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Teenage pregnancy rates are high in the United States, which is a concern because babies born to teenage mothers are at higher risk for health problems than babies born to women in their 20s and 30s. It is important to recognize these health complications so that all measures can be taken to ensure that babies born to teenage mothers are strong and healthy.
Teen pregnancy is a pregnancy occurring in a young girl between the ages of 13 and 19. According to the website for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, as of 2006 an estimated $9 billion of U.S. taxpayer money is spent annually toward health care, criminal justice and foster-care programs as a result of teen pregnancy.
The teenage years are a notoriously difficult period, but pregnant teens face added struggles that often outlast the teen years. Young mothers and their babies are at risk for serious health, social and economic problems. According to the March of Dimes, over 750,000 teenage girls become pregnant in the U.S. every year.
Teen pregnancy rates are affected by the messages young girls get from the world around them, by their social circles and by the need for approval or attention. Often, teen girls participate in unsafe sexual situations to fit in with a peer group or to cement the affections of a particular young man. They don't fully understand that motherhood is work, miscalculating future loss of opportunity in career and personal growth from having children too early. In 2008, a pregnancy boom in the Massachusetts town of Gloucester brought national scrutiny; it was later revealed that the girls wanted the experience…
According to the March of Dimes, teen pregnancy rates in the U.S. increased in 2006 and 2007 after a steady decline from 1991 to 2005. Teenage mothers and their babies are at increased risk for health problems and often face further social and economic struggles.
Surprisingly, teenage pregnancy rates in the United States are the highest in the industrialized world. Rates vary by region and ethnic group. Teen pregnancy brings consequences to both the mother and child, as well as society as a whole.
When teens become pregnant, it can result in family discord, financial hardship, lower educational goals or abortion. An ounce of prevention is truly valuable.
