13 year old dad?!

Okay, so I realize that this didn't take place in the United States; it was in Europe. But this is CRAZY. It just really grabbed my attention because he just looks so young. It made me really want to make a change because I don't want teenagers, especially as young as thirteen years old, to go through the hardships of being a teen parent.

Now, this is my little ending note. This will be the last post on my blog. However, if anyone has any questions/comments I would love to hear them because I will continue to check this periodically. This issue is something that I really care about and I would like to see a change. So, I hope that you all have ta ken something from my blog. And I also hope that everyone at least knows how big of a problem teenage pregnancy is.

Thanks for reading my blog guys! :) Bye!

Pregnant teen celebrities

As you all probably know, Jamie Lynn Spears (actress and little sister to the singer Britney Spears) got pregnant as a teenager, as well as Bristol Palin (daughter of Gov. Sarah Palin.) Are these teenagers making pregnancy seem "glamorous" to other teenagers? Some people would say yes. I would have to agree as well. Because, they make it seem easy...like they can still graduate from high school, have fun with their friends, etc. However, that is the case at all of teenagers who become pregnant. I think that these celebrities should make sure that the teens who look up to them know how hard it is to be a teen parent... and obviously shouldn't take pictures holding their babies with their graduation cap and gown on. It just sends the wrong message.

Teenage pregnancy cartoons

Okay, so I had to do it. I looked up some teenage pregnancy cartoons and thought I'd share! 

While these cartoons may be lighthearted, they still are expressing the problem of teenage pregnancy!

Hope yall enjoyed!

is teaching sex ed a crime??

I found this interesting news clip about a Wisconsin district attorney who states that teachers who teach sex ed should be arrested. Wisconsin had just decided to teach a sex education program that taught the importance of contraceptives, and this district attorney believes that it encourages the teenagers to have sex.

This is yet another clip that shows how we need to step up & take action to provide the correct kind of sex education & make sure that we protect our teenagers from making uninformed decisions. Like I pointed out before, sex ed must teach about contraceptives if we wish the teenage birth rate to decline.

Want to make a change?

Well, HOPEFULLY, after reading my blog you are convinced that teenage pregnancy is a real problem in the United States and that we need proper sex education to help decrease the rates of teenage pregnancy.


If you feel this way, you can actually volunteer to teach sex education. I didn’t know that until I looked up what I can do to make a change on the Planned Parenthood website.

In order to be an effective volunteer and give the best sex education possible, you need to do the following things:

Assess the needs of the county in which you are teaching. Is there a high rate of teenage pregnancy? What has been taught in this county before? These things are important because you may need to stress some aspects of the sex education a more than others, but they all need to be taught.

You will also need to research and give medically accurate information on sex education. Make sure you give out all the information that is needed to prevent pregnancy.

Develop a lesson plan and organize the information that way you will the students attention because this information is vital to them!

If you volunteer to be a sex education teacher, you will be making a huge change in our society because teenagers today need teachers who are going to give them accurate information so that they can make the right choices.

Well guys, that’s about it for today. I have to start studying for my finals since they are right around the corner. The next couple of posts, I am going to be wrapping this blog up because I have covered all the information that I wanted to give. :)

what our sex education teachers are really teaching

I found this graph that represents what sex education teachers think should be taught and what they really teach. The part that astounded me the most about this information was the condom use part. It says that about 80% of sex education teachers believe that condom use should be taught and yet only around 50% actually teach it. It also surprises me that less than 80% teach about birth control. I believe that 100% should teach all of these areas.

 I think that this information is a good indicator of why are teenage birth rates are so high. We need to make sure that our sex education teachers are teaching the facts about everything involving sex, not just some things!

You can find this chart and other information here.

ridiculous

I think this pretty much sums up alot about why abstinence only is not working. It is basically filling teenagers heads with information to scare them from having sex. It does give out the real information about what to do if you do have sex, which statistics shows that many teenagers do. Also, trying to scare teenagers from having sex does not usually work in the long run... and when it fails to work, these teenagers have no knowledge about birth control or contraceptives. Texas particulary has a problem with this. It has the third highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the U.S. And in most areas of Texas, abstinence only is widely taught. Virginity ads can been found all over the T.V, and virginitry rallies and events are held with dozens upon dozens making virginity pledges.

Well, obviously.. this is NOT working. I guess the virginity pledges are not being kept for too long. This should be an indicator that it is time to let comprehensive sex ed step in.

reality check..

Hey guys! I found a great video about comprehensive sex ed vs abstinence only!
Yes, it is a bit corny/dorky....but it does a great job expressing the myths that abstinence only supporters make up about comprehensive sex ed, and it gives the facts about why comprehensive sex ed is more effective.

oh, abstinence only education....

Sorry that I haven't updated lately! I have been so crazy busy this past week, but from now on.. I am going to be posting more frequently. :) Anyways, as you can see, I have posted a picture on here. I think it pretty much sums up everything that I have been trying to point out about abstinence only education. It is not effective because it fails to teach the facts that teenagers these days need to know! This picture also points out some of the scary myths that abstinence only education implies.

I am going to be trying to find more pictures/videos in the next few posts to demonstrate everything that I have covered up until this point, so I hope everyone enjoys them, and I also hope that they convey my points!
Have a great weekend :)

Sex ed in Georgia

Now, since I've lived in Georgia my whole life and go to school in Georgia (very close to Savannah) this video really struck my attention. It is about the fight for comprehensive education in SAVANNAH, GEORGIA. Take a look at it...it's pretty interesting.



Our Reality: A Fight for Comprehensive Sex Education in Savannah, GA from RH Reality Check on Vimeo.



Georgia has received $22.4 million for abstinence only funding over the last couple of years. And yet Georgia is ranked 10th nationally for teen birth rates 54.2 per 1000 girls aged 15-19. We can make a difference by advocating for comprehensive sex education. From this video, you can tell that the young people are ready to step and speak so we should too! We need to make our voices heard so that COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION will be taught in more counties in Georgia.

how to get comprehensive sex ed.

Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't updated in the last few days. I was busy with tests, I still have one for chemistry but I need a break from studying for now! So, I thought I would update this...

Today I would like to talk about implenting comprehensive sex education.

We will start with the basics...
First of all it will need government funding if it is going to be taught in public schools. So basically, if you support this kind of sex education then let your voice be heard. Tell your local school system, email your represenatives, etc.
This year President Obama is shifting the funding from abstinence only education, which has been heavily funded since 2001, to pregnancy prevention programs. According to the Office of Management and Budget, abstinence only programs received $1.3 billion from 2001 to 2009..but this type of sex education has not proven that it actually is effective. This new budget gives $178 million dollars to pregnancy prevention programs, including $110 million for community based programs. 75% is going to programs that have been proven to be effective. 25% will go to new innovative programs, which means the president is open to abstinence only education if it can be proved to be successful.
So, as a country, we are headed in the right direction with more money being put into comprehensive sex education.


In later posts, we will discuss a little bit more on how to implement comprehensive sex education!

Crazy stuff...

So, I am going to be really quick tonight because unfornately I have statistics homework and who knows how long that is going to take! But I found some interesting stuff about why abstinence only education is not effective. Some abstinence only programs give inaccurate information about contraceptives...

Peggy Papsdorf, who is a coordinator for Plain Truth for Washington (a group that promotes comprehensive sex ed) witnessed a lecture by an abstinence only instructor. She claimed that in this lecture the instructor taught many outrageous ideas. Some of them were that birth control pills make you TEN times more likely to die, condoms are unsafe, boys are unaffected by premarital sex while girls suffer for LIFE, and that noone has premarital sex without paying a price.

Now, I think everyone can agree that these statements are highly exagerrated. But also.. the ones about contraceptives being unsafe and ineffective are untrue and also HARMFUL.
                                                      
                                                      Why?
Because 2/3 of people below the age of 18 are sexually active. And if this is the information they are receiving, then they are probably not going to use birth control or condoms, which is leading to our big increase in teenage pregnancy rates.

Yes, abstinence should be taught.... but it should DEFINITELY be backed up with ACCURATE information on birth control and condoms for the teenagers who do not practice abstinence.

So, yes, comprehensive sex education is the way to go :)

Now.. I know I have talked enough about why comprehensive sex education is the best. So how can be go about implenting this approach? Next time you'll find out.. just hang in there because tonight I have a date with statistics that I am not looking forward to!

Talk to you soon!

                                

Abstinence only education= JUST CONFUSING!

Videos :)

Here are some great videos about sex education and the controversy between abstinence only and comprehensive sex education.

so, which education REALLY works better?

Hey guys! Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a great one :)

Alright so, I have found some pretty awesome information about which sex ed program is really more effective, and I am excited to present to yall!

Abstinence Only:

There are very few actual peer review published studies avaliable about abstinence only education that show a big difference in teenagers sexual activity. So, right off the bat-- not a good sign! Now, abstinence only advocates would disagree and say that there are plenty of studies that show the positive effects of this type of sex education. However, FEW are peer review published studies; therefore, they are not very credible.

 For most of the studies done on abstinence only education the outcomes are not so good....one of the most rigorous studies done on abstinence only education measured the effectiveness of a Postponing Sexual Involvement curriculum in California. The students enrolled with this program were actually found to be more likely to become pregnant. Ultimately, the researchers concluded that the program was not a reason for this....but that the program had NO impact on the sexual behavior of adolesecents (Kirby 100-108). Now, we want the sex education programs to have positive effects and lower the rates of teenage pregnancy and STD's... so if most of these abstinence only programs are not having any effects, I would not think they are beneficial.

Comprehensive Sex Education:


In contrast to the few and not-so-good outcomes of the studies done on abstinence only education, the studies on comprehensive sex education are much more promising. Abstinence only supporters say that comprehensive sex education promotes having sex. However, a study done by Emerging Answers claims, “A large body of evaluation research clearly shows that sex and HIV education programs included in this review do not increase sexual activity – they do not hasten the onset of sex, increase the frequency of sex, and do not increase the number of sexual partners. To the contrary, some sex and HIV education programs delay the onset of sex, reduce the frequency of sex, or reduce the number of sexual partners (Kirby).” So basically.... comprehenzive sex ed does not gives teenagers the idea that having sex is OK. It actually makes teenagers delay sex! SEVERAL studies done on comprehensive sex ed show delayed sexual activity, decreased numbers of sexual partners, and increased condom/contraceptive use.

Basically... the studies show that comprehensive sex education is the most effective sex ed for teenagers!

Sources:
Kirby D. Emerging Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy; May 2001.

Kirby D, Korpi M, Barth RP, Cagampang HH. The Impact of the Postponing Sexual Involvement Curriculum Among Youths in California. Family Planning Perspectives.
1997;29(3):100-108.


Next time, we will explore more about this solution! Have a great night :)

Today's topic... Sex Education

Hi everyone! Since I have explained what causes teenage pregnancy and why it is a problem, I would now like to elaborate on a solution that I feel would be the most effective. As you can see, I definitely feel that proper sex education is the best solution. Now, I know this subject can be controversial between abstinence only and comprehensive sex education.

However, I believe comprehensive sex ed is best. Basically, comprehensive sex education promotes abstinence, but also acknowledges the fact that many teenagers are or will become sexually active & it gives the facts on how to prevent pregnancy and STD's.

Let me break this down for you:

ABSTINENCE ONLY EDUCATION: This type of sex education promotes and teaches abstinence. It does NOT acknowledge that many teenagers are or will become sexually active. It does NOT teach about contraceptives or condom use. It teaches that only abstinence will prevent pregnancy.

COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION: This type of sex education promotes abstinence, but also realizes tht abstinence does not work for everyone and that many teenagers engage in sexual activity. Therefore, it provides information about contraception and condom use.

So, basically comprehensive sex ed. is the best of both worlds. It teaches and promotes abstinence but does ignore the needs of the teeanger who engage in sexual activity.

Parents even want more of a comprehensive sex education approach for their children.

85% of parents say they want their children to be taught how to use a condom & 84% want their children to learn how to used contraceptives and where to get birth control.

In my opinion, abstinence only education only confuses the teenagers who are or will become sexually active because it clearly teaches that abstinence is the ONLY way to prevent pregnancy. It does not acknowledge the effectiveness of condoms or birth control. So, these teenagers are not properly educated and not fully protected when they decide to have sex. Like I said, abstinence is a great idea but of course it does not work for everyone...so why only teach that?

Next time, we will look more at the statistics about which sex education program is actually more effective !

Until then, I would love to hear feedback about what everyone thinks!

Societal Costs of teenage pregnancy

Hi Guys! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

In the last few posts, I have been describing the why teenage pregnancy is a problem for the teenage mother and baby…. But are they the only people that all teenage pregnancy affects? No, they are not! It actually affects the whole society.


Let me explain how it affects the society…


Almost half of all teenage mothers end up going on welfare within five years after giving birth (Hoffman and Maynard 359). Since many teenage mothers do not complete a high school education and may end up relying on welfare, the society as a whole has to make up for their lack of funds. Societal cost of teenage parenthood ranges from nine to twenty nine billion annually. So, basically some of people’s tax money goes to teenage pregnancy.

 As the level of education decreases, the level of productivity in our society decreases as well. Honestly, teenage pregnancy is just not good for anyone! It affects not only those directly involved like the mother and child, but the society too!


To sum it all up, teenage pregnancy really is a problem in the United States.


And there are ways that teen pregnancy can be prevented. A few of them might be better safe sex education programs, easier access to contraceptives, and less sexual content in the media. Teenagers also need to be informed about the reality of pregnancy.


Next time, we are going to start exploring the solution that I believe will be the best!


Until then, take it easy!

Source:
Hoffman, Saul, and Rebecca Maynard, eds. Kids Having Kids: Economic Costs and Social Consequences of Teen Pregnancy. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute, 2008. Print.

Lasting consequences of teenage pregnancy

Hi guys! I hope everyone is having a great day—the weather here is beautiful!!



In this post, I am going to talk more about the reasons why teenage pregnancy is really a problem! In the last post, we talked about the health risks. So, now I am going to explain the OTHER risks.


There are many long lasting consequences that follow the teenage mother and child throughout their lives. One of these consequences is POVERTY. This is due to the fact that many pregnant teenagers do not finish high school and even fewer go on to college. So, pretty much they have limited job skills later in life. This makes it harder for them to get a well-paying job (Hoffman and Maynard 163). .


Children born to teenage mothers have also been known to be at a disadvantage in school. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, these children are up to fifty percent more likely to repeat a grade level or drop out of high school!!


In addition to all of this, the daughters of teenage parents are more likely to become teenage mothers & the sons of teenage parents are more likely to go to prison than those born to older parents.


This information blows my mind, pretty much. I just think it is so crazy! You’re probably thinking “wow…teenage pregnancy really is a problem!!” ………But I’m not done quite yet! My next post is still going to have even MORE reasons why teenage pregnancy is a problem! But for now….I am going to enjoy the beautiful weather! Bye guys!


Source:

Hoffman, Saul, and Rebecca Maynard, eds. Kids Having Kids: Economic Costs and Social Consequences of Teen Pregnancy. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute, 2008. Print.

okay so what's the big deal about teenage pregnancy?

Okay, so I bet everyone is wondering WHY is teenage pregnancy a problem??


There are many reasons, but first of all……HEALTH RISKS!

These health risks are not only for the mother, but also for the child. Teenage mothers are vulnerable to many complications, like high blood pressure and anemia just to name a couple. Teenage mothers are also hesitant to seek medical help. Seven out of ten teens do not go to a specialist until the third month of the pregnancy. It would not be good for older mothers to even wait that long, but it is even worse for teenagers who are at higher risks for complications.

It does not stop at physical health risks either; pregnant teenagers are known to have more mental health complications as well. This is probably because our society tends to look down on teenage pregnancy; therefore, many pregnant teenagers do not get the support they need to deal with the responsibilities of caring for a child.

Now, what about the health risks for the baby? Well the most common one is premature delivery. Premature delivery is very frequent among teenage mothers, and it is VERY bad for the baby. Why? Because their vital organs are underdeveloped putting them in a constant struggle for life. Babies that are born prematurely have a much greater risk of dying early in infancy than normal weight babies. And babies born to teenage mothers have the highest rate of infant mortality.
That is seriously some scary stuff!

These health risks are pretty much a huge reason of why teenage pregnancy is a problem….but they are definitely not the only reasons. More to come on them later!!

Have a great night =)

Is teenage pregnancy easy? Um, not at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone!
This is going to be my last post on the causes of teenage pregnancy.
One of the actual causes of teenage pregnancy is that teenagers do not fully realize the consequences and hardships involved. Many of them actually think that teenage pregnancy is glamorous, especially with teenage celebrities becoming moms like Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin. There was actually a picture of Bristol Palin holding her baby while wearing her graduation cap and gown. This image may give teenagers the idea that teenage pregnancy is not too much to handle. In reality, it is very difficult for teenage parents to graduate.

At T.C. William's High School in Washington D.C., there are SEVENTY teenage parents.A senior at this high school stated, “Some girls seem to be really into it. They are embracing their pregnancies." Obviously, these teenagers are unaware of the hardships that lie ahead for them.


There was a TV program done by ABC Primetime called “Family Secrets: Teen Pregnancy” that focused on these hardships. It followed around the lives of pregnant teenagers. One in particular was Hannah, and she really stood out to me. She was a cheerleader, homecoming queen, and girlfriend to the school’s quarterback. So, yeah….pretty much perfect life, right? Yep, until she got pregnant. Her long time boyfriend actually ended up leaving her & she obviously became the talk of the town.
She stated, "The hardest part now is like, what am I going to do now? There's a huge detour in my life. I can't do everything I wanted to do. I think about that every day."
Hannah gave birth two months prematurely to twin daughters, Mya and Braelyn. After only twelve days after birth, Mya passed away.
I think this program really shows how difficult teenage pregnancy actually is! It is DEFINITELY not something to be taken lightly. Once you become a parent, you are responsible for a life that is not your own, how is that going to be easy ESPECIALLY as a teenager??

But anyways, I am out for the night! Enjoy your evening!! :)

Teen Mom

Hey guys! Teen Mom is a popular show on MTV that follows the lives of teenagers who gave birth. In this video, Maci (a teen mom) is describing how hard teenage pregnancy really was. I love love love Maci--she was my favorite on the show & is from my hometown! But anyways, here's the clip! :)



You can also watch full episodes of Teen Mom, as well as 16 & Pregnant on the MTV website!

More on the causes....

Hi guys!!


I have more on the causes of teenage pregnancy today!

Well the first one I want to talk about today is the lack of safe sex education. Many schools in the United States focus on abstinence ONLY education. Now, we all know that abstinence is the only sure way to prevent pregnancy, but is this idea really realistic? No, because teenagers engage in sexual activity anyways. These teenagers NEED to know the information about proper safe sex practices and how contraceptives should be used. Abstinence is a great idea to be taught, but it should be coupled with safe sex practices. At my high school, our sex education class focused on abstinence and flew through safe sex education. Needless to say, the rate of teenage pregnancy at my high school was pretty high. Now, I am not saying this is the reason…but it is probably a contributor.

Another cause is the lack of easy access to contraceptives. Contraceptives, such as The Pill, require a prescription; therefore, one would have to go to the doctor. Then they would have to get the prescription filled which may be costly. Also being a teenager, you would have to get your parents to accompany you to the doctor, and I think it goes without say that most teenagers are NOT open with their parents about being sexually active. So, that puts them in a sticky situation. It has been found that in other countries, where contraceptives are readily available and inexpensive, the rate of teenage pregnancy is substantially lower to that of the United States. Researchers believe that improving access to contraceptives and effective health education will dramatically reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy. I believe this is true as well!

Well, I have to go read for history for the rest of the night & I am already so tired! More on the causes of teenage pregnancy next time!

Some causes of teenage pregnancy

So, some of you may want to know what is causing teenage pregnancy rates in the United States to increase……


The first cause I want to present is sexual content in the media. It seems like an obvious cause, but for some reason I never thought of it! I found a study that was done that observed the effects of sexual content in the media on teens. The researchers in this study actually found that teens who were exposed to sexual content in the media were up to 2 times more likely to become pregnant in high school (Chandra et al. 1053). This is STUNNING to me… 2 times more likely to become pregnant?? Wow…I mean today sex is used to sell pretty much everything! Teenagers are exposed to it every day through the music they listen to and the shows they watch. So, this study was shocking to say the least.

A study performed by the Alan Guttmacher Institute states that, "American teen-agers have inherited the worst of all possible worlds regarding their exposure to messages about sex. (The media) tell them that sex is romantic, exciting, titillating, yet at the same time (they) get the message that good girls should say no. Almost nothing they see or hear about sex informs them about contraception or the importance of avoiding pregnancy (Raspberry 3)." I believe that most of us can relate to this quote. We have seen sex through movies and TV shows, and it is almost never informative about contraception and avoiding pregnancy. The characters never stop and say, “Wait…I don’t want to get pregnant” or anything of the sort. They just act like nothing wrong could happen, and like it is all just fun.

So basically, large amounts of sexual content in the media and how sex is portrayed through the media are some of the contributing causes to teenage pregnancy. This issue is pretty easy to notice---just flip through your TV channels now & you’ll see what I am explaining.

Well, I gotta get going for now! More on the causes of teenage pregnancy next time!

References:

Chandra, Anita, Steven Martino, Rebecca Collins, Mark Elliot, Sandra Berry, David Kanouse, and Angela Miu. "Does Watching Sex on Television Predict Teen Pregnancy? Findings From a National Longitudinal of Survey of Youth." Pediatrics 122.5 (2008): 1047-054. Pediatrics-The official journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics. 31 Oct. 2008. EBSCO. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. .

Raspberry, William. "U.S. Teen-Agers and Sex." The Washington Post 15 Mar. 1985, Final ed., First sec. LexisNexis. Web. 27 Feb. 2010. .

Why teenage pregnancy?

Okay, so I want to explain why I am interested in the issue of teenage pregnancy in the United States….

First of all, I am interested in it because the United States has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy among all developed countries. In the United States, 750,000 teenagers per year become pregnant. This is three times higher than Canada and eight times higher than Japan (Hoffman and Maynard 1). Yeah, I know that is a shocking statistic, right? But anyways, another reason interesting fact is that after 1990 the rate of teenage pregnancy had actually been decreasing. It hit a plateau in 2000 and stayed about the same for awhile, until 2005. In 2005, it began increasing and was increasing for awhile. Although, recent research does show a decrease this year. However,I find it kind of strange that it had been low for so long, but then turned around and began increasing. And I think that it is important to make sure that it continues to decrease and not rise again! I was also interested because at my high school there was a high rate of teenage pregnancy, and I always knew it wasn’t a good thing….especially when very few of the teenage mothers originally in my graduating class did not end up actually graduating at all. I wanted to learn more about this issue! The main things I focused on finding out were……………….


1) What are the main causes of this issue?
2) What are the risks/consequences involved?
3) What are some solutions?

Teenage pregnancy has plenty of causes from sexual content in the media to lack of easy access to contraceptives to teenagers not being fully aware of the responsibilities of being a parent. Teenage pregnancy is also something that needs to be addressed because many risks are involved, such as health implications and behavioral issues.


In later posts, I am going to elaborate on everything I have learned about this issue & explore more about a solution I feel is really effective! However, for now I gotta get going! I have to study for statistics (…blah) Talk to you later!



Reference:

Hoffman, Saul, and Rebecca Maynard, eds. Kids Having Kids: Economic Costs and Social Consequences of Teen Pregnancy. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute, 2008. Print.

My first ever blog entry!

Hi everyone!

My name is Gretchen! I am doing this blog for my english composition class and I'm actually pretty excited about it! I am new to this whole blog thing, but it seems really fun! In this blog, I am going to be exploring the issue of teenage pregnancy in the United States and elaborating on a solution that I feel would be effective! Thank you for checking out my blog :)