Persuasive Essay On Babies Having Babies

Babies Having Babies

Every year, 7.3 million teenagers around the world give birth to their first child (“The Teen Pregnancy Divide”). Teenage pregnancy, otherwise known as adolescent pregnancy, is the pregnancy of girls aged 10-19 years, leading to many maternal and neonatal adverse effects. Adolescent pregnancies have been recorded in every country, on every continent across the world. In developed first world countries, America has the most teenage pregnancies, leading with 57 pregnancies per 1,000 teenagers (“Adolescent Pregnancy and Its Outcomes Across Countries”). America's youth can be protected from teenage pregnancies through extensive sex education, readily available contraceptives, and a judgment-free relationship between teenagers

Only 23 states allow for minors to consent to birth control with no extenuating circumstances (“Minors’ Access to Contraceptive Services”). This means that in 27 states you cannot get birth control as a minor without extenuating circumstances such as being previously pregnant or married (“Minors’ Authority to Consent to Contraceptive Services”). Teens often feel a stigma around buying birth control. There are so many adults in their life who demonize contraceptives and pound into their heads that abstinence is the only birth control option. This makes the already challenging task of obtaining birth control even more difficult as now they are at a physical and mental disadvantage. With all that pressure and resistance against them it is no wonder why they often give up on trying to obtain contraceptives and have unsafe sex. For our children to practice the safe sex they have been learning about they need to have access to contraceptives whenever they need them. A study in 2014 showed that without a publicly funded contraceptive service teen pregnancy rate would have been 73% higher than it was (Capozzi). In the end even if we were to provide the sex education every teen in the country needs and would benefit from it means nothing if we do not provide them with the tools to use this

Some do not have a good relationship, and some feel the need to rebel. A faulty familial relationship is the steppingstones for a teen pregnancy. Seven out of 10 teens have fears about what their parents might think or say about them having sex which pushes them not to protect themselves when and if they have sex (Wallace). Parents may not approve of their child being sexually active for many reasons including cultural, religious, and moral. But we have all been teenagers and we all know that if a teenager wants to do something they will do it. Parents need to be role models for their children when it comes to sexuality. They should be a haven there to answer any questions they may have to prevent unhealthy sexual habits (Skosana et al.). This includes crossing cultural boundaries in sexual health. In diverse cultures the appropriate age to have children differs. However, we know that in everyone, no matter the culture, teen pregnancy leads to high rates of school dropouts and poverty (Skosana et al.). This should not be something normalized and forced onto children. Instead, we should look at past culture and instead at what is best for the child and their