14 Years Old and Pregnant Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

14 Years Old and Pregnant - Article Example I know I’m young blah blah blah. Don’t criticize me!! I’m old enough to know I can take care of a baby, I’ve been a babysitter for three years. And how long should I wait to take a pregnancy test Please Help!!!! –Worried Two years later and the worried young girl chose to go through pregnancy and childbirth and is now the mother of a healthy baby boy. She’s just about to turn 17, a time when most girls are worried about graduation pictures and college campus tours. How have many other teenage girls through this life-changing event of having children at such a young age? The Guttmacher Institute in New York, NY reports that in 2001 alone there were more than 782,000 pregnancies among 15-19-year-olds in the United States. Girls age 14 and younger accounted for an additional 18,280 pregnancies. Maryland ranks 13th among all fifty states, indicating there is much work to be done to reduce the teen pregnancy rates in Maryland. The consequences of a teen choosing to keep her baby are far-ranging for both the girl and her child. Teen girls are highly likely to be unmarried when they give birth, and they experience great difficulties securing stable relationships in future years, according to Mary Bissell of the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada. Teen mothers also tend to remain disadvantaged financially, which affects the child’s health and well-being from birth to adulthood, Bissell adds. Several studies have shown that teen mothers are more likely to live in poverty and to lack health benefits than their same-age counterparts who are not mothers. The consequences of not finishing high school or not attending college affect the girl and her baby, too; the teen mother can expect lower wages throughout her life, and her child has a reduced chance of obtaining an advanced education, states Bissell.