Pregnant Nation

Pregnant Nation: The Indescribable Era of a Teenage Crisis

Have you ever seen The Secret Life of the American Teenager, 90210, or Teen Mom. What does each of these have in common? Well, each presents a false light on sex, protection, and teenage pregnancy. Each show has teenagers having sex either without using protection and surpassing the dangers of STD’s or pregnancy. When one of the characters actually does fall victim to the consequences the show makes the characters life seem almost blissful. The media has influenced a false perspective on teenagers about pregnancy, causing it to become a major crisis among Americans.

However, many people don’t think about teenage pregnancy as out of the normal because so many young girls are becoming mothers at an increasing rate. This generation has found normalcy in sexuality; in fact teenagers are no longer looking to parents for advice on sex and life but to the fake lives of television stars and movies. According to Seventeen magazine, “55 percent of teen girls say TV shows and movies encourage teenagers to have sex.” As a teenager I know first hand that the media influences everything from what we wear to what diet we want to be a part of, but the media has overtaken the minds of adolescents. Leading girls to think that having sex can come without consequences and even if they so happen to get pregnant many of them think that because the media shows pregnancy as a glamorous event in reality it is a rough, never ending job.

Because of this unrealistic fantasy the media has implanted among many teens the birth rate has peaked to it’s highest in years. "Since the teen birthrate is on the rise for the first time in 15 years, it is critically important to focus resources and attention on this problem," says Albert. "One way you do that is to make sure people understand that it's a very widespread problem in families of different economic structures and economic means." America has become the leader in highest teenage pregnancies among all countries. According to the Guttmacher Institute “Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15–19 become pregnant. Overall, 71.5 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15–19 occurred in 2006.” So how did this crisis come to be, and why are so many teens falling into the falsehood of early motherhood? The media has played the greatest influence on this crisis. Showing teens that just because you have sex doesn’t mean you’ll get pregnant or catch STD’s. But the truth of the matter is that there is always a downside to the something that seems so good.

Another factor in this growing crisis is the education of sex and access to contraceptives. I was surprised to learn in my psychology class that some places in rural cities don’t sell condoms. Leaving teens the option of traveling far distances in order to find protection, but in reality no teen is willing to travel in order to get condoms. “Nearly half (46%) of all 15–19-year-olds in the United States have had sex at least once.” Teens think that they can rely on only the things they believe they know, but what most thinks is that they will never get pregnant. But the truth is that anyone can get pregnant their first time or after that. Another myth they believe is that only teens that come from a broken home or have a troubling past can get pregnant, but according to the Futurist, a survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy finds that teen parents represent every socioeconomic and demographic category: 41% of U.S. teen parents come from homes at or above 200% of the federal poverty line, and 70% were raised in two-parent homes. No matter what teens are beginning to believe about sex and pregnancy the only thing most of them are thinking about is how wonderful it looks from the outside looking in.

Hollywood has changed teen’s minds into thinking that being pregnant doesn’t mean giving up your entire life. In fact “31 percent of teen girls say TV shows and movies make teenagers want to have a baby” (Khidekel). What many don’t realize is that because of their new addition to their life that many of them won’t continue high school or graduate, and according to Seventeen Magazine “ 80 percent of fathers don’t marry the teen mother of their baby.” The star of The Secret Life of an American Teenager, Shailene Woodley said

“When my character was pregnant, I never cried so much in my life-and that wasn’t glamorous at all. In real life, I would never choose that for myself or anyone.”

So why is Hollywood continuing to make the consequences of sex look so glamorous to teens. Many Hollywood stars and big time producers realize that sex sells, so why not make it look as glamorous as possible? Even with shows like 16 and pregnant, which show the actual reality of having a baby at 16, doesn’t quite turn teens off from having a baby. I must admit that I love 16 and Pregnant, but every episode I see I feel that the girl is always the one taking care of the baby. In fact the majority of the girls presented on the show don’t end up staying with the father of their child. Some of them graduate high school and try to continue education, but being a mother over takes their life and they can’t do everything. So why are teens wanting to live a life like the girls on 16 and Pregnant.

However, schools are still not taking the percussions for teens. In a recent media outburst many girls of a Massachusetts school made a pregnancy pact. Each girl decided to become pregnant thinking it would bring them an unknown joy in life. In the end the girls were overwhelmed with media attention. The story became a lifetime movie and many of the girls regretted their choice in having a baby. In 2003, 47% of students in grades 9-12 reported that they had experienced sexual intercourse; about 20% of female teens who have had sexual intercourse become pregnant each year. In recognition of the often negative, long-term consequences associated with teenage pregnancy, Congress has provided funding for the prevention of teenage and out-of-wedlock pregnancies. This report discusses two programs that exclusively attempt to reduce teenage pregnancy. The Adolescent Family Life (AFL)

demonstration program was enacted in 1981 as Title XX of the Public Health Service Act, and the Abstinence Education program was enacted in 1996 as part of the welfare reform legislation.

Work Cited

Guttmacher Institute, 2010 http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html#9

Seventeen Magazine, April 2010 Issue by Marina Khidekel