Teen Pregnancy free essay sample

Media does not give a realistic image of Teen Pregnancy In the United States, teenage pregnancy has become a common occurrence with three out of ten girls getting pregnant before the age of twenty (Dooley). Most young teenagers feel as if conception will never come from their scandalous deeds but, in fact, it happens more often than what they think. The increasing media coverage on television programming, such as 16 and Pregnant and the movie, Juno, is showing the young adolescents, it is okay to be pregnant. The series 16 and Pregnant and the movie Juno, are both based upon teenagers getting pregnant and going through the television reality of having a child. Both the television show and move are examples of the Medias image of teen pregnancy. Some individuals believe that these shows and movies are not a realistic image of pregnancy. Television Media is not showing the real emotional aspects of putting a baby up for adoption, they are not showing the struggles a single mother actually goes through and they are portraying baby bumps as if they were fashion accessory. We will write a custom essay sample on Teen Pregnancy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the television series 16 and Pregnant, one of the teenagers decides to give their baby up for adoption. In the series, the media doesn’t provide the viewers with a twenty-four-seven base image, of her going through each of the steps, to give up the baby. What they show is different clips of the teenager, which provide some of her experience. People believe that this show, 16 and Pregnant, has given young teenagers who are sexually active and are not using protection, a good reality check. That is not what they are doing though, what they are doing is showing it is okay to just give up their child as a way out, showing it is easy to just give up their child and live happily ever after. Even in the movie Juno, the main star becomes pregnant and at first wants to do an abortion but then quickly changes her mind and decides to give the baby up for adoption, when being in the abortion clinic was more like being in a tattoo parlor. The teenage girl, in the movie, looks in a newspaper and finds a random family, with no emotions at all; and decides that is the family her baby is going to. â€Å"You realize it [Juno] is just a superior romantic comedy that bears no relationship to reality† (Horin). Giving up a baby for adoption is a lot harder than it has been shown on television. My friend went through giving her daughter up for adoption; she was also a teen mother. Not once did her experience look anything like the show 16 and Pregnant or the movie Juno, that is because, her experience was reality. During her pregnancy, she had a hard time juggling school and going to and from Dr Appointments. My friend’s family wasn’t supportive of her decisions, like the families on television. She was actually in the pregnancy alone, the father of the baby was not there for moral support, nor was her family there. She had to provide DNA testing to find the father of the baby to make sure he would sign off all rights to her daughter, and then she had to pick out a family that the adoption clinic provided. Adoption is an all out emotional experience, not once does a young individual feel no emotions, to such a enormous life changing decision. Once the decision is decided and the paper work is complete, there is no going back. Another reason that television media doesn’t show a realistic image of teen pregnancy is because they mislead what a single mother is. When a young individual is still in high school and they get pregnant there is no guarantee that they will still be allowed to attend the high school they are currently going to. As a single parent, they will need to have a high school diploma, that way they can get a career, to be able to support a child alone. Now a day, even with no college education it is simply hard to find a good job. As a single parent there is no proof that their child’s father or child’s mother will play the role they are supposed to. In my personal situation I got pregnant at the age of 18 and I had my daughter when I was 19 years old; I didn’t get my GED until I was 20 years old. As a single mother it is the hardest job I believe I will have to face. When I was pregnant I watched the movie Juno and the show 16 and Pregnant, I thought being a parent was going to be easy. When my daughter was 4months, her father took himself out of our lives. I do not have any information on his whereabouts. I filed child support, believing that he would have to pay, I was wrong. Being a single mother isn’t as easy as it is described on television. Where a single mother files child support and two weeks later they are receiving payments from the father. I have been fighting with child support for over a year to get my child’s father to pay child support. Every situation is not going to be like reality television where everything works out perfectly and everyone lives happily ever after. There is going to be hard times about relationships, money, and family issues. Life, they [teens] need to know, is no Hollywood movie (Horin). Baby bumps have become a huge trend in fashion news. When attending a store and standing in the checkout line, individuals usually see magazines like, â€Å"OK! † and â€Å"People,† gossiping about who is pregnant and about their baby bump. Media provides an image of pregnancy as a fashion accessory because they constantly talk about who is pregnant and how beautiful they are with a baby bump. When young adolescents see the media image of pregnancy they believe that being pregnant is just a way to become beautiful and famous. For example, the television series, 16 and Pregnant gives young adolescent the image of baby bumps being a fashion accessory. The television series 16 and pregnant is about six pregnant teenagers who go through every day struggles, during pregnancy and even after they have had the baby. This show is supposed to make young adolescents become more aware of what they will have to go through if they become pregnant. Little does the media know, the image that a young individual gets is, they can become pregnant and become famous. Jill Palomo explained in an article: â€Å"I have witnessed adolescent girls saying statements like â€Å"If only I was pregnant, I could be famous† or â€Å"MTV doesnt make having a baby as a teenager look too hard. † It is sad that instead of the initial goal, being to show teenagers the harsh reality of pregnancy, it has now turned glamorous. † Despite how anyone feels on the concern, teen pregnancy has multiple consequences that the television media does not portray. Adoption is an answer to get their way out of not raising a child but doesn’t mean they will be emotionally okay with their decision the rest of their life. Even if a teenager decides they are going to keep the baby, there is no guarantee the father or family will be there to help raise that child and they will then have to learn to be a single mother. A young individual should not get pregnant just because it is a fashion trend with the media. I wouldn’t be the one to believe that television is a great way to get an image of the experience of being a parent. I have watched the television shows and movies about teen pregnancies, I am convinced they have everything handed them, and the meida puts off that it is okay to be a teenage mom. My knowledge comes from the real life version of being a young single mother. Teen Pregnancy free essay sample At the end of my speech, the audience should be able to describe three major contributing factors of teen pregnancy. Central Idea: Teenage pregnancy can be defined as pregnancy of women who have not reached twenty years of age, regardless of their marital status. Introduction I would like to take the time to talk about a topic that’s relatively close to my heart; and that is teen pregnancy. Let me start of by telling you a story about a girl in high school, who was dating your typical foot ball player. She was a cheerleader with many dreams she wanted to accomplish. One day, while she and her boyfriend decided to ditch school, she decided to take a pregnancy test to realize, she is in fact pregnant. My name is Xanath and I became pregnant at sixteen. I could have wished to of waited until I was married and had a profession under my belt. We will write a custom essay sample on Teen Pregnancy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I had many dreams all planned out for my future like, joining the military and becoming a police officer. My dreams never seemed impossible to reach. I didnt want to believe it. How could I be pregnant at sixteen? Although teen pregnancy is on its all time low in years, we are still seeing children having children. They are faced with many different challenges and forced to make heart breaking decisions to give their child a better future. According to an NBC News article, written by Maureen Salamon, 3 of every 10 American girls become pregnant by the age of 20. (Salamon) Blueprint: Teenage pregnancy can be defined as pregnancy of women who have not reached twenty years of age, regardless of the marital status. Today I would like to discuss three major contributing factors of teen pregnancy, which are the lack of knowledge for the teen, the pressure to have sex, and the desire to become pregnant. Transition Sentence: To begin, I would first like to discuss the first major factors that contribute in teen pregnancy. I. ) The lack of knowledge is the first major contributing factor of teen pregnancy. A. ) Most teenagers have little or no knowledge about the consequences when they engage in sexual activity. 1. According to a Fact Sheet from Planned Parenthood, written by Deborah Weiss, sex education should start from the age of a kindergartner. The more you speak to your children about the consequences about having sex, the more they know how to handle it. (Weiss) 2. Teenager who haven’t been properly introduced to the topic of sexuality, are the ones who end up getting pregnant. B. ) Parents are the primary source of the teenager’s knowledge about sex. 1. When a teenager has an absent parent, it’s that much more difficult to try to get a point across, when it’s being done by a single parent. 2. Xochilt Gomez, a counselor at a teen parent high school in Oxnard, quoted, â€Å"When I asked my students why did they made the decision to have a baby? They answered with, â€Å"Because there was no one really around to supervise us when my boyfriend or girlfriend came over. † (qtd Gomez) Transition Sentence: This brings me to my second fact on the contribution on teen pregnancy. II. ) The pressure on teens to become sexually active is a major contributing fact in teenage pregnancy. A. ) The fear of rejection contributes to this factor in teen pregnancy. 1. From my experience, the feeling of being pressured to have sex overwhelms you at such a young age. 2. For a teenager, who has been with the same person for a couple of months, they often just give in, to please the other person without thinking the consequences of their decisions. B. ) Teen on teen pressure to engage sexual activity has a lot to do with teenage pregnancy. 1. In an interview by Dr. Michelle Golland, she asks a teen mom her input on the pressure to have sex. She stated, â€Å"At school, everyone is doing it. † 2. Since other teens see other teens engage in this activity or talk about it, they are prone to join in and try what everyone has been talking about. Transition Sentence: This brings me to my last fact on the contribution on teen pregnancy. III. ) For a very odd reason, some teenagers desire to get pregnant. A. ) Teenagers constantly want love and affection and they think by fulfilling these needs are fixed with having a baby. 1. In 2008, 17 girls at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts made a pregnancy pact where they all decided to get pregnant at the same time. 2. Kathleen Kinsbury, the writer of an article on Time Magazine, described how when the girls found out they were pregnant, they cheered with high fives, and celebrated with baby showers. They girls decided to get pregnant because they were all best friends, and they wanted their children to grow up together. B. TV shows, movies, magazines, politics (Bristol Pailin), can influence the pressure in engaging in sexual activity. 1. Teen mom shows some struggles of being a teen parent, but at the same time they show the teen moms diving nice cars, their plastic surgeries, and they always manage to look extra dolled up. 2. Bristol Painlin, the daughter of former governor Sarah Pailin, surprised everyone with her pregnancy news when her mother was running for president in 2008. All in all, I’ve discusses three major contributing factors of teen pregnancy. They are the lack of knowledge on the teenager part, the fear of rejection, and the desire to get pregnant. Bringing a child into this world is a blessing, but in its proper time. I wouldn’t change my situation for the world. My daughter has pushed me to get where I’m at now. Teen Pregnancy free essay sample Deciding to become sexually active can be very confusing and dangerous for teens that lack the education and knowledge of becoming a teen parent sooner than later. Television, magazines, even lyrics in songs all seem to be telling young teens that having sex is okay. The fact is, sex is a part of life and, like many parts of life, and it can be good or bad. Making the decision to have sex all depends on the parties involved and the consequences he or she may have to face if pregnancy occurs. Teen pregnancy continues to rise all across countries every day. In this paper the author will discuss teen pregnancy the author will discuss how long teen pregnancy has been a problem; how has teen pregnancy affected the community and how has the community responded to teen pregnancy. How long has teen pregnancy been a problem? Teen pregnancy has been on the rise for decades and still continues to rise every day with the United States of America having the highest teen pregnancy rate than any other country in the world. We will write a custom essay sample on Teen Pregnancy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Teen pregnancy continues to rise because we as a society are falling to educate our teenage boys and girls about sexually intercourse and the risks involved. Parents think if they sit and talk with their teens about sexual intercourse, it gives the teen the okay to go out and become sexually active. Teen pregnancy is higher in household of young girls who have been sexually molested a younger child; lives in poverty or teenagers that live in a household where drugs and alcohol are involved. How has teen pregnancy affected the community? Teenage pregnancy affects the community because we now have babies that are having babies; therefore we have underage parents that cannot properly educate the child until he or she grows up (parents) mentally. Golland 2010, â€Å"The estimated public cost for teen pregnancy in the United States is between $6 and $9 billion a year. Eighty percent of teen moms here are on some form of public assistance† (para.1). Most teenagers who become pregnant do not receive the proper health care, which may lead to high-risk pregnancy; mental disabilities or even death. Teens should not make the decision to have sex unless they are able to accept the responsibilities that come along with having sexual intercourse. How has the community responded to teen pregnancy? The community has responded to teen pregnancy by establishing teen crisis centers worldwide to prevent or decrease pregnancy among teens. Teenagers who are ready to become sexually active or teens that already are sexually active can go to one of their local teen clinics and get counseling on birth control; pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The only way to prevent pregnancy among teen is continuous education or not having sex at all. Conclusion According to Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. (2012), â€Å"Providing teens and young people with the information they need to make responsible decisions is the commonsense solution to reducing unintended teen pregnancy† (para.3). In conclusion the author has discussed teen pregnancy; the problems with teen pregnancy; how long teen pregnancy has been a problem, and how has the community responded to teen pregnancy. Reference Golland, Dr. M. (2010). Teen Pregnancy is a Public Health Issue, Not a Political One. Retrieved from http://www.momlogic.com/2010/07/teen-pregnancy-is-a-public-hea.php Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc (2012). Planned parenthood. Retrieved from http://www.plannedparenthood.org Teen Pregnancy free essay sample In his book Glassner finds information that contradicts the information that the media provides to the public, and in turn encourages the readers to do the same: question everything. Although Glassner gives evidence to support his arguements, those arguments are over a decade old. By siding with Glassner on the topic of teen pregnancies I will use information that is as current as possible to refute the claims given by the media on how teenage pregnancy is bad for the America. So now let us pop that red pill and uncover the truth! The lower education levels of mothers who began childbearing as teenagers translates into lower work force productivity and diminished wages, resulting in a weaker, less competitive economy, says Stephen Caldas (Glassner, 91). Glassner argues that the combined wealth and influence of teen moms dont add up to a single fortune 100 company, which isnt enough to destroy America (Glassner, 91). We will write a custom essay sample on Teen Pregnancy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page First let us entertain the thought of how a teenage mother will affect the economy. The only reason that comes to mind is the increase in government spending on welfare such as: food stamps, and medicare for the childs child. So how much would it take to for teenage mother to cause the U. S. economy to go crashing down? According to usspending. gov, the amount spent on welfare is the lowest at $700 billion. The total amount that the government spends totals at $6. 3 trillion (Chantrill). Im no math major, but welfare is only about 11% of the whole pie. Welfare isnt just for teen parents mind you, its for the old, the unemployed, and disabled Americans. So the amount that used to support young mothers is probably lower than $700 billion. Previously I discussed the cost of welfare compared to the total expenditure on the economy as a whole. Now Ill discuss how Glassner puts the medias argument upside down by saying that poverty and low job prospects are the main cause of teen pregnancy, and that having children is a major driving force in ones life to finish college in order to give their children a better lifestyle (Glassner, 91). When the media talks about something they mainly focus on the negative aspects of the subject. For instance, when talking about unemployment in America they focus on the 8% that are unemployed (US Department of Labor). Now lets look at the other side of the coin, which is the 92% of Americans that are employed, thats an A! I would love to have a 92% in english 13. Back to the topic at hand. In a survey conducted by The National Campaign, only 38% of pregnant teens end up obtaining a high school diploma. In the previous example, it turns out that the media hasnt misconstrued that information (Perper). Theres also a hidden side to that argument. What if they these mothers waited for their babies got a tad bit older and went to get their diploma/g. . d.? In a survey conducted by childtrends. org, 73% of teenage mothers by the age of 22 either received their high school diploma or g. e. d. (Perper, Peterson, and Manlove). So while the media was right that a majority of teen moms drop out of high school, they hid the fact that a majority of them end up getting their diploma/g. e. d. eventually. Speaking of college education, in 1998 a school board in Kentucky denied two students admission into the Honor s Society because they did not meet certain character traits (Glassner, 92). Teen pregnancy was largely a response to the nations educational and economic decline, not the other way around (Glassner, 91). Sex is a feral human thought. Regardless if your rich or poor, black or white, brown or yellow, male or female youll think about sex every now and then and commit the act sooner or later. Glassner is oversimplifying the matter by saying that a persons economic standing has a major impact on whether the sperm will meet the egg. If that was the case then those rich women who cant have babies should donate all their wealth to charity or me in order to become pregnant. Both Glassner and the media had some wrong information when it comes to this topic. During 1995 there was actually a decline in teen pregnancy by 9% according to the Academy of American Pediatrics, but the media continues to make accusations that its continuing to rise. So, a decade later, has teen pregnancy continued to be a growing tumor in America? Well, according to Correspondent in an article titled Why the US teen Birthrate Hit a Record Low in 2010 by Jennifer Tulumello, it would seem that the amount of teeny boppers having babies has decreased. Was it because the teenage moms suddenly won the lottery and got rich? I hope not, the reason for the drop of teen pregnancy is due to the improved use of contraceptives and sex education. So, does this new turn of events make the media right? Does learning to use contraceptives mean that the education system has done its job of educating the young? Well not entirely. The article just merely said learned to use contraceptives. It doesnt say where they learned it from, they could have been taught by parents, friends, or from sex education. The article also states that a poor economy was another variable that caused a decrease in teen pregnancy. With that it would pull the rug right out of the thought of a bad economy being a cause to increased amount of pregnant teens. How does the media feel about teen pregnancy? The media feels that teen moms are a blight to society. Why? Because they arent very educated and they lower career competitiveness? I plan to debunk that information with some in your face modern statistics! What is the percentage of teen moms in America today? Ill go take a look right now. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the age group of 15-19 make up 10,693,696 of the female population which is a whopping total 157,260,239. Out of the 10,693,696 its estimated that 750,000 teenagers will get pregnant, thats according to Pregnant Teen Help. That equals to about 7% of the 15-19 year old population. With that information, lets look at the bright side of life, for once (Census bureau). That means 93% of the rest of the 15-19 year old age group are not getting pregnant and most are getting their education and benefiting society someway somehow. Another topic that the media likes to play up is the how teen moms are unable to take care of their young. That topic alone posses many questions. Are they talking about financial, emotional, or physical? For the most part its a given that teenagers are not financially stable. They dont have jobs, and those that due are working part-time. For those that are working full-time, they are most likely getting paid minimum wage, which is not enough to feed and clothe a newborn baby. So lets say that a teenage mother is working full time at minimum wage at $8/hr, that would net her $640 for 2 weeks (â€Å"Wage and Hour Division†). The cost for diapers and formula, and clothes can easily rise over $300 per month. So the mother has a little left over for herself. It all seems fine and well, but I didnt calculate all the other costs like: medical, dental, and babysitting. One more thing, a baby grows! As it ages its appetite gets bigger, youll need to save up for college, and many other things come into play. So the media is right, alone a teenage mother cant possible raise a child by herself. Alas, there is no hope for the teenage mom, or is there? Of course there is! Its a thing called support, the teenage mother most likely wont be on her own. She could have parental support, her boyfriend might stick around. And according to the show Teen Moms all of them have parental support and a few have their boyfriends sticking around for the long haul. With a solid support structure there is plenty of hope for a teen mom to succeed and show the media that they have no idea what they are talking about! If being a teenage mom isnt enough, the media then tackles the legitimacy of children growing up with single parents. Why does the media go after the single parent? Do they do so because it goes against the norm of the nuclear family with the white picket fence and a dog named Lassey? Maybe. For the most part single parents are being assaulted by media because they raise criminals (Glassner, 94-95). In a study conducted by Timothy Biblarz and Adrian Raftery in an article titled Family Structure and the Nostalgia Trap, adult men raised by single mothers were at the same ecnonomic and educational level with those raised by two parents. Also in that same study children raised by one parent were more socially and emotionally stable than those raised by two parents. That research was conducted in 1997, so does this information still hold out for the children being raised today? In an article titled Its too late when kids end up in court by Bulbir Singh, he says A stable family life if necessary to combat crime. Tragically, we see more broken homes, divorces, seperations and desertions nowadays. Parents are also spending little or no quality time with their children. In this article he doesnt say that single parents are solely to blame, he says parents as a whole. In conclusion both parties: Glassner and the media give out information and each gives support to back up its claims. The media offers information and Glassner finds the other side of the story that the media left out which gives the reader a broader perspective of the issue. Since Glassners information is over a decade old, some of the information that he gi ves cant be used today because things have changed. But with the new information that I have uncovered Glassners arguments can still hold firm today.