The Negative Effects of Teen Pregnancy free essay sample

The father still has to do the same, just not as much work. The mother will always be in the child’s life, but most teenage fathers will not be in there child’s life. Teen pregnancy is a major social and public health problem in the U. S. Teens have the highest pregnancy rate in the industrial world; 82 percent of the pregnancies were unplanned. Teenagers become pregnant at twice the rate of teens in other industrial countries, including England, Canada, and Wales. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 750,000 teenagers 15 to 19 become pregnant each year. Teen pregnancies are tied to poverty, academic failure, child abuse and neglect crime and other social health related problems (Spencer 1). Most of the teen pregnancies focus is on the mother but fathers are also affected. Amy Williams executive director of the Teenage Pregnancy and parenting project says in a 2005 Time magazine article that Teen fathers frequently feel they have to get a job and drop out of school and get a job. Teen fathers earn less over time than men who have children at an older age. Teen fathers earn 10 to 15 percent less annually than male teens that wait to have children. Besides earning less than men who wait to father children, teen fathers are required to pay child support until the child is 18. According to the report Adolescent Pregnancy and Childbearing in California only one in five teen mothers receives child support (Runzel 1). Babies born to teen mothers are at increased risk for low birth weight; these health problems are not associated with babies of older mothers. Pregnant teens are also less likely than older women to seek adequate prenatal care, which put the health of there babies in jeopardy (Fisher 1). Pregnant teens have to face the fear and confusion that comes with an unplanned pregnancy at a young age and may bear the burden of raising a child without the support of family or the child’s father (1). While many teen mothers and fathers choose to raise their own children, with or without the help of their own parents, some choose another route. Noticing the difficulties in raising children when they are still children themselves, some teen parents choose to put their children up for adoption. Often this allows the children to live with a family that is more financially capable of providing for the child and more stable over all. As a teen giving their children up will be difficult on both the mother and the father (Meyers 2). There are numerous negative aspects on teen pregnancy. It is important to know that it is the motherhood aspect that is difficult for teens as opposed to the actual pregnancy. Age is only one consideration when a pregnancy occurs. From a health perspective, there are many positive things about teen pregnancy (Roberts1). As long as a pregnant woman has regular quality prenatal care, her age is rarely an issue in terms of pregnancy. Females older than 15 face the same risks during pregnancy as women in their 20s and 30s. Some additional risk for girls younger than 15 are often related to poor health care. Females in developing countries, especially those with high populations, often become pregnant in their teens with little or no societal repercussions (1). Teen girls may not be prepared for the physical toll that pregnancy causes on one’s body. As the baby develops and the uterus expands, a girl’s hormones will begin to change and display havoc with their moods, which could be very difficult for a young woman already in emotional turmoil. She will also need to change her lifestyle to get more sleep and may not be able to practice in sports or other extracurricular activities because of her changing body. She might need to change her diet to include the nutrients and vitamins she was not getting previously (Shoop 1). Teenage mothers are more likely to have a low-birth weight baby. The baby may be premature, which may involve other health risks and complications. As the infant grows, he or she may be fussy or extremely active. Teenage mothers don’t always have the resources and supports needed for baby-sitters or doctor bills. Teenagers also aren’t emotionally mature enough to successfully manage the stress of parenting. They do not have many life experiences to fall back on when trying to teach their own children. People expect teen moms to do it all, yet often aren’t able or willing to help out or offer a hand (Erchuel 1) Because many teen moms do not complete their high school education, the jobs they qualify for likely pay minimum wage. In many cases these moms are financially independent, and minimum wage doesnt cover much after the child care bill is paid. Even for the moms who get some financial support from family or the baby’s father, money is often tight. This frequently prevents teen moms from going to college and furthering their education. They cannot afford school, day care and basic living expenses (Erchuel 1). Graduation rate for pregnant teenagers is rather low. Pregnancy often requires so much of a young girl that she finds she can’t physically or emotionally handle attending school and preparing to give birth or take care of her baby. Many girls also leave school because of embarrassment, and only a few of these girls finish their education later or go on to higher education. As a result, pregnant teens have less of a chance of being financially stable and giving their children a safe, stable environment (Shoop 1). Clearly, there’s a more negative effect on teen mothers than there is on the teen father, but obviously there’s negative effects for the both of them. Teen pregnancy is a process most teens go through to grow up, planned or unplanned no teen should