Teen pregnancy has gotten increased attention in recent weeks as information has come out about a group of teenage girls in Massachusetts who may have conspired to have babies together. According to Planned Parenthood, about 750,000 American teens will become pregnant this year.

"Regardless of what is happening in [Massachusetts], teen pregnancies are problematic across the United States. Aside from these girls going up against a myriad of stereotypes and discrimination, they'll fight an uphill battle to provide everything from financial stability to emotional maturity for their unexpected family."

Young girls who have babies because "they want someone who'll love them" are in for a rude awakening. Not that children don't love or need their parents, but most parents will tell you that they give much more than they ever receive. It's a reality that many teen parents aren't ready for. Source: Telegraph Herald (Iowa)

Labels: pregnancy, sex, teenage_mothers

Birth rates among unmarried girls ages 15 to 19 years old increased for the first time in fifteen years, from 40 per thousand in 2005 to 42 per thousand in 2006. That translates to about 20,000 more babies, according to the Center for Disease Control.

In 1970, unwed teenagers accounted for more than half of all unwed mothers. Today that number is one-quarter, because of an increase in births among unwed women in their 20s and 30s.

The CDC commented that the increase could be just a statistical blip, but noted that the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers is also rising.

Youth Care, a residential treatment program for troubled teens, offers a program for pregnant teens where they can continue to earn school credits and learn how to take care of themselves and their child.

Labels: pregnancy, teenage_mothers, unwed_mothers