Essay Sample on Curbing Teen Pregnancies in Texas: An Inclusive Approach

Introduction

In many countries, whether developed or developing teen pregnancies have been a common problem. Teen pregnancies, as either as social or health problem, has many risk factors which, if mitigated can help curb it. Poverty, ignorance in sexuality education, social factors, among other factors, makes the problem prevalent among teenagers in Texas. Teen pregnancies as a social and health issue can be dealt with using an inclusive approach where the different levels of the government, stakeholders including the parents play a part in formulation, and implementation of policies and frameworks that ensure better teenage reproductive health.

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Teen Pregnancies

Teenage pregnancy is described as a pregnancy of girls below the age of 19. Before this age, many teenagers will not have completed their education and settle down in life. Therefore, a pregnant mother at this age cannot handle the responsibilities that come along with being a mother. Mostly after confirming the pregnancy, many teenagers revert to other ways of disposing off the pregnancy, and eventually, they are exposed to even worse risks. Teenagers, especially between the age of 13 -19 years, are believed to be highly fertile, therefore, being sexually active at this age can easily result in pregnancy.

Texas has a growing population, and Sayegh et al. (2009) predicted the population of Hispanic females would have increased by 45% by the year 2015. This increase also spiked the increase in teenage pregnancies by 13%, which translated to 127 women per 1000 women (Sayegh et al. 2009). The greatest challenge when it comes to teen pregnancies in Texas is the changing demographics characteristics and patterns. There is a failure in sexuality education among racial and ethnic groups, which leads to contraceptive use failure. All these factors have a role to play in the rising number of teen pregnancies. Texas is ranked among the top ten states in teen pregnancy and among the top five in the teen birth rate. With a prediction of the population doubling in the next two decades, the problem may become worse due to continued immigration and demographical changes that have seen many ethnic groups settling in Texas. According to report tabled in Congress by GAO almost half of the families that receive welfare are those started by teenagers (GAO,1995)

Mitigation practices to help curb this problem have to be put in place to ensure there are less cases reported. The first step in has to be from a policy point of view. The government, both federal and state, should implement systems, policies, and frameworks which are capable of dealing with this menace. These policies can be incorporated in the laws of the land to ensure they are used for a long period such that the results will be consistent and reliable. State and federal government as the main organs tasked with policy making and implementation should formulate framework in form of legislation which take into account the sexuality of teenagers' especially adolescent behavior. For example, consider their believe and value system. The legislation should also introduce the education approach which is sufficient enough to offer enough information to the teenagers as early as possible and finally formulate a medical contraceptive plan that is sufficient enough to deal with teenage sexuality. Policies should focus on the menace that is teenage pregnancy and not the politics around the policy. Many of the policies fail when it comes to implementation since they are politicized and misrepresented to the people. Education about sexuality, especially the implications of being sexually active, should be rolled out in all teaching and learning institutions, including religious groups. According to Tortolero et al. (2010), Texas needs to implement an all-inclusive approach when addressing the sexual health needs of teenagers. This approach should include monitoring of evidence-based sex education starting from middle school up to high school level. Teenagers should also get unlimited access to reproductive health services, especially those teenagers that are active sexually. Parents, service providers, and teachers should be well trained in adolescent sexual health. If enough information is availed to the teenagers as early as possible, then they will not be left to explore on their own to satisfy their inquisitiveness. Since Texas has a very diverse cultural background when it comes to race/ethnic setups, the information should be translated and tailored to meet these different setups such that the information reaches all without the culture acting as a barrier. As GAO (1995) reports indicates, there is a need to consider those unlucky to get pregnant during their teenage years. They should be able to continue with their education to ensure they do not end up as illiterate since they might pass on the cycle to their young ones. It is estimated that by the year 2040, approximately 10% of the population of Texas will be adolescent women (Sayegh et al. 2009); therefore, education to these teenagers who have already fallen victims can help to break the cycle. They can make something out of their lives while acting as role models or good examples to other teenagers now and in the future.

Conclusion

The need for better policies that closely look at the teenage pregnancy problem as a health and social issue can be a huge step towards curbing it. Policies tend to be politicized and become controversial during implementations, and this is why all the involved parties starting with parents, governments, and other stakeholders, should come together to handle this problem with one voice. Therefore, teen pregnancies as a social and health issue can be dealt with using an inclusive approach where the different levels of the government, stakeholders including the parents play a part in formulation, and implementation of policies and frameworks that ensure better teenage reproductive health

References

GAO(1995). Welfare to work approaches that help teenage mother's complete high school. https://www.gao.gov/assets/230/221882.pdf

Sayegh M. & Castrucci Brian & Lewis, Kayan & Hobbs-Lopez, Angela. (2009). Teen Pregnancy in Texas: 2005 to 2015. Maternal and child health journal. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23642480_Teen_Pregnancy_in_Texas_2005_to_2015#pf7

Tortolero, Susan & Hernandez, Belinda & Cuccaro, Paula & Peskin, Melissa & Markham, Christine & Shegog, Ross. (2010). Latino Teen Pregnancy in Texas: Prevalence, Prevention, and Policy. The Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk.