Essay Sample on Teenage Pregnancy

Introduction

Life is the most significant gift the world has to offer. And the beauty of giving experience is that it is free, it is natural and it is biological. The need to procreate and have progeny has been a human, and animals in general, characteristic for thousands of years. However, the way in which life is made, and the circumstances and conditions it occurs in and consequences that follow are of crucial consideration. Teenage pregnancy may be defined as the pregnancy in females who are under 20 years of age. In some cultures, and societies, this is considered normal where a girl is married off once they start menstruating. These early marriages, however, have been regarded as a dangerous practice to the life of the young females and their unborn children. Teenage pregnancy is rampant as a result of lack of knowledge in the practice of safe sex among teenagers. Due to their high sexual activity, and ignorance as a result of young age, they usually forego contraceptive precautions and measures and this results in teenage pregnancy (Langille, 2007). The primary adverse effects fall on the adolescent females. Hence my thesis which focuses on the impact of teenage pregnancy on the educational and career opportunities of females. A female teenager might fail to realize her full potential if she happens to get pregnant in her teen years.

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The future is an unknown destination but with proper planning, discipline and consistency, an individual might achieve the goals they set out for themselves. This however not right for pregnant teenagers. The young women are affected in all aspects and have their future derailed to a certain degree. They become mothers at a young age when they do not have the expertise and skill set required to be a parent. The parents to be are still "kids" when they are pregnant. The pressure offered by parents and guardians also serves to damage the female emotionally. More often than not, the teenage males who impregnate the females are "kids' as well and fail in their responsibilities as fathers. Abandonment is common among such young men who leave these females stranded and helpless. A pregnant teen cannot continue with her education the same as before, with the new responsibility coming in. It becomes hard for an immature young woman to juggle school work, home responsibilities and raise a child. The overwheighing responsibility leads to undue stress and depression that ultimately affects her ability to learn. Her potential becomes muddled, and the significant part of her youth is spent raising a child instead of making a life for herself. Teenage pregnancy might also have adverse effects on the baby, where statistics show that babies who are born to teenagers may have slower mental and intellectual development, medical issues and psychological strain (Bodeeb, 2017). Therefore, depicting how immature judgment can alter the life of a vibrant young woman full of energy. It is therefore essential to keep educating teenagers on abstinence and safe sex practices to secure their futures.

Teenage pregnancy has been classified as a public health concern due to the unwanted impacts that results afterward including perinatal outcomes and the long-term physical, emotional and psychological health of the child as well as the young mother. Poverty is a significant effect and a factor in teenage pregnancy where statistics show adolescent pregnancies occurs mostly in people who are underprivileged. The extra mouth to feed comes with more substantial stretch on the available resources furthering the level of poverty. Increased poverty inhibits the young parent from completing her education since the finances cannot be sufficient for learning and child-rearing. These young women are forced to forfeit their knowledge and raise their children, as children, where they look for different and untrained means to earn a living to support themselves and their new progeny. Other seek to get married to find sanctitude for themselves and their child. All this happens in their adolescent years which deters their futures in education and the career front (Gueorguieva et al., 2001). The latter supports the proposal of how the knowledge of teenage girls who get pregnant and their future careers gets slowed down or negatively affected as compared to young women who do not suffer the same fate.

Evidence-based support shows that women who were pregnant during their teens end up having more children. The statistics also conclude that these women continue having unwanted pregnancies. Hence, early child bearers have large families which is a clear indication of how these women take focus on raising children as part of their everyday life other than education and career choices. Teenage mothers have more extended exposure to raising children since they started young, and with the lack of use of safe sex practices in their adolescent years, the same trend peaks up even in adulthood which results in more unwanted pregnancies. Research has also suggested that most women who have children in their teen years end up being more "familistic" than their counterpart. Although it is just a theory, these young women often change their plans and projections and about their future and focus on being mothers. These young women stop school to raise children, and this makes them more susceptible to getting more children. Education can be a hindrance and subtraction to having children in young years.

Young adults yearn to finish their education and make a living for themselves. But if this is cut short, especially for the girls, through teenage pregnancy, they more often than not end up giving up their education and start family obligations. As a result, these young women fail to follow up or own up to their plans, or how they oriented their education and careers. Those who do, do it at a later stage in their lives with a lot of hardships and tribulations (Hofferth, 1987). All the above is in support of the premise of the stated proposal. The impacts of teenage pregnancy actively limit the future success of young women. Marriage is often associated with adolescent pregnancy in the sense that these young women choose to change their plan and opt to partake in marriage to salvage their lives. The effort is real for societies and traditions that do not practice early marriages.

Teenage pregnancy affects education the most in young women. Most of them end up lacking the support they need in child growth. And due to lack of finances on their part, the cannot afford luxuries such as hiring help to look after their children. Lacking support, in turn, forces them to forfeit their education to cater for the needs of their children, which even then is not facilitated correctly. The emotional and health risks involved in teenage pregnancies may cause the child as well as the mother to suffer health wise and even lose their children prematurely or their lives. It is undoubtedly depressing for a young woman who is learning the ways of the world, who is discovering her sexuality and how to survive in their immediate surrounding, to end up being pregnant. This depression might lead to health risk for the young woman and the unborn child.

Conclusion

The regret that gnaws in their mind eats away their sanity, and they lose confidence in themselves and life (Taylor, 2010). All this psychological trauma on the part of the teenage girl after her performance in education if they still go to school and tentatively their careers. Their plans are spoilt. In the event having a child in teenage years lead to the death of the mother or the unborn child, the future is negatively and strongly affected. Having a faulty future, however, does not mean that being a pregnant teenager spells doom for a young woman. It will undoubtedly be difficult but not impossible to finish their education and follow through with their careers and become successful in life. With the right support from close relatives and friends, most of these women show promise and achieve their goals eventually. Through planning, hard work and sacrifice, young women transform teenage pregnancy from being a lifetime curse to being a motivator and determinant to their success story.

References

Bodeeb, J. (2017, June 13). Effects of teenage pregnancy. Retrieved from Live Strong: https://www.livestrong.com/article/86972-effects-teenage-pregnancy/
Gueorguieva, R., et al. (2001, August 1). Effects of teenage pregnancy on educational disabilities in kindergarten. Retrieved from Oxford Academic: https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/154/3/212/125794
Hofferth, S. (1987). Chapter 6. Social and economic consequences of teenage childbearing. Risking the future: Adolescent sexuality, pregnancy, and childbearing, volume II: Working papers and statistical appendices. National Academic Press. Retrieved from NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK219229/
Lagille, D. (2007, May 22). Teenage pregnancy: trends, contributing factors, and the physician's role. Retrieved from NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1867841/
Taylor, S. (2010, November 12) Teen pregnancy can have long-term effects. Retrieved from ST. Louis Post-Dispatch: http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/metro/news/teen-pregnancy-can-have-long-term-effects/article_c70bc6f4-a1ce-557d-aa1f-d61e7700be3b.html