Teen Pregnancy Essay -- Teenage Mothers

     In the US, teen m otherwiseliness appraises get under ones skin been decreasing in the last decade even though watercourse rates remain twice as high as those effectuate in other industrialized nations (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994). In spite of decreasing rates, among African American teen developrs, the pregnancy rate is particularly high. In 1996, the pregnancy rate was 178.9 per thousand among African-American females aged 15 to 19 years, compared with a pregnancy rate of 82.6 among colours (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1999). Additionally, on the undercoat of the findings of the 1995 internal Survey of Family Growth, it was determined that African American females (48%) aged 15 to 17 were more likely than their white (34%) counterparts to have had intimate intercourse since menarche. On the basis of information win by the National Center for wellness Statistics (1997), African-American females aged 15 to 19 were more likely than their white pe ers to have had their first sexual experience (i.e., intercourse) without using effective contraception (24% versus 14%, respectively). Consequently, on the basis of such risky behavior, African American teenagers are at great risk than their white peers for experiencing a pregnancy.pregnant, especially if it was with the babys father. A concluded by Harris, most of the mothers believed that sexual intercourse was a behavior they were going to slip away to engage in, regardless of threat of disease or pregnancy. As compared to the girlish fathers participating in the study, Harris reported that most of the fathers indicated that they were now engaging in protected sex.      Environmental Influences     As many have suggested, while dispute in unprotected sexual intercourse at an early age places adolescents at risk for pregnancy, there are a soma of other factors that influence African American teen pregnancy rates. According to Dervarics (2004), African American teen mothers and fathers are often represented among the rising number of minority " unlogical" youth in the US. This group is comprised of teens ages 16 to 19 who are both out of school and out of work. Dervarics reported that intimately A quarter of African Americans ages 18 to 19 falls into the disconnected category. As a consequence of being disconnected, as explained by the author, African Amer... ...with poverty. It is these issues that attention must be directed towards in order to muffle teen pregnancy rates.ReferencesAlan Guttmacher Institute. (1994). Sex and Americas teenagers. NY The Alan      Guttmacher Institute.Alan Guttmacher Institute. (1999). Teenage pregnancy Overall trends and state-by-state      information. NY The Alan Guttmacher Institute.Dervarics, C. (2005). Minorities overrepresented among Americas disconnected youth.       people Reference Bureau. Found online a t      http//www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=PRB& group Atemplate=/ContentManagement     /ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11335Lardner, J. (2005). Arline Geronimus on teen parenthood. Inequality.Org. Found online      at http//www.inequality.org/teenparenthood.htmlNational Center for Health Statistics. (1997). Fertility, family planning, and womens      health New data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth. Hyattsville,      MD National Center for Health Statistics.