Teenage Pregnancy

6 Pages 1542 Words

I’m quite sure most of us came back to school in August thinking, “Dang! Some people had a very interesting summer.” I don’t know how it was for you guys, but every time I turned around I saw a new face, a new expecting mother. This article is not written to offend or criticize anyone, but it is meant to inform students of the risks and responsibilities of teen pregnancy.
Every year, nearly one million teen girls get pregnant. At first I thought that girls just “slipped up”, but after asking for the opinions of several students and staff members, I have learned that most teen pregnancies are planned. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, almost 60% of teen pregnancies are intended. Of that percentage, more than half of teen mothers cite emotional void as the reason they became pregnant. P.E. Instructor Sherry Jackson said, “Pregnancy at Thornridge High School is a competition to fill a void. Some girls are not receiving the love and attention they require and are therefore turning to pregnancy as a solution.”
Senior Jennifer Stazzone said, “In some situations, girls have kids because they want that feeling of being loved or they want someone to love. This happens because they may not get that kind of attention from their parents, and they feel like it’s them against the world. Girls also get pregnant to keep the guy they’re with.” Of the remaining teen mothers whose pregnancies are intended, 40% cite a desire to hold on to the baby’s father as the reason they got pregnant.

Fact #1: Sex won’t make him yours, and a baby won’t make him stay.

Not only does getting pregnant result in having a child, but it could result in medical problems including, but not limited to, poor weight gain, pregnancy-induced hypertension, anemia, sexual transmitted diseases, and even death. It has been proven that teens experience a maternal death rate 2.5 times greater than t...