Teen pregnancy is a major social concern today. Teens are not
             usually emotionally or financially prepared to become parents, yet teens
             tend to have high fertility rates. Most often, when teenagers become
             pregnant is is completely unplanned, and the overwhelming nature of this
             situation can cause them to make impulsive decisions. (Mayo Clinic)
             "Teenage pregnancy rates remain high. In the United States, approximately 1
             million teenage girls become pregnant every year. As many as 5% of teenage
             girls give birth and, in 1997, about 13% of U.S. births were to teens.
             About 25% of teenage girls who give birth have another baby within 2
             years." (WHC) As a mother of three young girls that are about to reach
             their adolescent years, this is a topic of the utmost concern for me
             because I know they are all at risk of being affected by teen pregnancy in
             some way. There are serious consequences of teenage pregnancy including
             that the children born often have health problems like low birth rate and
             developmental challenges, teen mothers often leave school and do not have
             the resources to care for their children without assistance, and these
             pregnancies are a burden on society in the forms of public assistance and
             foster care. (Planned Parenthood) It is important to understand the risks
             that are involved for the teenage mother and the baby, and to know what can
             be done to support them to minimize these risks. Additionally, it is vital
             that steps are taken to reduce the numbers of teen pregnancies.
             The first major consequence of teenage pregnancy is that the health
             of the baby is put at risk. Teenage mother are less likely to gain a
             proper amount of weight during pregnancy, which leads to low birth rates of
             the infants. Low birthrate can lead to many health problems including
             brain hemorrhaging, respiratory problems, intestinal problems, and even a
             high rate of infant mortality. (WHC...