Teen Pregnancies - Where's the shame?

[BeautifulSilence]

Seriously, it is so not a taboo any more. What are your views?

[This probably varies due to location] We have sexual health talks seemingly every other week in secondary schools, colleges and youth groups. So with all the education we've been given and all of the free forms of contraception we're offered, why is everyone still getting knocked up? And better yet, why aren't the educators pissed off about it?

There are record amounts of abortions for teenagers and when it may have once been a hush hush situation, an appointment is now practically a regular occurrence and is completely accepted.

One of the other popular options would be the teen parents deciding to keep the unwanted products of conception to raise as a child. I remember not too long ago, my friend was pushing her baby sister around in a pram and got countless disgusted looks. Yet no more than a few years later another friend will happily walk around with her infant and get loads of cooing from strangers.

Of course, there are times when unwanted pregnancies can benefit the less fortunate. This of course is adoption and occasionally, fostering. When a couple of adolescents fuck up, they can push the responsibility on to someone else who sees it as a blessing. Biological parents get to keep their lives. Adoptive parents get the child they've been trying so many years for. Child gets a decent upbringing. So, everyone's a winner.

Surely it would be more cost effective and emotionally beneficial if there were some kind of set up where girls sorted with a form of long term contraception on their thirteenth birthday, which will be a regular thing until they decide that they definitely want to have children and a professional informs them of all things reproductive and agrees that they are prepared.

In conclusion. Does anything really need to be done at all? If it's so accepted, then maybe it's not that bad. After all, biologically, our bodies are more suited for pregnancy and child birth in our teens. Maybe we should just accept it as part of our generation's apparent 'self-destruction'? What do you think?

[Cloud]

Well really. its the morons in charges fault
you set an age of consent by law
then see thousands of people a year under that age pregnant.
now im not saying you should be arrested for being pregnant under 16/18/whatever it is in your country. but if they did something about it to try to stop teens getting pregnant then it wouldnt be so much of a problem

Or the fact that the sex before you turrn your countries age of consent, is more of a taboo than actual teen pregnancies are is so fucking stupid and backwards, its what makes people shy about buying or asking for contraceptives
yet when they dont because its Socially unnaccepted then they get pregnant from it and end up with having to be accepted since it cant be changed that they got pregnant

stupid fucking society

[Disco Jones]

You want mandatory contraception for all girls when they turn thirteen?

[Amnesiac]

Catholics and other social conservatives need to stop being pussies and give teens condoms already. Abstinence doesn't work. It's been shown too many times. Texas, where I live, has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the United States, and we are abstinence-only here. You want teens to stop having babies? Tell them to have safe sex.

Teenage pregnancy is completely natural anyway. As you said, teenagers are most suited for pregnancy. Trying to suppress the wave of sexual emotion that puberty holds is unhealthy and pretty much not possible.

Teenagers will always have sex. Just give them the contraceptives and this "problem" will sort itself out.

[Hewhohasnoriches]

Maybe more parents should get be less "hush-hush" about talking about sex with their kids. Maybe the media shouldn't promote sex as often in TV, movies, music, games, etc. Maybe such sexual media should be (NOT CENSORED, FUCK NO!) put under stronger legislation to keep them from being viewed by young people. Shit, maybe we should make our fashions for girls less-sexualized and hide the T&A...

Just maybe.

It's better if a kid gets an idea of sex from the parent's perspective than from whatever the shit on TV pushes on them.

[Fruit_Tart.]

i don't find it in any sort of way weird. i have quite a bit of friends that already have kids and our school provides them a daycare to allow the moms/even dads to go to school and "take care" of their offspring all at once. i love kids and all but i would wait till i get out of school to have one. if someone has a kid before then, then that's too bad for them, it just makes it harder on them. just wish people would talk about pregnacy prevention more. teach more health here.

[Amnesiac]

i don't find it in any sort of way weird. i have quite a bit of friends that already have kids and our school provides them a daycare to allow the moms/even dads to go to school and "take care" of their offspring all at once. i love kids and all but i would wait till i get out of school to have one. if someone has a kid before then, then that's too bad for them, it just makes it harder on them. just wish people would talk about pregnacy prevention more. teach more health here.

Wow, where do you live?! Here in Texas that would never happen, thanks to our high population of both Republicans and Catholics.

[Fruit_Tart.]

im your next door neighbor. lol. i live in New Mexico. it's cuz the teens here don't know much about pregnacy prevention till they actually GET pregnant or have their kid. idk why the schools here don't inforce health more. like it should be required early in middle school then the freshman year of high school but eh... and condoms. no one ever uses condoms here. they always depend on the pill the girl takes. eh... guys here are lazy as hell when it comes to sex and they dont take the time and acknowlegement to make those steps before actually having sex. oh well... i know my caution areas and i WILL be protected whenever i have it. like i said before: i don't want a kid NOW. lol.

[Amnesiac]

im your next door neighbor. lol. i live in New Mexico. it's cuz the teens here don't know much about pregnacy prevention till they actually GET pregnant or have their kid. idk why the schools here don't inforce health more. like it should be required early in middle school then the freshman year of high school but eh... and condoms. no one ever uses condoms here. they always depend on the pill the girl takes. eh... guys here are lazy as hell when it comes to sex and they dont take the time and acknowlegement to make those steps before actually having sex. oh well... i know my caution areas and i WILL be protected whenever i have it. like i said before: i don't want a kid NOW. lol.

well, it's nice to know one state is at least more accepting of teen pregnancy and sex than here. Texas is so abstinent it makes me angry. Instead of telling us to use protection and tread carefully, they threaten us with sex offender status and jail time. All over a bunch of practically unenforceable laws. It makes me sick.

[Fruit_Tart.]

what the fuck!!!???? that's messed up! i mean totally messed up dude! man i feel bad for the sexually active there. :( man that sucks. shit i needa give these coppers my two cents and give em hell about this shit.

[Amnesiac]

what the fuck!!!???? that's messed up! i mean totally messed up dude! man i feel bad for the sexually active there. :( man that sucks. shit i needa give these coppers my two cents and give em hell about this shit.

you should talk to this police officer from Beaumont (east of Houston), he came to our school and gave this disgusting lecture detailing EVERY SINGLE thing the courts could hit us with for having sex. It was horrible, I wanna punch that guy in the face.

And, again, Texas has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the U.S. (http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/state-data/state-profile.aspx?state=texas)

[Fruit_Tart.]

but... more kids... i love kids... what the hell is wrong with more kids?!?

[Jess]

I would never plan to get pregnant at my age. no. I don't want children anyways...(no I still love kids)

[steve1234]

Well, I live in the UK (and I notice you do as well BeautifulSilence), which has the highest levels of teenage pregnancies in Europe, and also has the highest rates of abortions in Europe.

Also, I live in the county of Essex, which is one of the worst areas for pregnancies in the UK. I once overheard a girl saying to her friends that she got pregnant, and she said its no problem as she'll just get an abortion. I'm guessing that was the first time she got pregnant as people who have had an abortion will know how incredibly painful it is!
This proves that sex ed just isn't good enough in this rubbish country.

I think that sex education should also teach about abortions, and also go into more detail about what will happen if you do get pregnant...a lot of teens (both girls and boys) are completly ignorant when it comes to pregnancies and abortions.

I don't particularly like the idea of abortions, but I think girls should always have the choice of abortions. Although giving birth is very painful, I think it would be better to give birth to the baby, then give it to a more deserving couple.

Talking about the legal ages where you can have sex, I honestly don't think this makes the slightest bit of difference. If someone wants to have sex, they are not going to think 'oh wait, we are underage'. A lot of people don't give the legal age a second thought. I don't agree with underage sex, but there is no way of stopping it by making it illegal.

Underage teens should definatly be encouraged not to have sex, but if they do, and the girl becomes pregnant, then they should definatly be supported, and not treated like shit by society. There are many underage teens who go on to become good parents.

[Jenna.]

I don't understand why people would want to have a kid if they got pregnant at this age. Why not just give it up for adoption or have an abortion? There's no way that a girl my age is mature enough to be a mother and if for some reason they are, no way they can provide for a baby independently. I kinda want a kid when I'm older, but only ONE and not til I'm 30ish, so I can enjoy my life for a while without worrying about raising a kid. I definitely wouldn't keep my kid if I got pregnant now. I'm Catholic and I don't see anything wrong with abortion if it's really needed, as long as it's not being used as some sort of after the fact birth control because you're too lazy to use protection kind of thing.

[The Dark Lord]

Teenage Pregnancies, usually, leads to a life off benefits and handouts out of the pocket of the taxpayer. That said, it it not their fault but the ineffective teachers and parents that let it happen.