No, it's not really in the water! (1st Rough Draft!!)

Teen pregnancy statistics say teen births from ages 15-17 have decreased 43% from 1991 to 2006, and increased 3% between 2005 and 2006. So why does it seem like teen pregnancy is tremendously increasing?

Pat Sundberg, a former nurse and a current instructor of the Teenage Parent Program at the Oakland ALC in Cambridge says, “I don’t have statistics but I am seeing more young women and men accepting the responsibility of pregnancy.”

I have spoken to various people on this topic and many of them feel as though teen pregnancy is increasing; however we know that the teen pregnancy rates have dramatically decreased over the years. We’re starting to see and hear more about teen pregnancy and sexually active teens because the media has recently started putting it into the spotlight. Movies like Juno focus on the issues of teen pregnancy, and pregnant teen celebrities like 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears are all playing a part on why we’re hearing more about teen pregnancy, it’s not really increasing!

Although the rates have declined in the past few years, the United States still has the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world. Teens in Canada, Sweden, and Britain are said to be more sexually active than the teens in the United States, so what are they doing differently? They’re educating their children! It is thought that if schools educate students about forms of contraception, than they are giving them the “go ahead” to be sexually active. Instead of focusing on ways to prevent STD’s and pregnancy, schools are focusing on ‘abstinence.’ Jessica Murray, a 16-year-old who is currently pregnant says, “I took the class in 7th grade, but I wasn't sexually active then so didn't really care.”

Murray also says, “At the school I went to we pretty much learned about STD's and watched a video of a baby being born. It was only a week long class, and P.E. was taken more seriously than that.”

Educating students more about sex and forms of birth control should be focused on throughout high school. Teens also feel that parents could play a bigger role on educating their children.

Teen pregnancy is and always will be an issue, but what more can we do to prevent more of these cases?

“Our culture needs to emphasize self worth, respect and responsibility for all ages- birth to death,” Says Sundberg, “Our media in its many forms ‘advertises’ sexual activity but you rarely see a condom being used, a pregnancy, the hardship of single parenting and/or the results of sexually transmitted diseases.”

As parents we should help educate our children, as teachers we should help educate our students, and as brothers and sisters we should help educate our younger siblings. By doing this we can further decrease the rates of teen pregnancy, and also better our futures.

Sources: http://www.coolnurse.com/teen_pregnancy_rates.htm http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/NCHS_statement1.pdf

--this is just a rough draft! I'm still continuing to put it together =]