens confuse love with infatuation. This causes them to get caught up in the moment, which is usually their explanation for getting pregnant. They tend not to think about the possible outcomes of being a teenage parent. But in most cases, the mother ends up being a single parent and taking on all the responsibility. Having a baby comes with loads of responsibility and is even a difficult task for most adult parents. From changing diapers to preparing bottles, some parents forget to make time for themselves. As a parent, you must relinquish a lot of things just to properly care for a baby.
Social lives tend to be the first thing to go once people become parents. One of teens' main components in their lives is their social life. Some teens actually talk to their friends more than their family who lives with them. Some teens even text more than they actually talk. Being that you have to be very attentive to feeding a baby and monitoring its every need, having friends could become just another hassle. With a baby come not only social problems but also financial ones. In order to work, most new parents enroll their babies in daycare. As a teen parent with no job, no money, and no one to care for their baby while they're at school, school could also become a hassle. NCSL pregnancy tracker Morgan Foreman concludes, "66 percent of children of teen moms graduate from high school compared to 81 percent of children with older parents" (qtd. in Leonard). Becoming a teen parent puts your love life, social life, and education at risk.
Too many times teens make careless mistakes because of peer pressure. This is mainly because teens thrive on their social life. The cooler you are, the more friends you gain. But what teens will do to get friends or appear cool is a threat to them. Though peer pressure is not always bad, most teens fail at saying no just to fit in. Falling into peer pressure could cause a teen to end up using drugs, drinking alcohol, and having sex.
In many cases, teens fall for the pressure of their peers when they have low self-esteem, curiosity, or they simply want to protect their reputation. Writer and Editor Laura Agadoni implies that "pressure to have sex can be intense for both girls and boys. Your teenager may believe that everyone in high school is having sex" (Agadoni). Helping teens find their worth could eliminate peer pressure altogether. When adolescents develop a strong sense of self-esteem and personal values, they are better equipped to resist social pressure and make decisions based on their own judgment rather than on what others expect.
"Billion-dollar government cost and prevention incentives"
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