American Teen Pregnancy

American Teen Pregnancy  - The rate of teenage pregnancy is increasing in the U.S. for the first time in 15 years. An estimated 750,000 young girls become pregnant each year. The Guttmacher Institute found that teen pregnancy rose 3 percent among girls ages 15 to 19 between 2005 and 2006. The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancies among any industrialized nation in the world.
There are many possible reasons why more teens are becoming pregnant today. Some argue that the increase in teen pregnancy resulted from a shift in emphasis to abstinence-only education. There is some support for this argument, since rates began to stall as such programs gained attention. Others cite increasing poverty rates as corresponding to teenage pregnancy.
Whatever the reason, it is clear that the costs of teen pregnancy remain high. Most teenage mothers fail to complete their education: fewer than half of all teen moms graduate from high school, and only about one quarter receive their GEDs. Consequently, teenage parents also have lower incomes, with annual salaries that are about $28,000 less on average for the 15 years following the child's birth. This figure is significantly less than for 20-something mothers.
One of the biggest challenges with teenage pregnancy is how to break the cycle. Children born to teenage mothers are more likely to become teen parents themselves. They are also more likely to have behavioral and social problems. Where does the problem end? It remains clear that prevention is the key to bringing down the costs-both financial and emotional-of teen pregnancy.  American Teen Pregnancy