According to the National center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in 1987 teenagers in the U.S. aged 14 or less accounted for a total of 28,070 pregnancies. These statistics continuously alternate. By 1997 the number of pregnancies for 14 year olds or less went down to 22,690. The (NCHS) also indicates that the number of pregnancies for 15-17 year olds in the U.S. had a total of 384,340 pregnancies in 1987 and 323,930 in 1996. Even through the pregnancy rate for teenagers in the U.S. are declining the United States still has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of all the developed countries (NCHS). About 1 million teenagers become pregnant each year 95% of those pregnancies are unattended and one third of them end in abortion.

We need to ask the question why males were even excluded from the way we think about pregnancy pr

Now that this country realize how the problem of teen pregnancy effects not only the children, but also society as a whole, many options have become available for the teens who need help. Sex education is being taught in many schools and clinics everyday. There are also classes that are open to teen mothers. These classes teach the teens how to raise a child and how to teach values and ethics in the home. Teenager's ignorance to the subjects of birth control methods, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, male/female relationships, love, dating and marriage is the primary reason why there are so many teenage pregnancies. The more people that is educated about pre-marital sex and its consequences, the more likely for the teen pregnancy rates to decrease.

We ask the question what happens to the children that are left behind by irresponsible young fathers? The absence of a father figure in a home can cause children to suffer a great deal. The emotional problems that these children endure can be very harmful to their future. Children may experience sadness and depression, aggressive behavior, frequent illness, difficulty in school, eating problems, and sleeping disorders.

·1996: US Census Bureau data files, Table 1

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Approximate Word count = 2287
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)