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Teen Pregnancy

TEEN UNWED PREGNANCY AS A PROBLEM IN AMERICA.
Every twenty-six seconds, a United States teenager becomes pregnant, every fifty-six seconds, another adolescent gives birth, and every hour, fifty-six children are born to teenagers. These facts are based on estimated figures from the United States Department of Health. There are many teenagers in this world today who are having premarital sex and not taking any precautions. Everyone always thinks, "This could never happen to me." That is not true. Once you become pregnant, you must face all of the consequences that come along with it!
By the age of nineteen, one in four black women and one in seven white women are already mothers. Seven percent of young men become fathers while they are still teenagers. Nearly one quarter of teens that have a baby have a second within two years of their first. These young parents are suddenly faced with huge responsibilities and confusing choices.
Pregnancy puts a lot of physical demands on a woman's body. It is especially demanding on a teenager, whose own body is still developing and growing. For this reason, teens run a higher-than-average risk of having serious complications with pregnancy and childbirth, such as premature or prolonged labor, anemia, and high blood pressure. These potential problems can threaten their lives and the baby's. A teenage mother is more at risk of pregnancy complications. These risks are even greater for teens that are less then fifteen-years of age.
Teen mothers and their baby's face increased risks to their health. Teenagers often have poor eating habits, smoke, drink alcohol, and take drugs. This increases the risk that their babies will be born with health problems. A baby born to a teenage mother is more at risk than a baby born to an older mother.
Nine percent of teenage girls have low-birth weight babies (under 5.5 lbs.), compared to seven percent of all mothers nationally. Low-birth weight babies may have organs, which are not fully...