Is Teen Pregnancy Rising In America, And How Does It Affect The Baby?

Teen pregnancy refers to the practice of women under the age of 20 falling pregnant. While the world grapples with the challenge of teenage pregnancy, it has reached an alarming rate in the U.S. Teen pregnancy, which assumed the scale of a silent epidemic in the United States in the 1990s, has declined in recent times. The rate of teenage pregnancy is higher in the African continent compared to the United States. However, the reasons for early pregnancy vary in both continents.

While it is social and cultural factors that impose early pregnancy on under-age girls in the forms of early marriage in case of countries like Niger, Mali and other Sub-Saharan countries, the case of teen pregnancy in America springs from an individualistic desire to explore one’s sexuality and not something that the cultural or social norms prescribe for the teens. In the U.S., cases of teenage pregnancy have often been unplanned and prevalent among school-going adolescents.

According to the data provided by the Guttmacher Institute, a leading research and policy organization, in 2010, some 614,000 U.S. teens became pregnant, which translates roughly to a rate of 57 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15–19, which marks a 51% decline in U.S. teen pregnancy from a peak in 1990.

However, a closer look reveals that not all communities are equally affected by the issue of teenage pregnancy. While it has been higher among the African-American and the Hispanic communities, it is comparatively lower among the European-Americans and the Asian Americans.

What are the factors that are contributing to the declining trend?

While there are many factors that have together contributed to bringing a significant decline in the number of teen pregnancy cases in the United States, some key factors remain:

Improved sex Education

While policy interventions by the Government have helped in creating awareness among teenagers regarding the issues of teenage pregnancy, the use of smartphones and constant access to a wider body of knowledge, be it sexual awareness or otherwise, has helped adolescents to have a better understanding of the situation. The knowledge-driven Generation Z is much more empowered compared to its predecessors and hence, it is no secret that it is better protected compared to the previous generations.

Changed Outlook

The outlook on teen pregnancy has undergone a dynamic shift in the last few decades. While society and even parents have become more accommodating and accepting, teenagers find support and adequate guidance in dealing with the problem, rather than hiding it or taking any extreme step owing to the social stigma. The changed overview encourages parents to encounter the issue as a problem that their children face rather than projecting it as a cause of shame and ignominy. Teen pregnancy movies like Fifteen and Pregnant (1998), Mom at Sixteen (2005), Juno (2007), The Pregnancy Pact (2015), Unexpected (2015) played their role in spreading adequate awareness and initiating wider acceptance of the matter.

Policy Intervention

The administration has stepped up its effort to address the public health emergency by adequately investing in HIV/ STD education, age-appropriate sex education and promoting abstinence-until-marriage programs. Additionally, the Government also acknowledged the need to make contraceptives available to adolescents who are sexually active. Therefore, public and private health insurance coverage was expanded under the Affordable Care Act so that teenagers can easily access contraception available. The policy intervention has borne fruit, as most teenage pregnancies now result in abortion, not childbirth.

AIDS Crisis

The AIDS crisis in the 1990s led to improved awareness among the people about the disease and the prevention techniques. The use of condoms was not only promoted but emerged as a necessity to check the spread of the AIDS epidemic. All these factors together helped to curb the menace of the rising trend of teenage pregnancy in America.

Moreover, the World Health Organization mediated Comprehensive Sexuality Education that has been the core of the United Nations’ global guidance on sexuality education, which was developed together by UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, U.N. Women, UNAIDS and WHO shows how improved sex education leads to reduced cases of sexually transmitted disease, reduced instances of gender-based violence, better sexual and reproductive health, among others.

How does adolescent pregnancy affect newborns?

Teen pregnancy negatively impacts the lives of the newborns. Predominant health risks include low birth weight, premature birth, STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), respiratory disease, and developmental delays. Again, economic hardships complicate the lives of the children. Teenagers, who themselves are mostly dependent on their parents for their financial needs, are unable to provide well for their children. They often struggle to ensure the basic minimum for their kids, which leads to the vicious cycle of poverty and impoverishment.

Moreover, teenage moms who themselves undergo various mental and physical changes during their adolescent years lack the emotional maturity and experience that are necessary for good parenting. This inexperience and immaturity often cause withdrawal or neglect towards the children and ends in devastating consequences for the child who is trapped in a cycle of poverty, neglect, abuse, and isolation.

How does teenage pregnancy affect teen moms?

While the lives of newborns are afflicted by various health and economic adversities, the lives of teenage moms are equally challenging. Pregnancy-related complications not only affect her physically, but postpartum depression devastates her mentally very often. Besides, teen pregnancy disrupts a school-going teen’s education and thereby restricts her future opportunities for employment and potential to achieve financial stability.

In addition to that, lack of social support and parental support in some cases complicate the matter even further. At an age when adolescents themselves are vulnerable and, navigate through a number of physical and mental changes and need parental support, early pregnancy can cause insurmountable damage to their mental health. Parenting accompanies significant stress and more than often induces anxiety, which adolescent moms struggle to cope with.

In the above light, it becomes evident that the Government intervention and rising awareness have succeeded to a major extent. Therefore, a constant vigil and continued awareness can go a long way in eradicating the root of the problem.

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