United States Trends in Teenage Pregnancy
Teenage birth rates in this country have been declining steadily. While this is good news, teen birth rates in the U.S. remain high, exceeding those in most developed countries. High teen birth rates are an important concern because teen mothers and their babies face increased risks to their health, and their opportunities to build a future are diminished. Not only is teen pregnancy a concern for the young mother and baby, it is also a concern for society as a whole. Teen pregnancy affects society because the United States government spends billions of dollars on welfare programs, which many young mothers end up being on for support. As anyone could see, this is a problem that must be addressed and a social problem that needs continued support in reducing these alarming numbers. Chart number 85 of the tables in the Statistical Abstract provides information regarding the births and birthrates by age, sex, and race. This information gives us an idea about the types of people who are giving birth to children by certain characteristics. Analyzing the data and with regards to chart number 1, which is provided, one can see that the amount of births does not change that drastically by race. However, Blacks and Asian Pacific Isl
If we educate the teenagers about childrearing ahead of time, I feel we could eliminate many problems placed on society by teenage pregnancy. Chart number 3, which is provided, shows the number of births by teenage mothers by all races from ages 15-19 from 1990-2001. When using the linear equation given, one can make accurate predictions for the rate of the number of births to teenage mothers. For example, I predict that in 2005 the number of births for teenage mothers will be about 440,000. I propose that we continue to support, fund, and guide government programs such as Planned Parenthood to drive the numbers continually down. When this information is broken up by age in chart number 2, one can see that the percentage of teenage mothers is 11%, which does not seem like a high number but in relation to the others is still high. Even though these states are charted as having a lower percentage of low birth weights, the numbers are still much to high and need to be addressed. We saw this effect nation-wide, where the percentages of children born with a low birth weight were exceedingly high. For teenagers who are planning on facing parenthood, I propose funding programs through Women Infant Children (WIC) that teach teenage mothers the responsibility and needs of their infants. Chart number 2, which is provided, shows us the high percentages by state in the United States. Since we have accurate data about the characteristics of the teenage mothers who are having children, it helps us to understand the possible social implications of this group.
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