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!