Every twenty-six seconds a teen becomes pregnant in the United States. The women who
tend to become teen mothers tend to be among the Black and Hispanic decent. Others tend to be
sexually assaulted or abused as children. Whether realized or not, teen pregnancy effects
everyone. It takes a toll on the taxpayers, the teens families, and the child. Teen pregnancy can
change the course of a person's life, as seen with Novalee Nation, in the book Where the Heart
Teens become pregnant for seemingly many reasons. "85% of White teens and 70% of
black teens said they had not wanted to have a baby at the time of conception"(Luker, Pg. 153).
Statistics indicate, that most teen pregnancies are accidental. Other teens seem to think it will
solve their problems, "While privileged people may see a detriment in a teenager becoming a
mother, these girls see it as a realistic improvement in their lives"(Thompson, Pg. 45)
According to figures published by the Children's Defense Fund, 50 percent of all
teenagers between the ages of fifteen and nineteen have had intercourse, as have four out of five
twenty-year- olds. It seems clear that a lot of teens-50 percent at present- can't or won't
subscribe to the "just say no" philosophy. The only sure way to avoid teen pregnancy is to
Often pregnancy occurs not because teens can't obtain contraception, but because there
are powerful psychological factors at work. Only fourteen percent of teen couples use any form
of protection, the first time they have intercourse. Most couples wait until they have been
sexually active for nine months before they visit a birth control clinic. The major reason for a
visit to a clinic is for a pregnancy test. The danger is real: half of all unintended pregnancies
occur during the first six months after teens start having intercourse.
People often talk of "getti...