Teen Pregnancy #2

Did you know that one in three teens are likely to get pregnant at least once by the age of 20 in the United States? Yep its true! This is better than a decade ago, when the number was four in ten girls. The number is said to still be too high. Pregnancy has very important consequences for teen girls, boys, and their babies. Having a baby as a teenager makes it much harder or sometimes even impossible for girls and boys to reach their goals, such as finishing high school, going on to college, getting a good job, or getting married when they grow up, and poses additional challenges as well for the child also.

Some teen mothers decide to continue their pregnancy and then choose adoption for their baby. Adoption may be the best choice for the baby and the teen parents. There are many adoption agencies and types of adoption. Some teens are even able to meet the parents who adopt their babies. In other situations, many teens decide to keep their baby. Some marry the baby's father and raise the baby together. Sometimes the baby's grandparents or other family members help raise it so that the mother can stay in school and work. It requires a lot of extra hard work for a teen parent to finish school and get a good job. Children of teen mothers have greater risk of poverty, behavioral problems, poor academic performance, incarceration, and teen pregnancy, so good parenting is important. Some teen pregnancies end in abortion. Abortions can have complications. There also may be emotional consequences. Some women say that they feel sad and use more alcohol and drugs than before. Some states require that the teens have a parents permission to have an abortion. In 2002 there were over 750,000 teen pregnancies in the U.S. including 215,000 teen abortions.

Teen pregnancy is also hard in teen fathers. The stress of the pregnancy can put a strain on the relationship with the girlfriend or the parents. Teen fathers do not go as far in school and make less money when they get in the job market than teens who do not father children. Even though they are young, they have to face up to adult responsibilities like supporting the mother emotionally and financially during her pregnancy and helping to raise their child. They're financially responsible for their children until the children turn 18.

Once a girl is pregnant, there is no easy choice. The very best thing is to help your son or daughter avoid getting pregnant, or getting someone pregnant, in the first place.