Over one million teen females get pregnant
each year within the United States. Of those one million, "500,000 give
birth. Seven out of 10 teens will be sexually active by the time they graduate
from high school. Only half will have used protection their first time,"
(GIC). This, again, is why sex education is important in the classroom.
Not only is sex ed important but also the way the parents raise their children
and what type of environment they grow up in. Especially in today's society
with Teen Mom and 16 And Pregnant, Secret Life of the American Teenager etc. more and more teenagers
are following in their footsteps. During the 1950s, teens were less
sexually active than they are now, "but because of the lack of birth
control options and legal abortions, the birth rate approximated what it is
today," (GIC). Contraceptives are a big topic of debate, but if we are
trying to reduce the amount of pregnancies than shouldn't there be more ways
for teenagers to use contraceptives to prevent them from getting pregnant? All
in all there is so much, as a community, we can do to ensure teens stay teens
and not have to worry about growing up too fast.
There are
several religions that do not believe in contraceptives such as Christianity and
then there are those religions who believe contraceptives are important to
prevent disease and the possibility of pregnancy like Protestants. Prevention
of pregnancy by the use of condoms, Birth Control, and even the prevention of
disease is possible with contraceptives. If our nation is so concerned with the
amount of teen pregnancies, then shouldn’t it be easier to get contraceptives
especially those who do not want to tell their parents that they are sexually
active due to violent consequences? Each individual is different and therefore
each person should be allowed to take medication to prevent teen pregnancies. Although
health issues due arise from birth control and other contraceptives, they are
easily treatable and not as long lasting as those who have to raise a child. A
demographical benefit of contraceptives, is “it enables world population to be controlled and thus
protects the environment and reduces poverty,” (
This video from
CNN offers another view as to why teen pregnancy needs to be reduced. Dr. Laura
Berman reinstates that sex education is not being taught enough in the school
system as well as in the home.
Works Cited:
"Contraception Is Not Wrong." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/contraception/in_favour.shtml>.
WE ALL MUST WORK TOGETHER TO PREVENT TEEN-AGE
PREGNANCY.(Editorial)
"WE ALL MUST WORK TOGETHER TO PREVENT TEEN-AGE
PREGNANCY." Seattle Post-Intelligencer [Seattle, WA] 29
Feb. 1996: A11. Global Issues In Context. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.
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