Teenage Pregnancy: Definition And Analysis Of Growth

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Much as most people like to think, many young people, couples, unmarried, or in a relationship have been forced to separate for various reasons. Teenage pregnancy refers to a case where a woman below the legal age of 18, whether married or not, is made pregnant. Although it is still rife in most parts of Africa and other societies, the problem is alarmingly increasing to an extent its danger has been likened to that caused by drug abuse. In the book Teenage Pregnancy,2009, Arai explains that in addition to other problems, teenage mothers suffer from both short and long-term financial struggle. Most of them only find strength in their role as a mother but at a cost to their children and themselves. Due to their unpreparedness and immaturity, they are unsuitable parents who heavily rely on support from welfare.

Apart from Africa, teenage pregnancy is also on the rise in the US and UK. Most surveys carried out by both nongovernmental and governmental agencies state that over 10 million children are born to teenage women. The situation is worse in developing countries with the figure indicating more than 80% of the female teenagers in these countries are victims. There are many reasons that make the case to be rife in third-world countries; some are avoidable but most causes cannot be totally done away with but can only be reduced. Statistically, majority of the affected female teenagers come from economically disadvantaged societies. In this setup, their academic performance is affected which lower their aspirations for their own educational goals, there are dysfunctional families, exposure to drug and substance abuse and thus behavioral problems that leave them in the hands of fate. In the United States, over 1 million teenage pregnancies, over 100, 000 miscarriages and 400,000 abortions were recorded (Sathiparsad, pp.540). These are ridiculous figures that have prompted most parents and guardians to seek for solutions. Organizations and schools came up with programs that kept track of the trends of the teenagers, seeking for effective solutions to reduce pregnancy rates and pre-marital sex, but at the very end they all agreed that it is up the teens themselves to change their tendencies. Usually, these girls are torn between their peer pressure and warning from parents and teachers to an extent they lack a decision to make; one choice is extremely tempting but the other has completely no practicality.

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As simple as it may sound, teenage pregnancy has become a menace for school-going girls. There is a misconception for teenagers when they go to high school that having had sex or being sexually active is “okay”. In the contemporary teenage world, using a condom has become outdated. What most teens don’t understand is that condoms, if used correctly and consistently, does help prevent both unwanted pregnancies and STDs, something they all know. The condoms are quite effective in prevention of HIV, although it has surprisingly recorded minimal success in prevention of specific STDs. For example, latex condoms have recorded the best results in preventing unwanted pregnancies to 3%. However, not only teenagers but most people misuse them and a great number end up contracting STDs. 

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