Teenage pregnancy is defined by the Center for Disease Control as a pregnancy occurring before the age of 19. The occurrence of teen pregnancy is very high although recently decreasing. Looking at the national picture, the birth rate for U.S. teenagers declined steadily throughout the 1990s, as it fell from 62.1 births per 1,000 teenagers in 1991 to 48.5 in 2000, a reduction of 22 percent (2). Studies indicate that the decrease is due to an increase use of condom use, something that can be learned through sex education.

High teen birth rates are an important concern because teen mothers and their babies face increased risks to their health. The first health concern in a teen pregnancy is that pregnant teens are least likely of all maternal age groups to get early and regular prenatal care. In 1997, 7.2 percent

Providing basic information provides the foundation on which more complex knowledge is built up over time. This also means that sex education has to be sustained. For example, when they are very young, children can be informed about how people grow and change over time, and how babies become children and then adults, and this provides the basis on which they understand more detailed information about puberty provided in the pre-teenage years. They can also when they are young, be provided with information about viruses and germs that attack the body. This provides the basis for talking to them later about infections that can be caught through sexual contact. Some people are concerned that providing information about sex and sexuality arouses curiosity and can lead to sexual experimentation. There is no evidence that this happens. It is important to remember that young people can store up information provided at any time, for a time when they need it later on.

Despite our society's more conservative moral standards, the US has disturbingly high rates of teen pregnancies, abortions and STDs in comparison to European countries. France has 9 births per 1000, Germany 13 per 1000, and US at 55 per 1000! Yet sex education, birth control and contraceptives are the norm in Europe. Townley Moon, Executive Director of the Mecklenburg Council on Adolescent Pregnancy, says, "Europe doesn't look at sex education as a political, religious, or moral issue. They look at it as a health issue. Therefore the feelings are that they are providing kids with the information that keeps them healthy." Billboards promoting contraceptives and a realistic and responsible attitude toward sex are two of the main reasons why Europe has such low rates of teen's pregnancies and STDs. Sexually related subjects need to be taught at an appealing and tension-free level, preaching and repetitiveness will be ineffective.

In conclusion, sex education should be an important part of our society and be readily available to teenagers. By slowly moving in the direction of a society where sex is socially accepted, teenagers will gain the knowledge they need to make better decisions regarding sexual activity. Although I don’t believe in abstinence only education because it does not fully respond to the needs of all our children, I do believe it should be included in all sexual education programs as the first method of intervention. Yet our children need to be taught what to do in the case that they decide to be sexually active, By providing them with all the knowledge that they need we will better prepare them for a future full of wiser decisions and less mistakes due to lack of information. Using all the knowledge we have and the many studies that have been released lets get together as a society and make a change for the future generations. Providing them with all the knowledge we can and choosing the best methods in which to do this. Through comprehensive sex education programs we will all end up winning with a guaranteed improvement in the health and future of the teenagers by decreasing STD and Teen Pregnancy rates.

of mother’s ages 15 to 19 years received late or no prenatal care (compared to 3.9 percent for all ages) (3). Also, a teenage mother is at greater risk than women over age 20 for pregnancy complications such as premature labor, anemia and high blood pressure. These risks are even greater for teens that are under 15 years old (4,1). Another major problem occurs in that three million teens are affected by sexually transmitted diseases annually, out of a total of 12 million cases reported. These include chlamydia (which can cause sterility), syphilis (which can cause blindness, maternal death, and death of the infant) and AIDS, which may be fatal to the mother and infant. Finally there is also an increased risk to the baby, as baby’s born to a teenage mother are more likely to get certain serious conditions. This may be due to the fact that 9.5 p

Some topics in this essay:
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