What do you guys think about teen pregnancy?

[Belaam]

Start at 30, stop at 2.

Condoms do occasionally break. Which is why you should mix and match. Condoms and birth control pills. Condoms are like 97% effective. Birth control pills are usually about 92% effective. Even then, you need to hit the like four day window of where pregnancy is possible. Anyone care to do the math on the effectiveness of both together?

 

[edthehyena]

I really like "Teen Pregnancy", but I really enjoy all of Cake's songs, so it's not that surprising.

OT: It takes a really good dose of stupidity to get pregnant when you don't want to (most of the time). Accidents do happen, but not very often. Condoms are 99.7% or so effective. If you combine that with other methods, the odds get even worse for something going wrong.

 

[xmbts]

Well everybody is different, some people just have a knack for it, some don't. One of my friends is a teen mother and she's doing better then many adults I've seen. And she's had to go through a lot of crap because of people who think she's a bad person for it.

And for the most part I'm talking about people 16 and over, girls are generally well out of puberty by then.

I bet she is. Still doesn't change the fact that teenagers are not qualified to take care of children when they're essentially children themselves. Also, age is irrelevant. As long as you're a teen you are not fit to be a mother or a father. Ignoring the social implications, and I'm not talking just about people giving you the evil eye, putting such a huge responsibility on the back of a teenager is like asking an 80 year old man to bench a hundred kilograms. Still, why are we even talking about this? Ask any psychologist if teenagers are fit to be parents and marvel at their responses.

I'll just have to politely disagree with you on that one, opinions and stuff.

And I'm a psyche major, I've had classes that cover a good portion of this as well as being the product of a teen mom surrounded by teen moms it just hits a little close to home.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

Well it makes me sad and angry at the same time. This is why 1. Wear a condom 2. Be on birth control 3. (well I do this anyways) Pull out before you finish even if you are wearing a condom.

 

[ajemas]

I'm not saying "let our poor, innocent teenagers have children" and no, it's not the choice I would have done. I'm saying that if they chose to keep the baby and are happy with it, why should it bother you?

Why does it bother me? Take a look at this graph :http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Population_curve.svg (I don't know how to embed images.)
See that massive spike over on the side there? That's the result of exponential growth. That number is only going to get higher at an even faster rate than it did before. And guess what? The Earth can't support that many people. A lower population would help out with practically every major problem that we have in the world today. Too few jobs? Not with less people. Disease rates out of control? The less opportunity the disease has to jump from one host to the next in a crowded space, the better. Pollution and greenhouse gas emissions? Less people will mean less driving/pollution.

Teen pregnancy is a huge number, and it is contributing to this population boom that we're having. But why teen pregnancy over anything else? Mostly because they are practically guaranteed to grow up in a crappy environment, leading to more criminals being born and walking the streets. In fact, crime rates dropped significantly in the late 20th century due to abortions becoming legal about 1 generation earlier.
Even if they aren't criminals, being born to a poor family means that someone is less likely to graduate even from high school and that they will probably have kids of their own.
Teenagers having kids is, for the most part, a detriment on nearly every facet of society today, which is why it should be taken care of in a concise and effective way.

 

[Davih]

I don't see a problem with Teen Pregnancy. They get so much bad rep from the one or two bad mothers, but a lot of them are really good parents towards their kids.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

"It isn't my uterus, go crazy"

Said by me. All the time. I did some research and we have 42 pregenant girls at my local highschool. I really do feel sorry for them. Not in a sympathetic way, though. They choose to get knock up so quickly in their life and think nothing of it.

It's just... so... STUPID!

 

[Alleged_Alec]

I'm not saying "let our poor, innocent teenagers have children" and no, it's not the choice I would have done. I'm saying that if they chose to keep the baby and are happy with it, why should it bother you?

Why does it bother me? Take a look at this graph :http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Population_curve.svg (I don't know how to embed images.)
See that massive spike over on the side there? That's the result of exponential growth. That number is only going to get higher at an even faster rate than it did before. And guess what? The Earth can't support that many people. A lower population would help out with practically every major problem that we have in the world today. Too few jobs? Not with less people. Disease rates out of control? The less opportunity the disease has to jump from one host to the next in a crowded space, the better. Pollution and greenhouse gas emissions? Less people will mean less driving/pollution.

There's no such thing as an unending growth. The population size will eventually go to some form of equilibrium, I'm hoping sooner rather than later though.



On the subject: I hate to say this: but I think it's an American thing. I have never heard of someone in my vicinity having some form of a teen pregnancy. Granted, this may be because I've coasted through the highest forms of education here in the Netherlands, and such things are a lot less likely here, but still. America has a teen pregnancy (birth) rate of over 5.5%, which is a ridiculously high number. To compare to the one over here: 0.7%.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

In this day and age their is no excuse for an unwanted pregnancy other than rape or that your protection failed. What would you prefer, the embarrassment of buying protection at a chemist or going to doctors for the pill or injection, or risking sex without protection and have to look after a child for 16 years+.

Teenagers are fucking retarded. When i was a child (im 34 now) their was no Internet so sex education and gaining info was embarrassing. Now days with the Internet where you can find all this info without seeing a doctor or asking your parents, you would think there would be no reason for teenage pregnancy.

Way i see it, if your not adult/mature enough to ask or buy condoms etc then your to immature for sex. Plain and simple. Seriously, who wants a kid unless you really want one? An why would you have sex at the risk of messing up 16+ years of your life?

 

[AlloAllo]

I'm not saying "let our poor, innocent teenagers have children" and no, it's not the choice I would have done. I'm saying that if they chose to keep the baby and are happy with it, why should it bother you?

Why does it bother me? Take a look at this graph :http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Population_curve.svg (I don't know how to embed images.)
See that massive spike over on the side there? That's the result of exponential growth. That number is only going to get higher at an even faster rate than it did before. And guess what? The Earth can't support that many people. A lower population would help out with practically every major problem that we have in the world today. Too few jobs? Not with less people. Disease rates out of control? The less opportunity the disease has to jump from one host to the next in a crowded space, the better. Pollution and greenhouse gas emissions? Less people will mean less driving/pollution.

Teen pregnancy is a huge number, and it is contributing to this population boom that we're having. But why teen pregnancy over anything else? Mostly because they are practically guaranteed to grow up in a crappy environment, leading to more criminals being born and walking the streets. In fact, crime rates dropped significantly in the late 20th century due to abortions becoming legal about 1 generation earlier.
Even if they aren't criminals, being born to a poor family means that someone is less likely to graduate even from high school and that they will probably have kids of their own.
Teenagers having kids is, for the most part, a detriment on nearly every facet of society today, which is why it should be taken care of in a concise and effective way.

If that is truly so, then the Government has betrayed us! In Italy they keep telling us that no one is getting pregnant, trying to guilt trip us to marrying at a decent age and having children. LIES! ALL LIES! BUT THEN, WHERE HAVE ALL OF OUR PREGNANT WOMEN GONE?!

Oh well. We had to die someway. I guess I'll just be smothered by kids in my sleep.

...
Ask any psychologist if teenagers are fit to be parents and marvel at their responses.

I think their answer would be "It depends on the person". If they even want to get involved in the whole mess, of course. "Oh, yeah, you come here, asking me this VERY INNOCENT QUESTION and then BAM, my opinion is treated like a fact by some bloody magazine and the next day I receive thousands of death threats. My answer is fuck you, that's it. Psychologically speaking."

 

[drisky]

Two of my best friends had a baby in there teens and honestly it was really good for them. She really benefitted by having the emotional connection to them and he really benefitted by working harder to provide for more than his low exceptions on his standard of living. It bothers me when people talk about how having a child is the worst thing that can happen to people because I know first hand how much it can improve someones life. I hated it when people made there shitty little judgements about them because I knew in reality they were capable parents.

 

[KaiserKnight]

If they were good at planning, they wouldn't be pregnant :

Condoms break all the time.

Only the Ultra Thin ones, they never should of been made. Or idiotic guys that think they are so BIG they need magnums when they don't (regular condoms can cover a 2 liter without breaking) causing it to slip off or leak. I've had two break on me and, thankfully, nothing to worry about. Morning after pill/ Plan B pill.

Also there's about a 6% chance of them breaking and its usually when they are being put on when it happens then most from what I hear. I think after teens have 3 'accidental' pregnancies they should have their tubes tided and the guy castrated. We're over populated as it is.

 

[Blaster395]

There is this brilliant invention. Its called a condom.

Use it.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

Biologically speaking, it's one of the best things you can do if your a woman who wants children. As anyone who knows about the physiology of the female reproductive system will know a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, this is problematic as the the entropic decay of the eggs begins before birth. Children of young mothers tend to be healthier and suffer from fewer genetic hereditary conditions that are passed on form the maternal line.

Provided that the woman has completed puberty and is fully developed then her body is better able to cope with the stresses that pregnancy places on it.

Biologically a woman's body wants to have children young, it's at it's most fertile and ready for the challenge, and the longer you leave it the more dangerous it becomes for both mother and child.


Now


Socially speaking, having a child when you your self are only just going through that long and tricky process of trying to be an adult is rather a silly thing to do. There's a good chance that the whole thing is going to end badly, though it can be made to work with a lot of effort and sacrifices. It'll also coulour peoples opinions of you regardless of wether they know you or not (see some of the other comments in this thread for details), and will certainly limit your opportunities in life.


Isn't that just a weird dichotomy?

 

[AndyFromMonday]

I'll just have to politely disagree with you on that one, opinions and stuff.

And I'm a psyche major, I've had classes that cover a good portion of this as well as being the product of a teen mom surrounded by teen moms it just hits a little close to home.

You have a psych major and you can honestly claim teenagers are fit to be parents? You're either lying or just plain have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[KaiserKnight]

http://consumerist.com/2011/08/mother-of-10-kroger-manager-refused-to-take-my-mountain-of-coupons.html

This story came to mind. I like the first comment.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

snip

I'm guessing studies mean nothing to you. Also, that's not an opinion, that's a statement.

This is an opinion: I think the colour blue is the most beautiful colour.

This is a statement: I think teenagers can be fit parents.

The first conclusion is reached due to the subjectivity of the question, the second one is based on misinformation and ignorance.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

if they trully understand the responabilities that comes with a baby and how much their life will change by making that decition and still want one then why not?.
Geting pregnate is pretty much a right. Other than trying to educate them there is nothing you can do

What about the rights of the child?

 

[DSQ]

All I can say is without teen pregnacy most the people I know wouldn't exsist.

If you don't know the girls or the circumstances then you cant judge.

Somtimes it is not the right desision but as long as it is the girl own choice then I'm fine with it.