I myself was fortunate enough to not of had to endure this feeling but, I have seen many of my peers who have. Because of this, it creates a problem in society. In the long run the baby ends up living a life of hell because the teen parents get tired of the responsibility or they can't provide for themselves, let alone a baby. They all end up in poverty and many times repeat the cycle. I watched a show once that said only twenty percent of all teen parents ever graduate high school. Of that twenty percent that graduate high school, only twenty percent of them ever attend college.
According to the article "Availability of Condoms Doesn't Spark Teen Sex" from the May 29, 2003 issue of the Columbus Dispatch; Teenagers at high schools where condoms were available, they were no more likely to have sex. The teens still had sex the same that they were in schools that did not provide birth control. In fact, they youths that had the protection provided through their school were more likely to use the condoms and have protected sex! The study showed that forty-nine percent of teens were having intercourse at non-condom providing schools, and only forty-two percent from those schools that provided condoms were being sexually active. .
The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a study on teen pregnancy and found that nearly one million teens become pregnant each year! They also found that the average age that most teens become sexually active is at sixteen. More than half of ninth to twelfth graders were active and almost twenty percent of those teens were with four or more partners. This increases their chances of becoming pregnant and being young parents. This is all the more reason that schools should be allowed and encouraged to make birth control methods available. As well, schools should also be encouraged to not be afraid to teach about protection options against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
