Crosby 1
             Teen pregnancy is one of the most critical issues facing America today. According to the
             latest data, there were over 1 million pregnancies to teens 15 to 19 years of age. (East and Felice
             1). Teenage pregnancy emerged as a social problem in the United States around 1970. The United
             States is the leading nation in adolescent childbearing, particularly among girls 15 and younger
             who are five times more likely to give birth in the United States than in other Western nations.
             The United States has the highest rate of adolescent pregnancy, birth, and abortion among six
             industrialized nations with comparable sexual activity. The pregnancy rate was twice that of
             England, Wales, France, and Canada, three times that of Sweden, and six times that of the
             Netherlands (Voydanoff and Donelly 11). The statistics of teenage pregnancy are alarming. As a
             nation, we can no longer afford the consequences of teen pregnancy. This research paper will
             discuss some possible reasons why teenage pregnancy is much more prevalent in the United
             States, and why it should be more of a social concern. Adolescent pregnancy continues to be a
             multidimensional problem that has staggering social and economiic tolls on individuals, families,
             and communities within the American society. The profound impact is evident in the physical,
             psychosocial, and cognitive development of the mother and infant, and reaches beyond the price
             of diapers and formula to the price of shattered families and unrealized dreams (Drake, 1996).
             There are many reasons given by teenagers for getting pregnant. Most are unintended. Some say
             they were swept along by the emotion of the moment. Others saw pregnancy as a way of making
             a short-term relationship more permanent, and did not try to avoid th...