Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy rates have been decreasing but research shows that it is not because teens are engaging in less sex. Teenagers are using more types of prevention such as condoms or birth control. Although, overall teenage pregnancy has declined there are still groups that are considered high risk. These high risk teenagers include those who drink, smoke, fight, and have other signs of risky behaviors. A study conducted by Cavazos-Rehg, shows that teens who are at risk for one pregnancy are also at risk for multiple pregnancies during these years. The study also reported that around 750,000 teenagers become pregnant each year in the United States alone, 8% of males reporting that they impregnated their partner and 13% of females reporting that they had experienced pregnancy. Those teenagers who are high risk are more likely to have more sexual partners, less likely to use contraception and more likely to experience STDs.

Now that we all know some of the facts about teenage pregnancy, what are we doing to prevent it? I know that when I was in middle and high school, they only preached abstinence at my school. These programs aimed at education because "inadequate knowledge leads to unsafe practices." Some schools offer abstinence-plus education. This education preaches abstinence but acknowledges that teens may have sex and if they decide to do that, they teach contraception. When teenagers become parents at such a young age, a number of other problems follow as well. Teenage mothers are less likely to stay with and marry their babies father and this increases school dropout and poverty rates. Also, if a teenager continues to use drugs and alcohol during pregnancy or does not have the right nutrition, the child suffers. I'm sure you all have heard of Maci Bookout, teen mom featured on MTVs hit series Teen Mom. Here is an article on her view on contraception education and what she wishes would have been different.

Do all of you think that it is important to preach abstinence, abstinence-plus education or some other type of education that you have heard of?