Yeah... I thought about that too afterwards, LunarCore. Thankfully I revised it and added-... Well, hey, I'll let you see. ^_^ It's in red.
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TEEN PREGNANCY
In 1996, a story about a runaway ten-year-old girl hit the media. Her name was
Cindy Garcia and was said to be 8 1/2 months pregnant. "With heavy makeup framing her
exotic almond-shaped eyes and her long, dark hair piled high, Cindy Garcia looked at
least 14", an Associated Press story stated. She was said to have "innocently
handed welfare workers her birth certificate to qualify for food stamps and child support.
Cindy, her belly bulging, was only 10."
Police and doctors desperately searched for her, knowing she would require a
Caesarean section and a lot of medical attention since was only ten-years-old. It wasn't
until she was captured that the truth came out. Cindy really was fourteen-years-old, but
was given a fake birth certificate by her mother Francesca. In fact, Cindy wasn't even her
real name, it was Adella Quintana. She and her mother had moved from Mexico to
Houston, Texas to enroll the girl in American schools. They were fleeing the hardships of
their homeland in hope of finding a better life.
However, Cindy-Adella and her mother only found new troubles once they came
to America. I doubt that the media misunderstandings were the only problems the girl
endured. She most likely had problems raising her child since she was so young. At that
age, it would have been hard to support her child by any means. And in today's society,
other teenage mothers like her would suffer from the same struggles or more. So, how can
we prevent adolescent motherhood? How can we protect teenage girls from what they are
not prepared to face?
Denise Witmer, author of Your Guide to Parenting Adolescents, gives tips to
prevent early teen sex and pregnancy. As the first tip, she writes that parents should
discourage early, steady dating. Some female teens have boyfriends simply because they
are bored, so parents should encourage friendship and group activities.
The next tip is for parents to help their teens form a plan to get out of situations
before they are in them. Three out of four girls report that they have sex early because
their boyfriends want them to. Also, it is important that parents discuss with their teens on
what to do when they feel sexually charged. All teenagers, after all, have hormones and
need help dealing with them sometimes.
The third tip is to talk with your teen early and often about sex, contraception,
your morals and values. The main reason given for not having intercourse in teens is
because having sex early would go against their religious or moral values. Remember,
adolescents are influenced by everything you do and say. If you, as a parent, have morals
and values, your teen will most likely "follow in your footsteps". Also, establish rules and
curfews, then enforce them.
The last tip, but certainly not least, is to teach your teen how to dream. Instead of
letting your adolescents grow up thinking they must get married and have children as
soon as possible, let them shoot for the stars. Give your teenagers college opportunities
and let them fight for the dream career they've always wanted. Let them know it's okay to
have what they want most in life. After all, life is short, so it's best to make the most out
of it!
However, as all parents know, teens can be stubborn. Teenage girls may not
realize the dangers of having sex and do so anyways. In the chapter "Monster Moms", it
states that "the teen birth rate reached its highest level in the 1950s, not the current era.
Indeed, between 1991 and 1996 the rate declined by nearly 12 percent."(Glasner 4) Yet,
that doesn't mean female adolescents aren't having sex early nowadays. In the past, we did
not have the knowledge we do now about pregnancy and prevention. That brings me to
discuss the causes of less adolescent mothers in our current era: birth control and
abortion.
Birth control pills, a common method for preventing pregnancy, contains artificial
estrogen and/or progestin that copy the hormones the female body produces. The body
then reacts to these heightened levels of hormones in different ways, all of which can
prevent pregnancy. The primary way the artificial hormones in birth control pills work is
by suppressing ovulation.
Depo-Provera, NuvaRing, Ortho Evra, Mirena IUD and Implanon are other forms
of birth control. These all work in different ways, but they all have the same purpose of
preventing pregnancy.
A female adolescent may have sex early and may be well protected. Yet, using
any kind of birth control always has its risks--no matter how old a female may be. Teens
also have been known to keep their sexual episodes secret from their parents; therefore,
the birth control method as well. There is several risks that can come from using birth
control: arterial clotting, venous inflammation and clotting, high blood pressure, etc.
Also, birth control can cause damage to an already conceived child. Usually, teenagers
will not know these things unless informed by their parents first.
Also, teens having early sex may not realize the danger of sexually transmitted
diseases (STD's). There are several STD's: HIV and AIDS, Genital Herpes (HSV-2),
Genital Warts, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), Pubic Lice,
Syphilis and Trichomoniasis. STD's can be spread not only through intercourse, but also
skin-to-skin contact, cuts or being exposed to bodily fluids. It's important to discuss this
with your adolescents. Remember, its easier to prevent STD's than cure them--even then,
some can't be cured.
It's possible that teenagers know about STD's, but that doesn't mean it will prevent
them from having early sex. If a female adolescent has intercourse without birth control
present and becomes pregnant, then there is more drastic issues at hand. Now, the young
lady is forced to make a choice. Either she will keep the baby or have an abortion instead.
Most likely, to escape the hardships this child could bring, the young mother will have an
abortion.
Though abortion is socially acceptable, there are several risks that need to
be considered. Hemorrhaging, infection, infertility, miscarriage and post abortion
syndrome (PAS) are all risks that can occur after an abortion. Some teens have been
known to have abortions in secret, too, which can be very dangerous. There are also ways
of having an abortion non-surgically, such as the Emergency Contraception or
otherwise called the "morning-after pill". To many, abortion is a moral and/or religious
decision.
Personally, I do not agree with abortion. As a Christian, I believe life begins at
conception and an abortion would be an act of murder. Being a Christian does not fully
form my beliefs, though. I have my own morals and values, as everyone should have.
Whether a female chooses to have sexual intercourse or is raped and becomes
pregnant, I believe that a girl should give birth. She should either take full responsibility
in caring for the child or if she doesnât feel she can do this, put the child up for adoption. A child can give unconditional love and happiness. Who doesn't want that?
Young mothers that do decide to care for the child they conceived will face
hardships like Cindy Garcia. In today's society, young mothers are frowned upon.
They are thought to be careless, irresponsible and bad influences to others their age.
However, a young mother is no more reckless than any other teenager. They must learn
from their mistakes and move on through life the best they can. In the meantime, parents
need to do all they can to prevent teen pregnancy and early struggles for young ladies.[/center]
