We have a problem. A terrible issue plaguing society. It seems to be on the rise. You hear about a new case every so often.
It's not fatal, quite the opposite, really. I suppose you could say, that it's...natal.
Teen pregnancy. We all personally know a couple of young, unmarried, teens with bulging bellies, and uncertain futures.
Could you imagine? I'm 17, I'm young, and I have very little responsibility. I can hardly take care of myself, even, but a baby? No way, no how would I ever, in the near future, be able to care for another person aside from myself.
Don't get me wrong! I love babies! They're cute, even if their noses are constantly running, they're cuddly, and they're so easy to fall in love with.
I love babies, and I love holding them, cuddling them, and playing with them, and then I love giving them back to their mothers when I've had my fill.
I can't imagine having to worry about exams, school work, projects, extracurricular activities, jobs, clubs, volunteer work, my social life and then, on top of that, have to worry about this other small human being who's completely dependent on me.
I can't imagine what my parents would say, either. Growing up in a muslim household, I was constantly reminded that marriage came first, sex later. There was no hanky panky before the couple had committed themselves to eachother for eternity. And to them, having a child out of wedlock was the most shame you could put on yourself and on your family. So imagine if one day I came home and announced to my parents that I had gotten knocked up. Well, I'm just going to assume that a whole ton of shit'd go flying.
How would you be able to raise a child under such conditions? A 17 year old mother can't, alone, provide the kind of life a child needs, or even wants. And even if the father was a figure in their life, a minimum wage job with two pay checks are only going to bring in a meger 2,000, at the most. Considering most babies take up about $1,000 worth of supplies per month, that's not at all enough to sustain a decent, nourishing life for the parents and the child. And that's figuring if the father has anything at all to do with the child, which, sadly enough, in most cases don't.
It's not fatal, quite the opposite, really. I suppose you could say, that it's...natal.
Teen pregnancy. We all personally know a couple of young, unmarried, teens with bulging bellies, and uncertain futures.
Could you imagine? I'm 17, I'm young, and I have very little responsibility. I can hardly take care of myself, even, but a baby? No way, no how would I ever, in the near future, be able to care for another person aside from myself.
Don't get me wrong! I love babies! They're cute, even if their noses are constantly running, they're cuddly, and they're so easy to fall in love with.
I love babies, and I love holding them, cuddling them, and playing with them, and then I love giving them back to their mothers when I've had my fill.
I can't imagine having to worry about exams, school work, projects, extracurricular activities, jobs, clubs, volunteer work, my social life and then, on top of that, have to worry about this other small human being who's completely dependent on me.
I can't imagine what my parents would say, either. Growing up in a muslim household, I was constantly reminded that marriage came first, sex later. There was no hanky panky before the couple had committed themselves to eachother for eternity. And to them, having a child out of wedlock was the most shame you could put on yourself and on your family. So imagine if one day I came home and announced to my parents that I had gotten knocked up. Well, I'm just going to assume that a whole ton of shit'd go flying.
How would you be able to raise a child under such conditions? A 17 year old mother can't, alone, provide the kind of life a child needs, or even wants. And even if the father was a figure in their life, a minimum wage job with two pay checks are only going to bring in a meger 2,000, at the most. Considering most babies take up about $1,000 worth of supplies per month, that's not at all enough to sustain a decent, nourishing life for the parents and the child. And that's figuring if the father has anything at all to do with the child, which, sadly enough, in most cases don't.
If you'll notice, it seems that only a certain groups in every high school seem to get pregnant. My teacher explained that to us. It's not that these groups have sex more, or get pregnant more, it's just the way that they choose to deal with it differs. Athletes in school probably realize that they have too much to lose in having the baby. So...an abortion seems to be their only option. And it seems reasonable to say that those whose mother had a child out of wedlock would be more open to that idea than let's say, me, with the parents who can think of nothing else more shameful.
While the amont of teenagers having sex is on the rise, the amount of people getting pregnant is going down, probably due to safe sex vs. abstinence talks the nurse gives us. But are shows like 16 and Pregnant or Teen Mom putting teen pregnancy in a more positive light? Are they making it less unappealing? I really don't know the answer to that, considering I've never actually watched either of those shows. But it's something interesting to think about.
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