Teen Pregnancy; Parents Fault ?

[Arachna]

With all the resources available nowadays, how to become pregnant is common knowledge, it's no longer a mystery. Unless both teenagers involved have parents who went out of their way to ensure their kids knew absolutely nothing about sex than the blame lies solely on the two teens.

Here in Australia I'd say the Baby Bonus is also a factor for some people. People receive up to $5000 for every baby they have. It really wouldn't surprise me if people stooped so low as to have a kid simply for the sake of earning some extra money.

[Woozie]

Wikipedia

This is partially what I was trying to say.

[edit] Childhood environment
Women exposed to abuse, domestic violence and family strife in childhood are more likely than those without such experiences to have a teenage pregnancy, and the risk increases with the number of adverse childhood experiences. According to a 2004 study, one-third of teenage pregnancies could be prevented by eliminating exposure to abuse, violence and family strife. The researchers note that "family dysfunction has enduring and unfavorable health consequences for women during the adolescent years, the childbearing years, and beyond." When the family environment does not include adverse childhood experiences, becoming pregnant as an adolescent does not appear to raise the likelihood of long-term, negative psychosocial consequences.[46]Studies have also found that boys raised in homes with a battered mother, or who experienced physical violence directly, were significantly more likely to impregnate a girl than boys who had not.[47]

Studies have also found that girls whose fathers left the family earlier in their lives had the highest rates of early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy. Girls whose fathers left them at a later age had a lower rate, with lowest rates found in girls whose fathers were present throughout their childhood. Even when the researchers took into account other factors that could have contributed to early sexual activity and pregnancy, such as behavioral problems and life adversity, early father-absent girls were still about five times more likely in the United States and three times more likely in New Zealand to experience an adolescent pregnancy than were father-present girls.[48][49]

Low educational expectations have been pinpointed as a risk factor.[50] A girl is also more likely to become a teenage parent if her mother or older sister gave birth in her teens.[51][52]A majority of respondents in a 1988 Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies survey attributed the occurrence of adolescent pregnancy to a breakdown of communication between parents and child and also to inadequate parental supervision.[20]

Foster care youth are more likely than their peers to become pregnant as teenagers. The National Casey Alumni Study, which surveyed foster care alumni from 23 communities across the United States, found the birth rate for girls in foster care was more than double the rate of their peers outside the foster care system. A University of Chicago study of youth transitioning out of foster care in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin found that nearly half of the females had been pregnant by age 19. The Utah Department of Human Services found that girls who had left the foster care system between 1999 and 2004 had a birth rate nearly 3 times the rate for girls in the general population.[53]

Of course, there's like 8 other things listed on the same page as a contribution that has nothing to do with the parent. My sister also belongs in the "age descrepency" and "socioeconomic factors" category.

So again, in my opinion, it boils down to personal responsibility, but with other factors contributing. I believe parents hold a huge responsibility in guiding their children, which is why I keep stressing that issue. I'm not trying to imply that it's their "fault" or ignore personal responsibility though.

[Tyche]

$5000, I'd use that on baby stuff within a year or two =/ Australia has an amazing maternity leave program though. I think the government pays women for 6 months of leave (as opposed to about 6 weeks for most american employers). I think that's the figure my wife gave me...

[Shuemue]

Here in Australia I'd say the Baby Bonus is also a factor for some people. People receive up to $5000 for every baby they have. It really wouldn't surprise me if people stooped so low as to have a kid simply for the sake of earning some extra money.

They're fucking morons if they do, babies cost so much more than that

[Woozie]

With all the resources available nowadays, how to become pregnant is common knowledge, it's no longer a mystery. Unless both teenagers involved have parents who went out of their way to ensure their kids knew absolutely nothing about sex than the blame lies solely on the two teens.

Here in Australia I'd say the Baby Bonus is also a factor for some people. People receive up to $5000 for every baby they have. It really wouldn't surprise me if people stooped so low as to have a kid simply for the sake of earning some extra money.

It's not just about giving your child the information about pregnancy. If you're abusive to your child, then tell them "don't do drugs" and the kid grows up to be a drug addict, the parent' can't claim to have done everything they can to prevent the child from being a drug addict.

I know that's kind of an extreme example, and I know that no parent will ever be perfect, which is why I still stick with "personal responsibility" in the end.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to move to Australia and have some babies.

[Octavious]

It's not that easy to stop a kid from watching what they want to watch or listening to what they want to listen to.

I agree with this also, but that isn't nessecarily justification for censoring various media formats. Shoot, when I was young and Mortal Kombat / Doom were the worst games you could play we still found ways to play them. What I was saying above was that it doesn't deem them needing to censor the material, rather the parents should try their best to get across that the content is just what it is, fake. Just like I have no problem letting someone listen to Howard Stern if they have been taught that not everyone can act like that in public etc.

...And yea as Woozie said I kind of include the company you keep with society. I always had parents pushing me to do what I enjoyed and as long as I was always occupied with Sports (gogo Baseball/Wrestling) and my school, I never really had time to fall into bad behavior. Yea, I drank in highschool like everyone else, but even that was done in moderation since I always had bigger things to worry about.

Do you think it's valid to say that if a parent doesn't push/motivate their child to participate in extracurricular activities like sports and/or clubs and they fall into this sort of thing that it's the teens fault? Without motivation to get out of your current situation, it can hardly be blamed on the teen. Your environment during development is often (but not always) indicative of how you'll end up.

[Shuemue]

It probably makes sense for Australians to increase their birth rate. Pretty huge country for just 20 million people. Every $5k spent on a baby will return that amount tenfold via taxes when they're working.

[Kyo]

Imo its the teen's fault even w/o any parental guideance you should know the consequences of what pregnancy brings, its a no brainer. My dad raise dme and all he ever said is wrap your tool, thats about it. The parents arent there telling you to have sex with the girl thats ur own decision. So its most def your fault(teenager), I dont see how the parents can be blamed at all.

[Azalee]

Teenager has sex, teenager gets pregnant/gets someone else pregnant.

I don't see how the parent is involved in this whatsoever.

If you are old enough to have sex you should know what happens/what comes of it.

Maybe I am just looking at it too cut and dry, but in my eyes the blame is all on the kid who is pregnant.

[SephYuyX]

Considering the age of kids having sex (and able to produce) is getting younger and younger (7~11), the blame falls on the parent for not educating them at a young age.

[Kyo]

7 yr olds having kids and having sex? I think ur streching that out considerably.

[Woozie]

No, he's stretching it out slightly, not considerably.

[Dantrag]

pre-teen having a baby is extremely rare. But again the topic was teen pregnancy... even at 13 90% teens have been exposed enough to know relatively what's going on. Especially towards 15 and beyond.

[Demisses]

as a teen mother at 18 it was my fault and my responsibility for not taking my pill same time everyday. but my husband and i have been on our won feet since before he graduated (i graduated at 17 he was a month younger so a year later in school) and now we are both in college finishing up military crap and have 2 kids now... at 22 lol

[HAcoreRD]

I chose all 3:

Society: While it's natural to want to reproduce, society seems to encourage to have sex, and for all you people out there, sex leads to children.

Yes, you can say, use a condom, use a pill, use a coat hangar, problem is that some people (possibly from their parents) don't believe in the pill. I dated a girl who, on our first go, told me if we were to have sex, we couldn't use anything. Needless to say, I got a blow job and was on my way. Point being, man made solutions aren't 100% effective and aren't 100% accepted.

Parents: It's hard to raise a kid. Which is why most parents are lousy. You lead by example, so it's hard to say "if you're gonna play, use protection." Great, so you're basically saying "fuck, and use a condom, that'll hopefully stop STDs and kids. hopefully." While I hate to say it, Abstinence isn't a bad thing, as being a virgin at age 18 or whatever beats being a father at age 18 and you'll likely be a free man 'ready' to start your life (over) at 36.

teenager: Nothing like being pressured by everyone around you to fuck. If you're a virgin, you'll be target of ridicule. Sex is like the 'legal' drug out there, everyone's fucking, why aren't you? that's the message I got in High School, and most of my Elementary friends were fucking by the end of 8th grade. If you're willing to risk busting your nut in her, enjoy the pay off of your risk.

[Azalee]

I don't see how the parent falls to blame in this situation at all. A parent call tell their kid not to have sex, or if they do, use protection... And if the child makes the decision to not listen, then it falls on the child. It isn't like the parents can sit around while their kids are having sex and telling them, "Now Johnny, don't forget to use a condom!" It is up to the teen to use the information that was given to them.

[HAcoreRD]

I just think of it this way:

father tells kid not to have sex, then he proceeds to fuck mommy that night.

Kid says to himself "If that old shit can fuck, so can I"

Thus, kid fucks out of rebellion.

[Azalee]

It is still a decision the teen made themselves.

[layoneil]

you know you make absolutely no sense whatsoever?

[Flarega]

Are we talking 13-17 year olds exclusively here? Or include 18-19?