Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy is a critical problem that both males and females have to cope with. Getting pregnant can result in severe consequences. It can distract teens from doing schoolwork and graduating high school, can cause serious health problems for the baby, and cause problems that can carry on into adulthood. One reason why teenage pregnancy is a serious problem is because it can cause a negative impact on a teen’s schoolwork, which can then lead to him/her not being able to graduate high school and succeed in further academics. “About 64 percent of teen mothers graduated from high school or earned a GED within 2 years after they would have graduated, compared with about 94 percent of teenage woman who did not give birth” (The Facts of Teen Pregnancy: An Overview). The failure to go further in school can limit the mother’s employment options and increase the likelihood that she and her family will be left in financial disarray. The mother might further delay finishing high school, putting them in greater risk of being put into low-wage jobs or of facing prolonged unemployment, poverty, and welfare. Education is one the most important things in life. The credential and the knowledge you gain will stay with you for the rest of your life, as nobody can take that away from you. The second reason why teenage pregnancy is a serious problem is that it can cause physical and mental health issues of the baby. “When compared to children of mothers age 20 or 21 when they had their first child, the children of adolescents are more likely to be born prematurely and 50 percent more likely to be low birthweight babies” (Teenage Pregnancy Is a Serious Problem). Low birthweight raises the probabilities of a variety of conditions such as infant death, blindness, deafness, chronic respiratory problems, mental retardation, etc. In addition, low birthweight doubles the chance a child will later be diagnosed as having dyslexia or other disabilities (Teen Pregnancy Is a Serious...