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Personally, I think that children born to unmarried minors should be removed.
It really depends on the family. Watching Teen Mom on MTV, most of those girls have supportive families and the babies are fine. I actually wish more young moms would consider keeping their babies....you might be "just" 16 when they're born, but in 10 years you'll be 26 and you will still be their mom. I feel like many young people get strong-armed into giving up their kids because they're "too young" and it will "interfere with their future." You are only young for a short while. Adoption is forever. I don't know anyone who gave up a child for adoption who doesn't grieve it deeply for the rest of their lives. With proper parental support, these young women can keep their babies, AND have a successful future.
That being said, one of my close friends (who is low income, from multigenerational poverty), her daughter had a baby at 15. When she was 17 she had another baby, who was subsequently abused by the father, and both children are now in foster care. In those cases I do think adoption is best, because you can see how the effect of the environment dooms generation after generation of young women to the same fate. Poverty, abuse, it's a never ending cycle of sadness.
Adoption has its place, but I don't think age or marriage status necessarily has a huge impact on the outcome.
Teen pregnancy appears to have risen among white, working class teenagers. The main reason that it seems that way, is that the onus of teenage pregnancy and parenthood have, among that group - all but evaporated.
The second social factor in that particular demographic is adherence to religious groups that forbid abortion. Specifically, fundamentalists groups and the Roman Catholic Church.
In my area there is actually a fundamentalist women's group that encourages teenage pregnant girls to keep their babies and not make an adoption plan. Of course, termination is forbidden.
I also live in a state (red) that forbids discussion of birth control in school.
We have very high teen pregnancy rates in my state. Particularly among white, lower middle and working class girls who seem to see pregnancy as a "status symbol" and a right of passage.
My daughter who was adopted feels upset about this. There are pictures of pregnant girls in her yearbook and she has to see them walking down the hall.
It makes for a rather depressing atmosphere. Half of the High School attended Prom last week, looks forward to graduation and leaving for college - the other half has a more dismal future.
The real victims will be the babies, who most likely have foster care in their future.
Personally, I think that children born to unmarried minors should be removed. Most are subjected to abuse at the hands of "parents" who are mere children themselves. Many are killed or horribly battered by boyfriends who did not father the child and resent the babies very existence.
Most statistics do not address the rise of teen "parenting".
I almost never look to the past for solutions, however in this case, I think that it is obvious that children parenting children has not worked. Perhaps it is best if teenagers who become pregnant, finish school online, and surrender their baby at birth. After which they may return to high school.
I was invited to a baby shower of a teenager who lives in my neighborhood a few years ago. I was horrified that the parents - who I barely knew and who rented a house for only a few months - would think that this was a cause for celebration.
At many Malls in the US you will see generations of fatherless families with pregnant granddaughters who are in their early teens.
I think it's tragic.
You make a lot of claims there. " most" are subjected to abuse? Site your source.
Teen pregnancy appears to have risen among white, working class teenagers. The main reason that it seems that way, is that the onus of teenage pregnancy and parenthood have, among that group - all but evaporated.
The second social factor in that particular demographic is adherence to religious groups that forbid abortion. Specifically, fundamentalists groups and the Roman Catholic Church.
In my area there is actually a fundamentalist women's group that encourages teenage pregnant girls to keep their babies and not make an adoption plan. Of course, termination is forbidden.
I also live in a state (red) that forbids discussion of birth control in school.
We have very high teen pregnancy rates in my state. Particularly among white, lower middle and working class girls who seem to see pregnancy as a "status symbol" and a right of passage.
My daughter who was adopted feels upset about this. There are pictures of pregnant girls in her yearbook and she has to see them walking down the hall.
It makes for a rather depressing atmosphere. Half of the High School attended Prom last week, looks forward to graduation and leaving for college - the other half has a more dismal future.
The real victims will be the babies, who most likely have foster care in their future.
Personally, I think that children born to unmarried minors should be removed. Most are subjected to abuse at the hands of "parents" who are mere children themselves. Many are killed or horribly battered by boyfriends who did not father the child and resent the babies very existence.
Most statistics do not address the rise of teen "parenting".
I almost never look to the past for solutions, however in this case, I think that it is obvious that children parenting children has not worked. Perhaps it is best if teenagers who become pregnant, finish school online, and surrender their baby at birth. After which they may return to high school.
I was invited to a baby shower of a teenager who lives in my neighborhood a few years ago. I was horrified that the parents - who I barely knew and who rented a house for only a few months - would think that this was a cause for celebration.
At many Malls in the US you will see generations of fatherless families with pregnant granddaughters who are in their early teens.
I think it's tragic.
They don't address it because it doesn't exist. Teen pregnancy is at an all time low.
What do you mean high school? Girls are getting pregnant at 12, 13.. 14. They don't wait for high school. Some have 2 or more by the time they are 18.
My neighbor's son told me having a baby was like having braces. All the girls do it. They think it's fun, cool. Like all the attention, love having a baby shower. And besides they know they won't be taking care of it anyway, their parents will. They have the baby and go on with their lives.
Back in the good old days, when it was embarrassing to have a baby out of wedlock you either put the baby up for adoption or had a shotgun wedding. Those were the days!
What do you mean high school? Girls are getting pregnant at 12, 13.. 14. They don't wait for high school. Some have 2 or more by the time they are 18.
My neighbor's son told me having a baby was like having braces. All the girls do it. They think it's fun, cool. Like all the attention, love having a baby shower. And besides they know they won't be taking care of it anyway, their parents will. They have the baby and go on with their lives.
Back in the good old days, when it was embarrassing to have a baby out of wedlock you either put the baby up for adoption or had a shotgun wedding. Those were the days!
As a child of a shot gun wedding the got married when she was 2 months pregnant. Even though my parents where well into their twenties it was just unacceptable to have a baby out of wedlock. They hated each other got divorced when I was 17. Please I don't agree with the idea of shot gun weddings.
What do you mean high school? Girls are getting pregnant at 12, 13.. 14. They don't wait for high school. Some have 2 or more by the time they are 18.
My neighbor's son told me having a baby was like having braces. All the girls do it. They think it's fun, cool. Like all the attention, love having a baby shower. And besides they know they won't be taking care of it anyway, their parents will. They have the baby and go on with their lives.
Back in the good old days, when it was embarrassing to have a baby out of wedlock you either put the baby up for adoption or had a shotgun wedding. Those were the days!
What do you mean high school? Girls are getting pregnant at 12, 13.. 14. They don't wait for high school. Some have 2 or more by the time they are 18.
My neighbor's son told me having a baby was like having braces. All the girls do it. They think it's fun, cool. Like all the attention, love having a baby shower. And besides they know they won't be taking care of it anyway, their parents will. They have the baby and go on with their lives.
Back in the good old days, when it was embarrassing to have a baby out of wedlock you either put the baby up for adoption or had a shotgun wedding. Those were the days!
I would like to know where this is happening, because it's certainly not common in my neighborhood.
I would like to know where this is happening, because it's certainly not common in my neighborhood.
It's part of that "The sky is falling" mentality. In which people think that society itself is crumbling from when they were growing up, no matter how much data says otherwise.
What do you mean high school? Girls are getting pregnant at 12, 13.. 14. They don't wait for high school. Some have 2 or more by the time they are 18.
My neighbor's son told me having a baby was like having braces. All the girls do it. They think it's fun, cool. Like all the attention, love having a baby shower. And besides they know they won't be taking care of it anyway, their parents will. They have the baby and go on with their lives.
Back in the good old days, when it was embarrassing to have a baby out of wedlock you either put the baby up for adoption or had a shotgun wedding. Those were the days!
The good old days were not that good...and what part of the teen pregnancy rate is lower than its been in decades.
And no..you don't knowner if or if not a mother will be good at it....and it doesn't take a marriage license to be a good one.
One of my high schools had a large number of pregnant girls the year that I went there. Guess what? These girls knew about birth control, how to get it, and how to use it. They just didn't. All the ones that I know of kept their kids, and almost all of them are doing very well now. (One has lots of issues, but she had serious family issues.)
How in the world is it depressing to see pregnant teenagers at school? Should they all be forced to stay inside their houses so that society doesn't have to hurt its little eyes?
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