Nicole Nguyen Mrs. Wolfard 3rd period.

Teen Pregnancy leads to Adult Poverty.

In todays society, it seems as if more and more young girls enter the world, and come out as teenage mothers. Annually, 750,000 teens will get pregnant every year. Thats just about the population of Ft. Worth, Texas. A lot of teens engage in pre-marital sex, but some are not fortunate. The demands of being a parent are tough, and being a teen parent is even harder. More than 2/3 of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school. Thus, leading to poverty, welfare, and food stamps. I believe that if we can spread awareness, we can greatly reduce these numbers significantly. When a young girl is out being promiscuous, she is not thinking, Does this man have an STD?, Does he have a condom? They are only thinking in the moment and not into the future. Everyone always thinks, This could never happen to me. But when it does, they are left to face the consequences. You have to sacrifice the next eighteen years of your life, while the sperm donor gets to pick up the pieces and move on with his life. You have to sacrifice your

education. When a child is born to a poor teenage mother, the child is much more likely to grow up in poverty themselves. Statistics show that a child born to an unmarried mother has a 27% chance of growing up in poverty. Statistics also show that if the mother did not earn their high school diploma or something equivalent, that child has 64%. Is all of this worth it? It is it worth it to put your childs life in danger because of your mistakes? The media plays a great role in teen pregnancy. As young girls we always want to grow up faster and act older than we are. We would always try to sneak into R- rated movies, and try on our mothers make up. The shows we watch on TV greatly influence who we are as a society. The hit MTV show 16 and pregnant, and Teen Mom. Are about young girls and the challenges they face of being a teen mom. A lot of people might argue that these shows are exploiting young women, and encouraging kids to go out and have sex. Some people say that this show is rewarding young moms by saying that if they get pregnant, they can get their own show on MTV. Is this wrong or is this right? Personally, I think it is up to you and how you view things. If you view these mothers struggles and take them as a lesson learned then it can turn out to be a positive outcome.

In recent years, people have tried programs to reduce teen pregnancy numbers. Programs such as sex education in schools, abstinence pledges, and purity rings. I do not think it is worth it for teens to get pregnant. They should remain abstinent, until marriage and save themselves for marriage. They should wait until they have a college degree, and money to support a baby, not just their parents money. I think these pre-martial sex programs are doing a great job of reducing these numbers in statistics.

Works Cited Page

Swierzewski, Stanely J. "Teen Pregnancy Overview, Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy - Teen Pregnancy - Women's Health Channel." Your Women's Health Community - Women's Health Channel. Nov.-Dec. 2000. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.womenshealthchannel.com/teenpregnancy/index.shtml>.

15, By Age. "Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health." Guttmacher Institute: Home Page. Summer 1998. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html>. Teen Pregnancy: Facts and Prevention - FamilyEducation.com." Family Life, Child Development, Nutrition, Teen Health & School Safety - FamilyEducation.com. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://life.familyeducation.com/teen-pregnancy/57771.html>.
Teen Pregnancy Rates In The Usa | LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM - Health, Fitness, Lifestyle | LIVESTRONG.COM. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/12504-teenpregnancy-rates-usa/>.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/>.

"Why Teens Get Pregnant - Pregnant Teen Help." Pregnant Teen Help - Teen Pregnancy Statistics, Prevention and Facts. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.pregnantteenhelp.org/articles73.html>.