Essay on The Impact of Teen Pregnancy on the American People

The Impact of Teen Pregnancy on the American People Although the rate of teenage pregnancy in the United States has been on an overall decline, it remains the highest in the entire world. Teenage pregnancy is obviously still a problem in todays American society with roughly 97 per 1000 women aged 15-19, which rounds up to be roughly one million teenagers, becoming pregnant each year. Interestingly enough, 78% of these pregnancies are unintended. The births of these children are not only a problem for the parents and the families of the babies, but it is a huge problem and burden upon American Taxpayers. Taxpayers pay roughly 16.5 billion dollars every year to welfare and Medicaid programs to aid these young parents who are†¦show more content†¦As stated before, teenage pregnancy poses a sizeable financial burden to society. Between public assistance, child health care, foster care, and involvement with the criminal justice system, teenage mothers cost society an estimated $7 billion annually. Obviously, the minority issue is a problem with one in every four black teenage girls becoming pregnant by the time they are 18 years of age. Nearly a third of these ladies will have a second child by the time they turn 20 years of age. African-Americans and Hispanics have switched roles within the past few years, in which case Hispanics now have the highest teenage birth rate in America. Teenage mothers often decide to keep their children simply because their mothers, who were probably also teenage mothers, decided to keep them. These teenage mothers are often missing the guidance, love, and discipline that most children grow up with. Teenage mothers often have a sense of responsibility since they were often left at home to fend for themselves while their mother was at work, in which case, single mothers often have more than one job to try to support their family financially. The key to preventing teenage pregnancy lies within the education. It is very important to start teaching children at a very young age the cons and pros of sex, especially since the age that people are initiating intercourse is astonishing low. 7.2% of students nationwide report having sex before the age of 13, 42.5% by gradeShow MoreRelatedAbstinence-Only Education Is Harmful to American Teens Essay1410 Words   |  6 Pagesform of education has been a hot and debatable topic among many Americans. The original reason for sex education classes was to reduce problems such as sexually transmitted illnesses and prostitution. In recent years, abstinence has become the focus of sex education curriculum. Abstinence means refraining from sex completely. 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