Increasing Teen Pregnancy

A decade agone the idea that twelve-year-olds would be receiving birth contain pills and that contraceptives would be wedded out at works would stick been unthinkable. Today, however, with the high rate of immature maternalism and the fear of AIDS and other diseases, a new(a) debate is stirring across

America. "What was once a matter of moral philosophy has become a matter of public health" (Kantrowitz, 1987, p. 54) .

Since 1977, to a greater extent than one million puerileage girls lay down become expectant each year. This rate is the highest in the Western world, and many cope it an epidemic. Further, in 1984, fifty-six percent of teen births were out of wedlock comp ard with only fifteen percent in 1960. Of those who conceive, about half(prenominal) actu tout ensembley give birth while the others end in either miscarriage or abortion. And, approximately one-third of all abortions in the United States are performed on teenage girls (Kantrowitz, 1987, p. 54-55).

unmatched of the grim realities of these statistics is that most are likely to come from low-income house affords, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and welfare. Further, a third of all teen mothers have a second child before they are twenty. In addition, since most usually do not have access to any prenatal care, they do not fill in about nutrition and their babies tend to be low in birthweight. This in turn can increase the risks of health

So what is to be done? It is manifest from the statistics that traditional forms of sex education in the home and school are not working. In fact, studies have come outn that among some of the country's interior cities, there is far more than fear of birth control than of pregnancy among sexually-active teenagers (Dash, 1990, p. 19). Where sex education clinics are tough with the schools, however, statistics show a slowing down and even lowering of the pregnancy rates (Kantrowitz, 1987, p. 57). This is where nursing plays such a significant role.

most pregnant teens learn of their condition through the 5,000 or so community family-planning clinics around the country. It is a health system mutualist greatly on nursing staff.

These frontline professionals are seeing girls younger and younger, many terrified at the test results. "First you have to get them over the crisis. You have to let them vent their feelings, whether it's just sitting and crying, hysterics, or swearing" (Kraegel & Kachoyeanos, 1989, p. 69). The misinformation among them is tremendous, the fear of telling their parents pervasive.

On the other hand, if the teen is going to terminate the pregnancy, it is crucial to assist at where the abortion will take place, who will set up the teen through the process, will her partner be involved in the decision. Pressing the adolescent to look at her flavor goals and where she sees herself going, is an important part of early pregnancy counseling. Further, adolescents typically do not want to tell their parents. However, this must be further for most in nursing have undercoat parents to be supportive after the initial shock.

Nursing intervention has found that reaching teenage boys with the message of sex education is important as well. The attitude that, because of birth control, it is the girl's problem if she gets pregnant, does not hold up today, particularly with the threat of AIDS. Condoms are becoming more visible both through television ads
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