College of Western Idaho
Teen Pregnancy Blog
Ariel Rivera
November 3, 2011
Leslie Jewkes
English 102-034W
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Introduction
Teen pregnancy has become what seems to be an “in thing” for teenagers. Not just in Idaho but everywhere around the world. Teen pregnancy is something that can and must be prevented. Awareness about safe sex must happen sooner that in high school to help lower the rate of teen pregnancies. Although teen pregnancies will never be eliminated, if everyone does their part in teaching kids about sex teen pregnancies will decrease.
Local Essay Revised- Teen Pregnancy in Idaho
College of Western Idaho
Teen Pregnancy in Idaho
REVISED
REVISED
Ariel Rivera
October 11, 2011
Leslie Jewkes
English 102-034W
Abstract
Teen pregnancy has affected many young boys and girls and can happen to anyone. While this is true there are studies that show teen pregnancy usually occurs in a certain age group. The city of Emmett established a law that is still used today to attempt to curb teen pregnancy. This paper shows the view points from a teen mother and a school teacher on teen pregnancy; specifically their feelings about teen pregnancy in schools and parents doing their part to eliminate teen pregnancy.
Teen Pregnancy in Idaho
Anyone can become a teen parent. Parents and schools are not covering all the areas a teenager needs to know about sex and how to have sex safely. This must change in order to decrease the amount of teens becoming pregnant. Eliminating teen pregnancy is impossible, but raising awareness and education about safe sex ought to be done to help prevent teenagers from becoming teen parents.
Teen pregnancy is a serious issue. Teen pregnancy costs Idaho’s taxpayers $39 million dollars each year, which was last reviewed in the year 2004. This $39 million dollars is being used for Medicaid, foster care, and incarceration (Craig). Even though teen pregnancy is costing taxpayers an astounding $39 million dollars a year, Idaho has saved taxpayers roughly $26 million dollars because the teen birth rate has dropped 28 percent. Three quarters of teen mothers are around the ages of 18-19, only a small portion of teen mothers are under the age of 15. The money used on helping bail out teen mothers takes its toll and the money could instead be used for other social and economical issues. It is understandable that these teen parents need help providing for children. These situations could have been prevented and saved Idaho $39 million dollars. Idaho started receiving government funding for abstinence programs, but Idaho noticed that after doing this that between the years 2004-2006 their teen pregnancy rate went up. Rises in teen pregnancy lead Idaho to stop applying for the funding in the year 2007.
Children born to teen parents typically are not as educated as children born to parents that are in their twenties. Children tend to have lower scores in all subjects when their parents are teen mothers. Teenage parenting puts both the mother and the father two years behind in their education. Fifty-one percent of teen mothers will have earned their high school diploma before reaching the age of 22, whereas 89% of women that did not get pregnant as teens will get their high school diploma. Teen mothers are very likely to drop out of high school. “Pick a statistic, and teen mothers are almost always worse,” says Leonard M. Lopoo, an associate professor of public administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University (Perper, 2010). Although most teenager mothers do struggle with continuing their education and therefore influence the education of their kids I met with Erika Rivera who is a teen mother herself. Erika had her son at the age of fifteen, and has made quite a life for herself. When I asked Erika if having a child as a teenager affected any future goals she may have had Erika replied, “I mean I obviously changed my plans, I’m doing alright but I changed the way I went about things” (Rivera). Erika has made quite the life for herself and her son. Even though she encountered some struggles in her life, she is about to graduate from Boise State University, owns her own home and car, and has raised a smart young boy.
A 1921 Idaho law states "Any unmarried person who shall have sex with an unmarried person of the opposite sex shall be found guilty of fornication." (Dow Jones & Company Inc.) A pregnant junior attending school in Emmett was arrested from the schoolyard and taken to the local police station. She was convicted of criminal fornication after applying for medical assistance. Emmett’s law enforcement and attorneys are seeing this law as a way to curb the trend in teens having children. Law officials are going after any teen that is getting pregnant and that then applies for government assistance. Most of the people in Emmett believe that if teens do get pregnant then they should be responsible to pay for everything related to their child. Not only was the town arresting teen parents they were also taking over 18 fathers to court for being with minors. The town’s law enforcement and attorneys are taking this to full potential even though there have been more than 6000 other violations in recent decades. Gem County prosecutor Douglas Varie says that this old law is a very powerful tool for combating teen pregnancy. "The cost is not just in welfare," he says. "A male child of a single teen mother is three times more likely to go to jail than a child with two parents" (Dow Jones & Company Inc.). Not all of the prosecutors feel the same about Varie’s new outlook on teen pregnancy. "If you take on one case, you should take on them all," says Bruce Birch, prosecutor in nearby Payette County. "If I used that law, I would have to triple my staff" (Dow Jones & Company Inc.). Teens are only being prosecuted in Gem County; however, imagine the damage it could do if every city prosecuted teen parents. This law is helpful in frightening the teen parents from having sex but it is unfair to only prosecute teens and not adults that have kids out of wedlock and apply for government assistance.
Studies have been shown that depression or certain types of teens are the ones who usually become teen parents. There are 25% of girls that say they are depressed most, or all of the time. 8% of girls, who are not sexually active, fell the same way (VanLenten). Research shows that it is most likely for a low-income, depressed teen to become pregnant rather than a teen that came from a happy, financially stable home. With government assistance being harder to get, and the job market not being so easy to break into, it leaves even less opportunity for teen mothers. With teen mothers not having assistance through the government and there being very few jobs, teen mothers have to seek help from their grandparents or parents making it harder for everyone around them to get by as well (Anderson).
Teen pregnancy is something scary to experience. Having gone through it twice myself I can understand the point of view of a teenage mother. However, as a mother, I would not want the same things happening to my children, but no one wants that to happen. Teen pregnancy will happen if it is going to happen, although I think that if you provide the needed information and open up to your children about sex, the chances of them becoming teen parents will decrease.
Works Cited
Bohnenblust, Steve, Dawn Larsen, and Amy S. Hedman. “Relationship between Comprehensive Sex Education and Teen Pregnancy.” American Journal of Health Studies. 17 Sept. 2011. Scholarly Journal.
Craig, Kaylene. Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program. Craig, Kaylene, 2010. Web. 16 Sept. 2011.
Dow Jones & Company Inc. “Idaho County Tests A New Way to Curb Teen Sex: Prosecute --- Pregnant Girls and Boyfriends Get Hauled Into Court; Welfare Is the Real Issue”. 14 Feb. 2011. Scholarly Journal.
Elizabeth Terry-Humen, Jennifer Manlove and Kristin A. Moore, “Playing Catch-Up: How Children Born to Teen Mothers Fare,” The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy/Child Trends, January 2005. Scholarly Journal.
Hamilton, et al., “Births: Preliminary Data for 2007,” National Vital Statistics Reports, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, March 18, 2009, Web. CQ Researcher.
Kate Perper, Kristen Peterson, and Jennifer Manlove, “Diploma Attainment among Teen Mothers,” Fact Sheet #2010-01, Child Trends, January 2010, Web. CQ Researcher.
Kevin Freking, “States Reject Abstinence-only Funding from Federal Government,” The Associated Press, June 24, 2008, retrieved from Huffington Post blog, Web. CQ Researcher
Moylan, Patti. Personal Interview. 16 Sept. 2011.
Quoted in Pauline Anderson, “Distress Combined with Poverty Increases Risk for Teen Pregnancy,” Medscape Medical News online, July 31, 2009, Web. CQ Researcher.
Rachel Larris, “Appropriations Bill Ends Abstinence-Only Funding, Increases Family Planning,” RH Reality Check online, Dec. 15, 2009, Web. CQ Researcher
Rivera, Erika. Personal Interview. 14 Sept. 2011.
VanLenten, Barbara. “Today’s Pregnant Teen: How can healthcare professionals combat this prevalent pandemic?” 17 Sept. 2011. Scholarly Journal. Me...A Teen Mom?
Me…A Teen Mom?
Usually when you are a teenager you have fun with your friends, spend most of your time doing your homework or playing sports but me teenage years were very different than others. I met him my Sophomore year in high school, and our feelings were very strong from the beginning. Daniel and I spent every minute together, or so we tried. I was only a sixteen year old teen, as was he, and soon we would have our lives changed forever.
Teenage hormones are so strong and overwhelming and I gave into them. Daniel and I had been dating for about five months and we were getting serious. I talked to my mom about getting on birth control because my older sister became a teen mom at fifteen and I did not want that for myself. I had gotten my birth control and was ready to start taking them but I noticed that I was starting to feel different. I was expecting my period but it had not come. I then took it upon myself to get a pregnancy test and my eyes widened as it read “PREGNANT”.
I was feeling the emotions of scared, nervous, and sad. I did not know what to do. I told Daniel who was just as scared as I was. We ended up telling our families about two months later and they were shocked and disappointed to say the least. My mom had been through this once before and my dad had passed away earlier that year. Daniel’s parents are very old fashioned and wanted us to get married, which was out of the question. Daniel’s parents had actually offered to adopt the baby and raise it as their own. I could not even fathom knowing my child was in the same town and that I did not have the guts to be there for it. I decided that I was going to follow through with the pregnancy and keep my baby.
Seven months later Daniel and I were blessed with a eight pound two ounce baby girl. She has blessed our lives more than I could even describe. I am proud to say that Daniel and I graduated with our class on time and with great grades. Destini never went without and always had what she needed because of the amazing, supportive family that Daniel and I had.
Not all teenagers that get pregnant are as lucky as Daniel and I were. I do not consider Destini a mistake, but a blessing. I would never take her back or change anything that happened because then I would not have Destini and I would not be the person I am today.
Teen Mom Take Two
Teen Mom Take Two
After becoming a teen parent at seventeen I swore to myself that I would stay on track and continue college. At this point in my life I had my sixteen month old daughter, was living with Daniel, my boyfriend, working full-time at a doctors office, and going to school at Boise State University. Daniel was also working full-time and going to Boise State University with me.
We were right on track with our plans of going to school, staying employed, and taking care of our little girl Destini. Daniel and I were just nineteen years old and had now been together for two years. We talked about marriage and if we thought that was going to be in the cards for us and we both agreed it was something we wanted to do. Although we were only nineteen we had goofed around about possibly having another baby. We wanted to give Destini a sibling and made the decision we only wanted two kids. After discussing it more we wanted to wait on having another baby until after college. Of course I would not be telling you this story if our plans had gone right.
About a three weeks after deciding we wanted to postpone having another baby, I got a familiar symptoms I had experienced not too long ago. I woke up on the day I should have gotten my time of the month and it did not come. I immediately got a pregnancy test and it had read “+”. I raced upstairs to tell Daniel, who was still asleep, and said “Daniel, I took a test and it said I am pregnant”. He then replied, “Oh, sweet”. I was shocked at his reaction and I, myself was feeling very nervous about doing it all over again but it was just weeks ago that we were wanting another baby.
Again Daniel and I were blessed with a sweet baby girl, Sydni. We not exactly planned on having Sydni but we love her so much. Destini and Sydni are two years apart and are now at ages four and two. Both are healthy and are quite smart for their ages. I was a teen mom not once, but twice. I love being a mom and raising my girls. I am back I school, and strive to do well in all that I do. I am doing all that I do not only for myself but for my girls. Daniel and I got married a year ago and I am happy that I now have a complete family. I will not be having any more children because two is definitely enough for Daniel and I.
Visual Elements
My wonderful girls I had when I was a teen.
Destini on the left and Sydni on the right
Sisterly Love
Destini, Sydni and their cousin Adam. Adam is the son of Erika. Erika is one of my interviewers in my first essay.
Interviews
Rivera, Erika. Personal Interview. 14 Sept. 2011.
How old were you when you became a mom?
-15
What did you do when you first found out?
-I didn’t really do anything, I just tried to deny it.
What kind of emotions were you feeling?
-I was scared.
Do you think you were properly educated about sex?
-No!
How do you feel about teen pregnancy now?
-Obviously it happens, especially if people aren’t going to educate their kids about it or be naive towards it, it will keep happening.
Do you think parents or schools are doing their best to inform teenagers about sex?
-No. I think the schools aren’t teaching kids about the reality of sex, its more about going through puberty and what to expect through that not about preventions.
Financially do you think you are able to care for your child?
-No. I was 15 years old, how was I supposed to?
Having a child as a teenager, do you think it affected any goals you had in the future?
-I mean I obviously changed my plans, I’m doing alright but I changed the way I went about things.
Do you worry about your child becoming a teenage parent?
-No, not really. It crosses my mind but it could happen to anybody.
If there were more efforts made to inform you about sex, do you think that you would still have had your child?
-Maybe if it would have come more from my parents.
What kind of message would you send out to teenagers about being a teen parent, any advice?
-Its very hard and I would definitely wait. Being a teenager you are still a kid yourself and not emotionally ready to take care of a child.
Moylan, Patti. Personal Interview. 16 Sept. 2011.
Do you think the school you teach at is doing all they should to educate teens about sex?
-I don't know for sure what the health curriculum is in the middle school, but I do know that they address sex a tiny bit. This topic is very controversial. On one hand, teachers feel and obligation to educate, on the other, schools generally respect parents' rights and obligations. The tragedy is then if both assume the child is getting information from the other, and they are not.
What is your opinion about teen pregnancy?
-I was pregnant as a teenager. I had an abortion. It was my choice. I've never regretted it. I wasn't ready to be a parent at 28 either, but I carried on.
Do you think parents are doing their part in educating their kids about safe sex?
-I don't know if parents are talking with their kids or not. I don't like talking with kids about sex, so the topic doesn't come up.
Have you or anyone that you know been affected by teen pregnancy?
-I think I've covered this. But I'll add: I've seen a few kids in school over my 17 years of teaching who've ended up pregnant in school. I feel for them because parenting is so hard and I wish kids would just be kids for as long as they can. Both of my own children were very responsible when it came to sex. I've always stressed that there is an order: education, career and kids. My children heeded this advice and I think their lives have been more stable because of it. I gave my son condoms when he got his driver's license. Not as a ticket to have sex, but as a reminder of what to do if it came up (ho ho, pun).
Do you think that all school counselors or schools in general should provide condoms for teens?
-No. I think schools should provide information, but not condoms.
Letters of Inquiry
I chose to write my letters of inquiry to Katherine Humphrey and Kaylene Craig.
Kaylene Craig is the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coordinator in Idaho Falls, Idaho. I e-mailed her the following:
Hello,
My name is Ariel Rivera and I am a student at College of Western Idaho. I am writing an argumentative essay regarding teen pregnancy and I'd like to ask you a few questions. I will be including my letter to you into my essay, and would greatly appreciate your response to include as well.
1. What is your view on teen pregnancy?
2. Do you think teens are properly educated about safe sex?
3. Do you think parents are talking to their children about sex or expecting the school to do it?
4. Are adequate efforts being made to let teenage parents know their options?
5. What percent of teenage mothers end up on Welfare?
6. What percent of teenage mothers finish school and go on for further education?
7. Tell me about some of things you have done to decrease teenage pregnancies?
I'm not sure if you have any statistics but if you do or if there is anything else you would like to include, please feel free to do so.
Thank you for your time,
Ariel Rivera
I then received the following e-mail response from her:
Ariel,
I appreciate your interest in this topic. Unfortunately, I do not have the hours available right now to adequately respond to these complicated and interesting questions.
I suggest that you visit our state website at idahoteenpregnancy.com and possibly contact Katherine Humphrey, who is over our State APP Program.
Another great website is the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Both of these sites have great statistics for you.
Good luck!
Kaylene Craig
Kaylene Craig
Physical Activity and Nutrition Program Coordinator
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coordinator
Eastern Idaho Public Health District
1250 Hollipark Dr.
Idaho Falls, ID 83401
208.533.3150
kcraig@phd7.idaho.gov
In Kaylene's e-mail she referred me to Katherine Humphrey who I did indeed contact. I sent her the following:
Hello,
My name is Ariel Rivera and I am a student at the College of Western Idaho. I was hoping you could tell me more about the program you run, and how it helps teenagers. I am writing a paper on teen pregnancy in Idaho and will further discuss it on a global level. Any help you have regarding my topic I would greatly appreciate.
Thank you,
Ariel Rivera
Unfortunately I did not receive and response.
Kaylene Craig is the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coordinator in Idaho Falls, Idaho. I e-mailed her the following:
Hello,
My name is Ariel Rivera and I am a student at College of Western Idaho. I am writing an argumentative essay regarding teen pregnancy and I'd like to ask you a few questions. I will be including my letter to you into my essay, and would greatly appreciate your response to include as well.
1. What is your view on teen pregnancy?
2. Do you think teens are properly educated about safe sex?
3. Do you think parents are talking to their children about sex or expecting the school to do it?
4. Are adequate efforts being made to let teenage parents know their options?
5. What percent of teenage mothers end up on Welfare?
6. What percent of teenage mothers finish school and go on for further education?
7. Tell me about some of things you have done to decrease teenage pregnancies?
I'm not sure if you have any statistics but if you do or if there is anything else you would like to include, please feel free to do so.
Thank you for your time,
Ariel Rivera
I then received the following e-mail response from her:
Ariel,
I appreciate your interest in this topic. Unfortunately, I do not have the hours available right now to adequately respond to these complicated and interesting questions.
I suggest that you visit our state website at idahoteenpregnancy.com and possibly contact Katherine Humphrey, who is over our State APP Program.
Another great website is the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Both of these sites have great statistics for you.
Good luck!
Kaylene Craig
Kaylene Craig
Physical Activity and Nutrition Program Coordinator
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coordinator
Eastern Idaho Public Health District
1250 Hollipark Dr.
Idaho Falls, ID 83401
208.533.3150
kcraig@phd7.idaho.gov
In Kaylene's e-mail she referred me to Katherine Humphrey who I did indeed contact. I sent her the following:
Hello,
My name is Ariel Rivera and I am a student at the College of Western Idaho. I was hoping you could tell me more about the program you run, and how it helps teenagers. I am writing a paper on teen pregnancy in Idaho and will further discuss it on a global level. Any help you have regarding my topic I would greatly appreciate.
Thank you,
Ariel Rivera
Unfortunately I did not receive and response.
Film Analysis Essay- "The Pregnancy Pact"
Ariel Rivera
Leslie Jewkes
English 102-034W
Film Analysis
06 November 2011
The Pregnancy Pact
The movie, The Pregnancy Pact, starring Thora Birch, Madisen Beaty, and Camryn Manheim; also directed by Rosemary Rodriguez. This movie is based on a true story about four teenage girls that make a pact to get pregnant. Gloucester High School faces its troubles with the 18 pregnancies it is dealing with in just two months. This paper will analyze the pact four girls make, and the way Gloucester High School deals with the increasing rate of teen pregnancies.
In the beginning of the film, the school nurse is giving a fifteen year old girl a pregnancy test. This young girl was full of excitement, hoping for a positive reading. After getting her desired reading, she is nervous to get to her friends to share the good news. The nurse notices her strange amount of excitement and is taken aback. This scene shows the teenage girl had no thoughts about her future, or how she would take care of a baby, but how she would be like her friends. This scene, I think, sets the mood for the movie because the eagerness the teen feels to become pregnant; it expresses that perfectly.
Further into the film, there is a scene where a PTA meeting is taking place. During this meeting it is stated that the daycare inside of the school is costing the school budget $13,000.00 per slot. A reporter, a past local of the town, takes a stance about how absurd it is to be spending so much for a daycare slot when birth control is financially the better choice. However, there is much dispute from one of the teenagers mothers who just happens to be head of this meeting. She feels handing out condoms is letting the kids think it is okay to have sex. This scene represents how one-sided the parents present are being about the teen pregnancies and how the school, in a way, is making it okay for teenagers to have babies. This scene is also showing how much these parents at the meeting are willing to spend from their school budget on a daycare slot for one teenage mother rather than taking that money and putting it towards an awareness program for the whole school.
As the movie nears to a close, there is a scene where the father of one teenage mother, Sara, has started dating another girl. As the teen mother watches them walk away, her eyes well up with tears and she touches and glances down at her full term belly. By her physical reaction and the eye contact made by her and her baby’s father you can see the sadness she feels about lying to her boyfriend and trying to get pregnant on purpose. When Sara was asked about her “…ruined future…, hopes for college,” (Rabinowitz) the response was “…these were never her dreams, she answers. All she ever wanted was to stay where she was, never to go anywhere else: Stay, marry and have babies—that was happiness to her and she wanted nothing more.” (Rabinowitz)
Although this movie is based on a true story, not all the facts were true. “In reality there was no pregnancy pact at Gloucester High. A couple of girls who were friends agreed to help each other raise their babies when they discovered they were pregnant and the school principal and the media distorted this into being an agreement to get pregnant at the same time.” (www.IMDb.com) The principal, Joseph Sullivan, of Gloucester High School stated about the original pregnant girls, "We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy.” (McLeod)
The Pregnancy Pact, shows how some teenagers can be naïve. They do not think about the consequences of their actions, just how they “think” it will get them the result they desire. This film portrays teens that would go to great lengths to be like one another, and a school that helped current teen mothers with very expensive daycare instead of educating them about birth control. In this movie, less is done to prevent pregnancy and more to help the teens after they have already gotten pregnant.
Works Cited
McLeod, Kimberly. “Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High.” Time Magazine 18 June 2008: n. page. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.
Rabinowitz, Dorothy. “Sex and the Schoolgirl.“ Wall Street Journal 24 Jan. 2010: n. page. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.
The Internet Movie Database. Amazon. 1990-2011. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.
The Pregnancy Pact. Dir Elizabeth Rodriguez. Lifetime Movie Network, 2010. DVD.
Global Issue- "Teen Pregnancy in Africa"
College of Western Idaho
Teen Pregnancy in Africa
Ariel Rivera
December 3, 2011
Leslie Jewkes
English 102-034W
Abstract
Teen pregnancy rates in Africa must be lowered. Their numbers are very high, not only in teen pregnancies but in HIV/AID cases. Teen girls are being discriminated against for seeking out birth control which is absurd. Kids must be educated at younger ages in order to instill all the proper tools in them to be better aware of teen pregnancies.
Teen Pregnancy in Africa
Teen pregnancy in Africa is at startling numbers and providing sex education at a younger age must be done in order to reduce the overall number of teen pregnancies. Young girls are becoming pregnant despite sex awareness programs. In Africa, not all teenagers want to become pregnant but are being forced to do so.
In Africa there is a belief, the more children you bring into the world, the more blessed you become. Africans believe even if you have money, a man is wealthier if he has a lot of children. “Children as young as 12 an 13 year olds are giving birth every minute in Africa” (Africaw Group). Teenagers are dropping out of school because of their pregnancies. “…adolescents under 16 are facing four times the risk of maternal death as women over 20” (World Health Organization). Most of the teenagers becoming pregnant, do not want to be. Teens will be so desperate as to get illegal abortions and which sometimes causes death. Some African teens want abortions but cannot afford them so these teens will drink these concoctions of toxins in the hopes it will terminate the pregnancy, but sometimes end up killing themselves in the process. The fact that abortions are illegal in Africa makes it harder to obtain one by a licensed physician.
There are African teens that are trying to prevent pregnancy but feel judged by doing so. “According to a recent MRC study, 'Blood Blockages and Scolding Nurses: Barriers to Adolescent Contraceptive Use in South Africa', "Nurses' attitudes were a major barrier to teenagers getting hold of contraception. The nurses were uncomfortable about providing teenagers with contraception, as they felt they should not be having sex. The Nurses responded to requests for contraception in a manner that was highly judgmental and unhelpful. The girls described it as 'harassment'" (IRIN). Although there are some teens wanting to prove their fertility and have babies so they can be seen as women, other teens are being requested to have babies from their mothers because the mothers want the presence of another baby in the home.
The high rate of teen pregnancies in Africa has also lead to their rise in HIV/AID cases. In the Sub-Saharan Africa area the amount of HIV/AID cases is at a high of sixty-seven point seven percent. Teens are either willingly or being forced to have unprotected sex and transferring the disease at an alarming rate.
A child support grant was instated in Africa, and some observers think this was seen as an incentive for teen girls to get pregnant. However, "A recent survey of 1,500 girls aged between 15 and 24 indicated that only 2 percent cited the child-care grant as an incentive. About 25 percent just said they wanted to have a baby." Other influencing factors - accounting for 20 percent - were "social pressures and self-affirmation" (IRIN). There has been no research done to determine the male role in the problem of teen pregnancy.
The Medical Research Center has made some recommendations they believe will help lower the numbers of teen pregnancy in Africa. The Medical Research Center recommends sex education in school before reaching the age of fourteen because that is when most teens are becoming sexually active. Keeping the teens in school is most important. Young girls that remain in school are less likely to become pregnant than young girls that drop out of school. Hleki Mabunda, Gender Equity Director of The Department of Basic Educations said “Life Orientation classes in the curriculum were also being used to create awareness on the problem. There was also a need to re-establish mobile clinics for health screening in schools, where health professionals, instead of teachers, would be able to identify pregnant youngsters” (Hweshe). The Medical Research Center also recommends, "information for teenagers about avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, providing detailed information about contraception and its side effects; better management and training for nurses, so they can deal sympathetically with teenagers requiring contraception and provide the necessary information and education campaigns that take away the stigma of teenage sexuality, that girls are not afraid to ask for contraception" (IRIN).
There are steps that can be done to help prevent these unintended pregnancies:
“Adolescents require:
- information including comprehensive sex education;
- access to a full range of sexual and reproductive health services, including condoms, other means of contraception as appropriate and other interventions for the prevention, treatment and care of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; and
- safe and supportive environments free from exploitation and abuse” (World Health Organization).
It is outrageous what teen girls in Africa have to do to abort their pregnancies and should not have to go to such extreme measures. Sex education steps must be followed to help these young girls know how to prevent themselves from getting pregnant. Not only does Africa need to focus on helping teen girls but research must be done to educate all males in Africa. In following guidelines and educating all people in Africa, it ought to lower Africa’s numbers of HIV/AID cases and teen pregnancies.
Works Cited
Adolescent Pregnancy in Africa. Howard E. Kulin, 2008. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
AfricaW: Africa and the World. AfricaW Group, 2006-2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.
All Africa Media. BuaNews, 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.
Children’s Institute. HIV & Aids and STI National Strategic Plan, 2007-2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
Free Malaysia Today. South Africa Worries Over Rising Teen Pregnancy, 2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
IRIN. OCHA, 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.
Making Pregnancy Safer. World Health Organization, 2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
Science, Technology, and AIDS. World Press, 2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
Final Reflection- "Final Farewell to English 102"
Final Farewell to English 102
It has been an interesting semester in English 102, with all the research, deadlines, and planning. Over the semester I feel I have improved from the beginning of the semester, I still need improvement in certain areas, and I think what I have learned will help me in future school assignments.
During the semester I think I have improved on research, and writing a works cited page. I did not have much experience with this in English 101, so it was something I had to remember from high school. Before this class I would simply Google any information I needed and that would be the end of it. However, English 102 has taught me to take a look at the source I am getting my information from. I now make sure that it is a credible source, it has been updated recently, and that there are more ways to get information besides Google.
Thesis statements have never been easy for me. I struggled with them a lot this semester. I was offered help from my teacher but did not follow through with that, and I wish I had. Just because this class is over, I will continue to figure out how to form a correct thesis and statement and how to incorporate it in the conclusion. I do not think I know enough on thesis statements and hope to improve them in the future.
Annotated bibliography is something I have never done before and although it was a lot of work, I found it to be very beneficial. I got very frustrated doing an annotated bibliography because I felt I was basically writing my paper. Although I found creating the bibliography was time consuming, and a lengthy process, it really did put my paper together. Creating an annotated bibliography was somewhat of a rough draft, so when you went to write the paper it was already done. I found it very useful and I think in the future with other classes I need to do research on I will use an annotated bibliography.
It has been a fun, and challenging semester but I am definitely ready to say farewell to writing papers, at least for a while. I learned things I never knew how to do, need to continue working on how to provide a proper thesis statement, and will use annotated bibliographies throughout the rest of my schooling.
Bibliography
Adolescent Pregnancy in Africa. Howard E. Kulin, 2008. Web. 3
Nov. 2011.
AfricaW: Africa and the World. AfricaW Group, 2006-2011. Web. 12
Nov. 2011.
All Africa Media. BuaNews, 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.
Bohnenblust, Steve, Dawn Larsen, and Amy S. Hedman. “Relationship between Comprehensive Sex Education and Teen Pregnancy.” American Journal of Health Studies. 17 Sept. 2011. Scholarly Journal.
Children’s Institute. HIV & Aids and STI National Strategic Plan, 2007-2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
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