Teenage pregnancy

Although a lot of the buzz about teen pregnancy has died down, it is still an extremely serious problem. Although teenage pregnancies are almost invisible in many communities, in other communities it is almost epidemic. I am a teacher in a low-income school, and it seems like every day I notice a new teenage pregnancy. Although many of the pregnant teens are very good at hiding their pregnancies from their parents, their friends, and themselves, hiding can only last for so long. Eventually, they have to face the reality of being a pregnant teenager. This reality can be pretty grim.

You can read all the teenage pregnancy statistics that you want, but to really understand this problem, you have to hear it from the teenagers themselves. Some of these teenage pregnancy stories are absolutely heartbreaking. Some of the is young girls did everything right – they were careful, using protection. Even so, it did not matter. With teenage pregnancy, the problems of being an unwed mother are compounded with other problems. Many of these teenagers are afraid of their parents, sometimes for good reason. If they cannot terminate the teenage pregnancy on their own, some of them will actually be thrown out of their houses. The problem is that many states have laws that limit the ability of these girls to get teenage abortions. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

We have a society that increasingly sees teenagers as criminals. With this view, teenage pregnancies are not adequately addressed. When teenage girls become pregnant, they are seen as irresponsible, reckless, and low class. These pregnant teenagers cannot get the help they need, because they face so much societal stigma. As a society, we have to face the fact that teenage pregnancy exists. We have to come up with constructive solutions to help these teenagers out when they're in need. No matter what we do, we cannot stop teenagers from becoming sexually active. We just have to help them deal with the consequences of their actions.

Teenage pregnancy help exists, but it is not universally available. Some of these organizations are little more than fronts for religious groups, trying to confront vulnerable teenagers and talk them out of the abortions that might save them from family humiliation. Other ones are more reputable, but not represented in all communities. Although teenage pregnancy support is better than it has ever been in this country, it is still not adequate. We need better support.