The Red Zone Republic

TEENAGE PREGNANCY
Each year in the U.S. almost one million teenagers become pregnant--at enormous costs to themselves, their children, and society. While the facts are clear, the issues of teenage pregnancy are complicated by our conflicting attitudes and behaviors. Talk of sex fills the airwaves; younger and younger girls are portrayed as sex objects; and sex is used to sell everything from clothing to news. Yet we are shocked at the rising numbers of teens who are sexually active. If we are truly concerned about the welfare of babies, children and adolescents, we must move beyond the moral panic and denial that so often distort the discussion. Designing effective solutions will require the thoughtful separation of fact, assumption and wishful thinking and an honest acknowledgment that much is still not fully understood about the causes of teenage pregnancy.



CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Cause or Effect? The burdens of early childbearing on disadvantaged teens are undeniable. Trying to untangle the factors which contribute to teenage pregnancy from its effects, however, leads to a "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" dilemma. Educational failure, poverty, unemployment and low self-esteem are understood to be negative outcomes of early childbearing. These circumstances also contribute to the likelihood of teen pregnancy. For example, recent studies suggest that most adolescent mothers have already dropped out of school before they become pregnant. On the other hand, adolescents still enrolled in school when they give birth are as likely to graduate as their peers. It is not clear how well the adolescents with the most problems would have fared in the future even without early parenthood.

Trends in nonmarital childbearing. It may surprise some to learn that the teen birth rate was 50% higher in 1957 than it is now. Today's widespread concern over teenage pregnancy may have less to do with actual numbers and more to do with the growing percentage of teen mothers who are unmarried. Teens who have babies outside of marriage fit within a broader nationwide trend--unmarried women of all ages are having babies in increasing numbers. Births to single teens actually account for a smaller percentage of all nonmarital births than twenty years ago.

Economic forces. In the 1950s when men with little education could find well-paid jobs, young people married if a pregnancy occurred. The loss of those jobs makes marriage less attractive today--an effect that can be seen on teens of all races. In 1955, for example, only 6% of white teenage childbearing occurred outside of marriage; today it is 42%. Economics may also be responsible for the lower percentage of poor adolescents who terminate their pregnancies, since Medicaid policies in most states do not pay for abortions, but do pay for services related to childbirth.

Motivation. The Alan Guttmacher Institute states that "while sexual activity among teenagers of all income levels is now common, having a baby is not. Adolescent childbearing is heavily concentrated among poor and low-income teenagers, most of whom are unmarried." While low-income youths may not intend to have a baby, they may not be sufficiently motivated to avoid pregnancy. Without a prize beckoning from the future--a good job, financial independence and marriage--young people from low income backgrounds may have little incentive to delay childbearing.

Mixed Messages. The American popular culture glorifies sex and ignores responsibility. Beginning in early childhood, young people are bombarded with sexual messages. At the same time, puritanical attitudes restrict the availability of resources and frank discussions about sex. Other Western nations with similar levels of adolescent sexual activity have much lower rates of adolescent pregnancy than the U.S. In countries with straightforward attitudes about sex, teens get more consistent messages, clearer information and greater access to contraception and abortion.

Risk Factors. Although it is not inevitable, some life circumstances place girls at higher risk of becoming teen mothers. These include poverty, poor school performance, growing up in a single parent household, having a mother who was an adolescent mother, or having a sister who has become pregnant.

Sexual Abuse and Coercion. A high percentage of girls who have sex before age 15 have been victims of incest or other sexual abuse. Further, half of the fathers of babies born to women aged 15-17 are 20 years of age or older; in one fifth of the cases, they are at least six years older. In the past this behavior would have carried severe social sanctions. Today, few men are prosecuted for having sexual relations with a minor, even though it is still against the law.

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

All teenagers need encouragement to postpone sexual involvement and information on pregnancy prevention if they become sexually active. But these components are not enough by themselves to make a significant impact on the reduction of pregnant and parenting teens. The issues of adolescent pregnancy are too complex for simple solutions. The Children's Defense Fund emphasizes that young people need both "the motivation and the capacity to avoid too-early pregnancy and parenting." Further, young people are not a homogenous group, so solutions must be sensitive to individual and group differences. The most successful programs are ongoing and comprehensive. They combine several strategies which focus on helping kids succeed. Boys and girls who do well in school, participate in nonacademic activities, and plan for their future are less likely to become pregnant or bear a child during their teenage years. A wide range of interventions aimed at youth is also insufficient, however, if we do not address the larger overriding issues of poverty, racism and media messages that contribute to the complexity of the problem.

Multilevel approach. While the sexual experiences of youth differ greatly, the fact remains that most will become sexually active during their adolescent years, and many will become pregnant or father a child. Consequently, the goals for programs addressing teenage pregnancy must be threefold: first, directed at delaying the initiation of sexual intercourse; second, directed at preventing pregnancy for youth who are sexually active; and third, directed at ensuring the well-being of young people who do become parents, including the avoidance of additional pregnancies.

Sexuality education. While some have voiced concern that sex education increases sexual activity, studies show that this is not the case. In fact, effective sex education programs can decrease sexual activity and increase contraceptive use among those already sexually active. Successful programs have a number of similar components. They maintain a narrow focus on reducing specific sexual risk-taking behaviors; they provide accurate information about sexuality; they build interpersonal and communication skills to resist sexual pressures; they address both social and media influences on sexual behaviors; they reinforce individual values and group norms linked to responsible behavior and decision-making; and finally, they involve students in the learning process through small group discussions, role-playing, interviewing parents, and other activities. Many programs have also involved older teens as role models.

Access to childbearing alternatives. Teenagers-both males and females-who are sexually active need easy access to contraceptives and confidential family planning services. Young women who are poor or low-income also need the same opportunities as their more advantaged peers to terminate a pregnancy if they decide that they are not capable of bearing and raising a child.

Not for girls only. Too often, adolescent pregnancy is viewed as a problem having to do exclusively with teenage girls. Overlooked are the teenage boys and men who share equally in this responsibility. Their need for pregnancy prevention information and services is no less important.

Clear, consistent messages. Young people need to hear strong and consistent messages about responsible sexual behavior. Certainly parents--through discussion and example--carry the primary responsibility for guiding their children, and they should be supported in doing so. But the larger community, and especially the media, must regularly reinforce parents with complementary rather than contradictory messages.

Future prospects. Positive life options give teens hope for the future and the motivation to avoid early childbearing. Students need the skills and advanced training that will enhance their prospects for employment. They also need assurance that further education and/or meaningful employment will be available to them. Schools and businesses can play a crucial role in making this happen.

Nonacademic opportunities for success. When children are isolated from their peers, lack positive adult role models or experience few successes, they are at-risk of slipping into problem behaviors. Communities must ensure that children have access not only to nurturing adults, but also to a broad spectrum of programs, activities, and service opportunities that can build self-confidence, bolster self-esteem, and forge positive connections.

Family support and parenting programs. Current studies show that when fathers are involved in the physical care of their children before the age of three, they are less likely to sexually abuse their own or any other child in the future. To break the cycle of sexual abuse which often leads to teenage pregnancy, intensive family support programs, such as Healthy Families, are needed to teach fathers about parenting and help them connect with their children from birth.

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TEENAGE PREGNANCY: THE FACTS

Teenage sexual activity:

56% of young women and 73% of young men today have had intercourse by age 18, compared with 35% of young women and 55% of young men in the early 1970s. One in 5 youth do not have intercourse before the age of 20. (1)

Most of the increase in teen women having intercourse in the 1980s was among white teens and those in higher-income families. (2)

The fathers of babies born to teenage mothers are likely to be older than the women: Half of the fathers of babies born to women aged 15-17 are 20 years of age or older. About one in 5 of all teenage mothers had a partner six or more years older. (1)

Some 74% of women who had intercourse before age 14 and 60% of those who had sex before age 15 report having had sex involuntarily. (3)

Teenage pregnancy and birth:

Each year, nearly one million teenagers in the U.S.-approximately 10 percent of all 15- to 19-year-old females-become pregnant. About one third of these teens abort their pregnancies, 14% miscarry, and 52% bear children, 72% of them out of wedlock. (4) More than 9 in 10 teens who give birth keep their babies; few place their babies for adoption. (5)

More than 40 percent of women in the U.S. become pregnant before they reach 20 years of age. (5)

6 in 10 teen pregnancies occur among 18- to 19-year-olds. (1)

U.S. teenagers have one of the highest pregnancy rates in the Western world-twice as high as rates found in England, France and Canada, three times as high as that in Sweden; and seven times as high as the Dutch rate. (5)

One in every eight births in the U.S. is to a teenager; one in five among African Americans. (6 ) However, white teenagers (under age 20) account for about 68% of all adolescent births and 52% of births to unmarried mothers. Only 16% of adolescent mothers are unmarried black or Hispanic teens under 18. (7)

Cost:

In 1992 the Federal government spent more than $34 billion on welfare for families begun by teenagers, up from $16.6 billion in 1985.6 In 1995, Indiana spent $7.4 million in Aid to Dependent Children for approximately 2,700 teen parents. (8)

For every federal dollar spent on giving contraceptives to low-income women the government saves more than $4 in welfare payments, medical costs, etc. (6)

Of all the women aged 15-44 who received welfare or AFDC in 1993, over half (55%) became mothers when they were teenagers. Only 5% were currently teenage mothers; of these, 83% were aged 18-19. (1)

Unmarried childbearing:

In early 1980s more than half of all births to adolescents occurred outside marriage, compared with only about one-third in 1970. (9)

Only 34% of men 20 -29 years old were married in 1993, compared with 58% in 1973. (10)

Contraception:

Sexually active teenagers are more likely than any other age group to be nonusers of contraception--one in five currently use no method of contraception. (2) A sexually active teenager who doesn't use contraception has a 90% chance of pregnancy within one year. (1)

Outcomes:

The children of teenage mothers are at greater risk of lower intellectual and academic achievement, health complicatoins, social behavior problems and problems of self-control than are children of older mothers, primarily due to the effects of single parenthood, lower maternal education, and large family size. (9)

Seven in 10 teen mothers complete high school or eventually earn a G.E.D., but they are less likely than women who delay childbearing to go on to college. (3)

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References:

(1 ) "Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy," The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1996.

(2) "Sexual and Contraceptive Behavior Among U.S. Teens," Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. 1993.

(3) Sex and America's Teenagers, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994.

(4) Kids Having Kids, Robin Hood Foundation, 1996.

(5) "Pregnancy and Childbearing Among U.S. Teens," Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., 1993.

(6) "Babies Born Into Peril," Chicago Tribune, 22 May 1994.

(7) Rhode, Deborah and Annette Lawson, Eds., The Politics of Pregnancy, 1993.

(8) Healthy Babies Project, Memorial Hospital of South Bend

(9) Hayes, Cheryl, Risking the Future, 1987.

(10) The State of America's Children, Children's Defense Fund, 1996.



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©1996 by Sue Christensen and Ann Rosen, The Family Connection of St. Joseph County, Inc. This briefing paper was developed for Memorial Health System, South Bend IN, for use in conjunction with a forumon teenage pregnancy, fatherhood, and black infant mortality. It may be copied in part or in whole to further advance the understanding of teenage pregnancy and to promote the implementation of successful strategies, providing credit is given to the authors, The Family Connection of St. Joseph County, Inc. and to Memorial Health System, South Bend, as sponsosr.

HAPPY birthday!

Well, i don't see the logic behind rushing noynoy aquino to grab the position. I do agree with him that everything needs to be well planned. In fact, it reflects the ideal way of taking responsibilities. Well i can say the scene is much alike when you grasp a handful of sand unto your hands. You notice that most of it are set lose, letting some of it spill off your posession. The same with the current issue. It may seem to be easy to say that running for presidency will definitely make a new hope out of our sinking nation but the question will be how much of it can that leader could hold? How much devotion can he or she lend so that wasting will be avoided. How much effort can he or she sacrifice for a dream of a better nation that had lingered through the veins of every filipino people all this time.Well ,it is something to be reflected at. IN summary, i totally want NOYNOY to become a leader, a leader that think and reflect for what he believes is best for his country. He already started it. Saludo po ako sayo senator aquino:) Hope you'll be an instrument of change. LET's support him!

Today seems to be boring. Not that much work to do. All i did the whole afternoon was sleeping and playing kung fu wars. huhuhu. I need to search for my discussion tomorrow:(. Today was a sad day too, when one of our patients dies at the ward. Surely, i got carried out of the scenario but i think that borders the definition of life.

:(

Another morning again, another working day:). There are lots of things that i still want to do in the future, hope i can finish and settle them along the way. Well today i am going to the clinic of my aunt for my annual check up. :) mahirap na diba?hehehehe . Them later probably to JK to grab some coffee:)

Welcome:) all your worries will be entertained here:) please feel free to access this new site

I really hate him to the depths of my bones. I can never forget all the times and memories, i wasted with this ridiculous man. I am torn in an abyss of darkness where i can't find any redemption nor atonement. What i know, is that i am pouring a lot of tears for a scenario that i never deserved. If they only had given me the choice as to where i should be born... i could have chosen a different home:( a home that i won't be criticized nor looked under the belt. There were no days that had passed by that i never regret what had happened to me and i won't hesitate to admit that i still do feel the same way. But the issue falls not under me its with him and there can be no forgiveness on my part. I am suffering and i am tired. Hope this could be like any other fairy tale where there is always a happy ending. No an ending without him and his face.

why do i have a feeling that he's gone:(

Today isn't my lucky day. All of a sudden it turns gray for me, shading off the colors that i possess supposed to be. How i wish i could contemplate to every bit of reality that i need to understand, but every time i make my step for it, it turns the other way:( People can't just live for themselves. They always need to kick somebody's ass just to satisfy there greedy thoughts. But now shootingstars won't belong to there list of victim anymore, no!, not now nor ever.

i hate this part right here:)
i can't take it any longer

As a blogger i would like to share my opinion towards the two current concerns of our country today:)
First: The outbreak of AH1N1 to the outskirts of the country
They said that the they will quarantine the 16-17 passengers of the plane who sat nearest to the child who was said to be infected. Now let's go back to the scenario, the plain traveled for the entire 6 HOURS. For me that is enough to infect EVERYONE who was on the plain.WHY? AH1N1 is possibly transmitted via droplet
For everyone's information
an amount of air droplets is released every time we exhale.
[Try this: breathe on a piece of mirror and you'll notice moist formation]
Imagine even though if its just a child still 6hours is an enough time frame to reach everyone
so i think they should look for the other passengers which is kinda late. They could had interacted with the crowd already by now:(

Tips: just bring with you your antiseptics and regularly wash your hands every time you use public facilities


DR Hayden koh
[REACTION]

In my point of view, i don't like to judge whether who's right and wrong. I would like to propose to the public to be open-minded with this issue. I'm quite amazed with the support of the women
to katrina and the act of the authorities toward the scandal.

Well pretty sure hayden is being pointed as the culprit of everything. but let me remind you that things don't happen if they don't have the consent of both parties. In general, not mentioning names, at the first place there will be no scandal if there are no participants right? And to think that it happens secretly both parties suffers equal shear responsibilities and consequeces regarding the act:)

I know we filipinoes are better than that. i can say we are capable to take this matter in a more critical way. Now is not the right time to overconclude but i think we''ll know the truth only if we hear the parties:)

I've been listening to this song white horse by Taylor swift and it really caught my attention:) "I'm not a princess,this is not a fairy tale.....and its too late for you and your white horse to catch me now" hahaha talking bout being so mellow dramatic. It made me remember of someone back @ high school. Well not exactly someone but a whole bunch of people that I've been with on my high school days. Truly i miss them a lot :( . I miss hanging with them. Well they thought i moved on with my own scheme but the truth is...i haven't yet. Miss TWL :(

shoots! there's another song that MADE ME MISS THEM EVEN MORE!:(

"with you is where I'd rather be,but we're stuck where we are so hard so far. This long distance is killing me"

Can you hear me crying hard!!
Shootingstars cry T.T

it seems like gravity has it's effects on me. I'm being hunted by a memoir that i tried to burry
a long time ago:(

my attention was called by my tita, she tried to ask me if i can be around the operation that she was about to handle. Wah! so much for the bluff it was very tiring. Ive been standing for (imagine) 9 whole hours. My legs were so like to give in that time. But i was so lucky, got the chance to know something new. Anyways lets go to another topic. For two whole days ive been eating alot. hahahaha:) nice. For sure i'll increase my weight:) huhuhuhhuh got troubles in sleeping at night,but i can still manage that.hahaha so long:)

Find it so easy to go through this day, and it takes only a day till my big day. Its a rainy afternoon plus the noise that keeps me annoyed but im still fine. Tire from duty and stuff but still going on:)

what a sad morning and i cant even explain why. I just woke up having questions that i never had before. I took a 15min. ride for a coffee and tried to make sense of everything. Well i still can't open up the topic yet, sad to say i'm not ready yet. Am i being hunted by the past? That i really don't know:(

Its been 2 weeks already since that awful day. Nothing could have gone much worst that to see two of my members go and leave. The other one left for manila and the other one was transfered to another group. Hehehe i can still remember those days that we had at cebu. When chessa kept on laughing, making it alot funnier indeed. She always had that crazy look that makes the group burst into laughter. How i wish that get together day comes sooner haik!