Four out of every five americans will have sex before the age of 20. Many of the youngest women in this group reported having sex forced on them. By the time they are 20, 40% of women will have been pregnant at least one time. Many of these women become pregnant as a result of not fully understanding their bodies and not being aware of birth control methods. Teens in the United States do not recieve near enough education on sexuality. In the Netherlands, where teenage activity is about the same as in the US, the teen pregnancy rate is one-ninth what it is in the US. If a teen gives birth to a child, she will be much more likely to drop out of school, rely on public assistance to raise her child, develope health problems, and have her marriage end in divorce. Children born to teenage mothers are much more likely to suffer from medical, psychological, economic, and educational disadvantages.
Some states are adopting laws that require parents involvment in the abortion decision. this is wrong. The decision of whether or not to get an abortion should be made by the the person who is pregnant. This decision should be confidential and not involve anyone unless agreed upon by the child bearer. In the past, teens who were afraid that their parents would find out that they were pregnant resorted to unsafe self-performed abortions. In doing this, they risk serious injury and death. For many teens this is a small risk compared to that of the involvment of their parents. Teens also try to conceal their pregnancies and put them off for as long as they can. This is dangerous because the longer you wait, the more dangerous the abortion will be. In some states, a judge can deny a teen the right to have an abortion. this can also cause the teen to perform a self-induced abortion. |
