Teen Pregnancy Continues to Impact Education and Health

Story by Dakota Fauntroy. Photo courtesy of iStock.

The United States has a higher teen pregnancy rate compared to any other country. Teen pregnancy in the United States is often linked to lack of birth control, poverty, lack of health care, and lack of sexual education. 

Teen pregnancy has been on the rise since the 1940’s and 1950’s, mainly due to the fact that parents allowed their kids to get married at such a young age. Many parents believed that if their child were to get pregnant after marriage, it wouldn’t be viewed as a social problem.

Teenagers in the US stop going to school after getting pregnant, usually due to embarrassment or not having a support system. Teen moms often get scared and will not tell anyone that they are pregnant because they are afraid that something will happen to them. This can lead them to do dangerous things to their bodies. Frequently, teen moms don’t know that they are pregnant because they cannot afford a pregnancy test or they don’t have the proper primary care. Sometimes, but not often, teen moms commit suicide because they are afraid of being shamed or not being able to afford a child at that time. 

When teens get pregnant they often begin to feel alone, scared and nervous about the next chapter in their lives. We need to help young people feel safe and empower them to learn about reproductive and sexual health to stop this cycle. 

Dakota Fauntroy is a senior at Friendship Collegiate Academy.