Teen Pregnancy

Mary Morrison, Journalism I Student

Many people wonder if shows like “16 and Pregnant” encourages or discourages teenage pregnancy. Sources states that teen pregnancy has dramatically dropped since the pregnancy shows have aired. Websites like this: https://time.com/825/does-16-and-pregnant-prevent-or-promote-teen-pregnancy/ Says “reduced teen pregnancy by sixty percent.” These types of websites help prove points on why it discourages teen pregnancy. It’s more common for teens to accidentally get pregnant then for adults to purposely get pregnant. A website like: https://thewell.northwell.edu/when-getting-pregnant-isnt-easy tells us what the percentage of getting pregnant at a teen age compared to getting pregnant at an adult age. The website states that when you’re a teen it’ll be a ninety percent chance to get pregnant but when you thirty its only a seventy five percent chance.

There are many types of reasons why they shouldn’t yet they don’t realize until they see teen pregnancy shows. Many of them realize how much money and time the baby’s are. People spend between 12k to 14k just on the baby supplies yet for teens who do not have jobs or some don’t even know how to drive yet, can’t afford that. Even if they have their parents financially supporting them, the time the baby would take. The parents will still be teens and have to go to school while having a baby. On some moms it’s really tough to be away from their baby for to long but they still hav got go to school like everyone else. Not only that but according to  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5468596/ forty eight percent of teen parents do not last up to eighteen months together. Once the teen parents aren’t together no longer, it puts more pressure on them and the baby once it grows up.

Now the educational part of being a teen parent. Sources like:  https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/resources/health-information/unintended-pregnancy-among-young-people-in-the-united-states/ say that teen parents are less likely to achieve as much as regular teens. “Fifty-one percent of teen mothers are less likely to attain a high school diploma by the age of 22.” Some teen moms get to the point where they drop out and loose all hope of finishing their education. After a while the moms may decide to go to college and most do so they can get a well paying job for their one or more baby(s).

Teen pregnancy shows have dramatically dropped teen pregnancy and helped them realize what they are getting themselves into. Before many became teen parents they don’t realize how much money they cost but even with their parents money, it wont be enough. They need to get jobs and now have a responsibility that most at their age don’t yet. Plus being a teen parent can be very stressful but sometimes the family may break up or abandoned the kid. Many affects from the parents will rub off on the kid and cause many problems in the future. For now though, ever since the teen pregnancy shows have dropped may have been re-deciding and realize that they don’t wanna. They realize how their life could turn from partying and being a high schooler to being a parent and not having time alone no more. All within a year, life changes quicker than people think.