Teenage pregnancy and childbearing are key factors in leading teenage mothers into disadvantages lives (Bissel, 2000). Women who give birth as teenagers share many similarities prior to becoming pregnant in terms of family background, racial/ethnic profile and education (Bissel, 2000). These factors will attempt to present fundamental issues related to teen pregnancy and childbearing (Bissel, 2000). The consequences of teenage pregnancy and childbearing in the lives of young women in five different countries will be examined as well (Bissel, 2000). .
Childbearing by teenagers varies from one country to another. A comparative study of developed countries (United States, Sweden, Great Britain, Canada and France) found that teenagers tend to have high rates of pregnancy and childbirth's. The problem though is worse in the United States than in the other developed countries (Darroch, Singh, & Frost, 2001). Darroch, Singh, & Frost, (2001) found that the use of the birth control pill by teenage girls was lower in the United States than in the other developed countries studied. Information on contraceptive use is widely available in all five countries. The most effective methods used during sexual intercourse are sterilization, long-acting hormonal methods, the IUD and the pill and the least effective methods are condoms, spermicides, withdrawal and periodic abstinence (Darroch et al., 2001). This study (Darroch et al., 2001) suggested that the problem of teenage pregnancy in the United States may be related to less sex education in schools and lower availability of contraceptive supplies (Darroch et al., 2001). This study is counter to the views of those in the United States who argue that sex education or making contraceptives such as condoms available to school-age children promotes sexual activity (Darroch et al., 2001). This can be true because the more contraceptives become available to the public, the more it advertises and focuses on teenage girls who are willing to have sex and to use protection.
