Teen Pregnancy Statistics

Teen pregnancy statistics reveal that, out of the western industrialized world, the US has the highest rates of pregnant teens. One in every three teenage girls will become pregnant in the United States alone! The numbers are alarming and the consequences even more so.

A teen pregnancy refers to a young woman becoming pregnant before reaching the age of adulthood. Depending on the country, this interval varies between 14 and 21 years old. These kinds of pregnancies are usually unintentional and come as a result of poor education about safe sex.

Teen Pregnancy Is Decreasing

There is a recorded drop in teen pregnancies since the 1990s by somewhere around 70%. While this is somewhat reassuring, the number of teens who become pregnant is still big. Around 750,000 young girls will get pregnant each year.

The number one cause for these alarming figures is poor education regarding intercourse safety and protection. Another problem is a poor financial situation which impairs possibility to purchase condoms or birth control pills. Home education is also an important factor. While the school will usually provide the teenage girl with proper information about how to avoid getting pregnant, they will seldom teach them how to say no when they are pressured into engaging in sexual intercourse. This job falls on the parents who, either due to poor communication skills or lack of interest, would rather not talk about it, considering the subject as being taboo.

Another less common factor in the western civilization but more common in the East is teen marriage which leads to sexual encounters and eventually, pregnancy. Also, a common factor worldwide is age discrepancy. Usually, statistics show that teenage mothers are impregnated by older boys.

Sexual abuse is shown to be accountable for 11% to 20% of teenage pregnancies. Engaging in sexual intercourse with a minor is against the law, even if it is consensual – the legal term used is statutory rape.

Consequences Of Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy statistics show that only 57% of teen pregnancies end in birth. 14% will end in miscarriages or other complications and the rest of 29% will end in abortions. Also, reports show that in the US, black teens have higher teen pregnancy rates than any other ethnicity.

A major downside to teen pregnancy is education. Studies show that most teens that become pregnant interrupt their education. Even less choose to attend college if they keep the baby. This leads to an increased numbers of young adults who do not own a diploma and have to settle for lesser jobs in order to sustain their family. Earning just minimum wage, most young mothers will have to work double shifts. This leads to an early break in the bond between mother and child which can have drastic consequences for the both in the upcoming future.

Money is an issue as well. Teen pregnancy statistics show that $7 billion are spent annually in the US alone for pregnant teens. This money is spent on aids given to young mothers who cannot sustain themselves financially due to their age. Ironically, millions of dollars are spent on teenage pregnancy prevention programs as well.

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