Teen Pregnancy Options And Statistics

As teen pregnancy statistics continue to rise, this social issue becomes more and more pressing in the United States. Though there is much debate regarding sex education in schools, the teaching of safe sex, pregnancy prevention and abstinence are all viable options in the quest for reducing the teen pregnancy rates in this country. Teen pregnancy is such a growing problem partially because teenagers are less likely to use contraception correctly and consistently when they are sexually active. Part of this is because of a lack of knowledge, and part is because of a lack of access to contraceptive devices. Because more and more teens are becoming sexually active at younger ages, the problem of teen pregnancy is drastically increasing. Because teen pregnancy is on the rise, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases is also rising. Teens are not using proper protection, and therefore are putting themselves and their partners at risk for diseases like Chlamydia, gonorrhea or genital herpes. Each year, ten percent of all women aged 15-19 become pregnant. Almost a third of these pregnancies end in abortion. Adoption rates are also extremely high for teenage pregnancies. Teen pregnancy rates are significantly higher in the United States than they are in countries like England, Canada, the Netherlands or Japan. Thirteen percent of all births in the United States are to teenage mothers, and three-fourths of these births occur outside of marriage.

Discuss It!

Most Popular Articles

More