What do you guys think about teen pregnancy?

[AlloAllo]

Condoms break all the time.

I'm terribly sorry, I'll probably go slightly off topic here... but I seem to remember that condoms aren't 100% sure, aren't they? Even when they're not broken, I mean.
...This fact is brought to me by "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant". Shut up, it's HILARIOUS.

...Yeah, sorry. TERRIBLY OFF TOPIC. As usual, my moral is "Shit happens. Keep calm and carry on."

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Don't delude yourself. They fail quite often. They're not perfect, you're asking a few thousandths of an inch of latex to keep those swimmers out of the pool while furiously grinding it on things. It's bound to fail now and then.

I'm assuming you've got peer reviewed studies to back up that claim? Or are you just pulling shit out of your ass? I'm thinking the latter.

snip

Abortion anyone?

 

[Eekaida]

I wouldn't choose it, but I know a few people I went to school with who had children right away, and they're pretty happy, it seems. Even at 22, I see these people I went to school with getting married and trying to have children, and I think 'whoa, too young!'

If they can be good parents all depends on the people having the baby, but I would be concerned about the massive physical impact on the girl who hasn't even finished developing herself. Having a baby is a massive drain on a grown womans health, I can only imagine what it would do to a teenager.

My major problem is with the teenage boys not taking responsibility. I respect those that do, but those that don't are - at least in my opinion - scum.

 

[xmbts]

It just is really, it's always going to happen.

Ok, I'm gonna be the old guy here... When I was in highschool there was ONE pregnant girl in 5 years (and frankly she didn't know which guy was the father if that tells you anything).

It seems to be a lot more common now. So while it happens, its REALLY not good its happening so often now and it doesn't have to happen this often.

The best option for everyone is avoiding vaginal sex and/or using multiple birth control methodsw. The best alternative when pregnant is an abortion.

It's heavily demonized but many times it really isn't that bad, so long as the parents are responsible and have support from their families it goes surprisingly well, there's people of all ages who accidentally get pregnant it's just that people mostly focus on teens when they do it.

My point is it isn't inherently bad, only when they aren't prepared or ready, which are the one's we stick on TV and make popular.

I'm not saying it should be encouraged but not all teen parents are irresponsible and dismissing all of them as such isn't helping their situation.

 

[Redingold]

It would be kinda hypocritical of me to dislike teenage mothers, since mine was, and I've turned out pretty damn awesomely amazing and spectacular, if I do say so myself. My dad wasn't a teenager though - he's ten years older than my mum.

 

[Use_Imagination_here]

It's almost never a good idea.

The only (realistic) exception would be if the mother has a moral reason to keep the baby, and not keeping it would bother her greatly.

Or the father for that matter.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Fine, keep believing they're infallible. Don't come crying to me when one fails, I'll just point and laugh.

I wouldn't go as far as to say condoms never break. It's just that, unless you're fucking a piece of granite there's really no way it could. Still, I'm open to the idea that condoms fail which is why I asked you to provide evidence.

While I don't personally care, that's a whole 'nother can of worms I'm not going to play with. Just suffice it to say it isn't always an option, and carries another set of jackasses that think they have the right to mock people who're going through tough times.

It's always an option, especially now with planned parenthood and such. Still, if sexual education is done right teens should be aware of the risks whenever they choose to have sex. Unfortunately, most programs focus way to much on abstinence only sexual education which is just plain bullshit.

 

[DarkRyter]

Well I think it's a bad thing that should happen less.

 

[BabyRaptor]

I got pregnant at 18.

I did a lot of putting a brave face on for all my "concerned friends" who made comments just like the ones you're making.

Take it from someone whose been there...Chances are, those girls are terrified out of their skulls. They have NO IDEA what is going on, or how they're going to face it, or what is going to happen next.

Let them have their walls. Just try and be a friend.

 

[Aprilgold]

Well, a man that is going to have sex should put his little man into a Jimmy, and the woman should at least take the pill for a week, its not something you should do in a instant, but you shouldn't be doing it at that age, because your kinda throwing your life away, and thats not good.

Theres no way to stop it, but kids should be taught ways to protect themselves from pregnancy, and schools don't teach them how to do it safely. The school I went to didn't explain condoms until half the girls were pregnant in that class, and as such, it was already too late.
Lads, put your Little Guys into a Jimmy.
Ladies, take a pill, organize a date, DON'T DO IT HASTILY!

A child shouldn't be raising a child.

Thats all you HAVE to say, its just true, a child shouldn't raise a child, they haven't had enough experience out there to understand how to raise one properly.

Just try and be a friend.

AND THATS PERFECT LIFE LESSON RIGHT THERE! Thanks Raptor, thats a BRILLIANT life lesson, its a sentence to live by.

It's always an option, especially now with planned parenthood and such. Still, if sexual education is done right teens should be aware of the risks whenever they choose to have sex. Unfortunately, most programs focus way to much on abstinence only sexual education which is just plain bullshit.

All the people and their wise words... Its almost freaky how wise the Escapist is.
O____O

 

[AndyFromMonday]

I'm not saying it should be encouraged but not all teen parents are irresponsible and dismissing all of them as such isn't helping their situation.

I'm not dismissing them, I just don't believe someone literally just out of puberty or possibly still going through it has the experience needed to raise a child. Being a parent is a huge responsibility and teenagers aren't ready neither mentally or physically to handle the burden of caring for a child. I mean fuck, a lot of people in their thirties aren't ready for a child and you're telling me teenagers can handle something even adults can't?

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

So I live in a pretty small town and whenever I go to school there seems to be more and more girls between the age of 14-16 getting pregnant. I think its pretty stupid, the girls are throwing their life away but they all think its cool and sweet and it makes them more popular. I'm just like wtf? So do you guys think teen pregnancy is bad or good and why so?

Well f*ck.

OT: I honestly don't give two sh*ts. I someone's stupid enough to have underage sex and not use contraception, then they probably weren't going to achieve much in life anyway.

 

[Project_Omega]

So I live in a pretty small town and whenever I go to school there seems to be more and more girls between the age of 14-16 getting pregnant. I think its pretty stupid, the girls are throwing their life away but they all think its cool and sweet and it makes them more popular. I'm just like wtf? So do you guys think teen pregnancy is bad or good and why so?

Guess what,

I am not paying child support

 

[Instant K4rma]

I have a friend that's 18, and she's pregnant. I must admit, I don't approve. Still in school, plans for college... These girls have enough going on in their lives. The last thing they need now is a child. What's worse, the father of the child split once he heard she was pregnant. Not a pretty scenario for her. Her life is pretty much on hold for the time. It'll probably be a few years before she starts taking any college courses, according to her. I feel bad for her, but at the same time, she was irresponsible, and brought the situation on herself.

 

[xmbts]

I'm not saying it should be encouraged but not all teen parents are irresponsible and dismissing all of them as such isn't helping their situation.

I'm not dismissing them, I just don't believe someone literally just out of puberty or possibly still going through it has the experience needed to raise a child. Being a parent is a huge responsibility and teenagers aren't ready neither mentally or physically to handle the burden of caring for a child. I mean fuck, a lot of people in their thirties aren't ready for a child and you're telling me teenagers can handle something even adults can't?

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.

 

[senordesol]

It's a sad thing when babies are having babies, and is not a good thing for the over-all health of society as a whole. I know that occasionally you might have a 16yo mother who ends up being decent, but for every one of her I'm willing to bet that there are at least 100 who aren't.

Having a cohesive family unit; one that's dealt with a variety of life's challenges before bringing a new life into the world, is immeasurably beneficial to a child. Sadly, having a teenage mother reduces the chances of that a damn sight. Again, I must stress, this may not be true in all cases, and (In my own humble very personal opinion that should in no way be projected to imply a view which all society should follow) it may not be grounds to terminate a pregnancy off-hand. But a little bit of self-discipline will go a long way towards solving a lot of problems (and is probably indicative of a good parent anyway).

A good education and appreciation of the risks and consequences will go a long way towards building better mothers (and fathers). I don't regret for a second the decision to abstain until marriage. It might not have been that great the first time out, but it didn't take us long to get the hang of it.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I try not to judge, but part of my brain goes, "What were you thinking?" and then shakes its head. Raising a kid is not a cake walk, and when you're still a kid yourself--and odds are that the father is going to vanish eventually--it's a million times harder. You life suddenly revolves around this little human being, and you have to plan around its needs, not your own. That makes getting a job, going to school, even just hanging out with friends, in a pretty impressive magic trick if you pull it off. I know some girls who do, but most it's simply too much for them to handle.

 

[DoxyGrim]

I think that pregnancy at any stage of life is bad, but...

When it comes to teens, I think it's just stupid overall.

If a girl is getting pregnant because she thinks it'll make her popular, she needs to spend a little time in jail for child exploitation. Or have it taken away once it's born. A baby is a responsibility, and whether it's unborn or not, it shouldn't be used as a means for gaining popularity or sympathy. That's just not nice.

If a girl's just pregnant because birth control failed, or she made a stupid move and decided not to have safe sex, and she's keeping the baby for religious reasons (aren't Christians and Catholics against abortions?) then I might feel a bit sorry for her. However, I don't think that she should keep the kid if it's just failed birth control. This is one of the things that abortion is for.

And if she only plans on carrying the baby to term so that she can adopt it out, then I think it's fine.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

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.