Preventing Teenage Pregnancy

In society today, teenage pregnancy is an issue which affects not only the young mother, but also the child in numerous ways. Society needs to be better informed about methods of preventing this type of pregnancy. Small steps to prevent teenage pregnancy are not taken, and many are unaware of how much it really does affect their adolescent years. Teenage mothers are less likely to graduate high school, endure high levels of stress, and are more prone to drug use. Teenage pregnancy can not be fully stopped, but it can be slowly reduced by having the “talk” with children at a suitable age, using condoms, and taking birth control if you are sexually active. ● According to the United States Center for Disease Control: o 43% of US teens aged 15-19 are sexually active o 86% (4 in 5) used birth control the last time they had sex o In 2013, 273,000 infants were born to teens ages 15 to 19 ● Teenage mothers are less likely to graduate from high school... are more likely to have low selfesteem and symptoms of depression…[and] have behavioral and substance-abuse problems. ● Although there are many different ways to prevent a teenage girl from becoming pregnant, the only one that is absolutely effective is sexual abstinence