Who is at fault when it comes to teen pregnancy?

Question

I'm doing a research paper and I want to know what people think. Who do you think is to blame for teenagers becoming pregnant? Is it the teenagers themselves for having sex or is it their parents who should encourage their teens into waiting until marriage or using protection? Let me know why you think.

Answer 1

Its the parents for not educating their children or for not giving them the protection they need.
I have three girls and I rather taken them down to the doctor's office and put them on birth control injections so I know that they have a fighting chance atleast to finish growing up and not having a baby when they are still a baby themselves.

Answer 2

Who is at fault?
The answer is simple - YOU!
There is plenty of talk and information out there that most people 1) know where babies come from 2) know how to keep the babies from coming and 3) know how to be responsible.

It is up to your parents to educate you, but sometimes this doesnt happen correctly, but then like I said above, there is still plenty of information out there. And in the end, it is your choice.

It isnt for the school to educate on this, PERIOD!. The only thing a school should show is "how", not what to do. They shouldnt be passing out condoms, since even though the idea is to keep things safe, they are basically still passing the message that its ok. And if they think they arent, ask any high school boy and they will tell you it is ok to get what you "need" at the schools nurses office.

It isnt anyones fault except your own. You as a male teenager have the ability to say "No". Or the ability to say "Lets use protection". You has a female teenager have the ability to say "No", or to also say "Use protection". And the amusing thing is no matter who says what, it doesnt have to be in agreement. The female says "No, lets use a condom", if the guy doesnt like it - TOUGH! If the guy says that, the girl should respect that too.

It is YOUR decision what you do, and it is YOUR consequences that result.

Answer 3

Unless you know the Teen personally, this question could/could not be two fold. Ultimately, it is the teen's "fault". Most cognitively abled teens (those that are clearly knowledgeable of right vs. wrong) are very aware of the consequences of sex: be it pregnancy, miscarriage, STD's, etc. However, Teens are very impulsive and do not always consider the biological ramifications of sexual behavior since their main focus is self gratification.

The "twist" comes when we take into consideration that Teens often model their behaviors from outside sources such as other teens, parents, and media. Which means, even if you have the ideal parent, one who is very active in their child's life, there is still 66 % of outside sources to factor in. At the same time, if the parent has modeled a promiscuous pattern (fornication) in the home, then the nurturer has become a source of example for that Teen's decision making.

Home this helps. Sorry for the technical terminology but that's how it is w/ paper writing yo.

Answer 4

i do not think it is anyones "fault" it is a choice that you make and once you are pregnant it is a choice there after whether you will have the baby or not parents should discuss waiting until marriage but it really does not matter how much you preach if a teenager wants to have sex they will have sex you can not blame one person for that it is a choice that you make and getting pregnant is not a choice when you have sex its a consequence of having sex i do not think girls lay down and say i want to get pregnant unless they are just out of their mind and some teenagers are very careful when they have sex and are on birth control or using a condom but things happen that we cant always control

Answer 5

Well let me start with I was a teenage parent and when I became pregnant it was not my mother fault it was me and my boyfriend's I knew that having sex could lead to pregnancy so I don't think it's the parent's fault when you know better the last thing my mother wanted was for me to get pregnant but it happened and now I'm 23 and with a 7 yr. old I love my son but I wish I would have waited to have sex it's very overrated and wasn't worth the hurt I put my mother through even though she never said it I'm pretty sure she was hurt and disappointed

Answer 6

It is the teenagers themselves who are at fault for being irresponsible with themselves and their futures, but there would be a lot less teenage pregnancy around if parents and educators gave greater support in their instructions to young people.

Trying to get them to wait til marriage is pretty useless 9 times out of 10 - self discovery is part of growing up and sexual development is a large part of that. Contraception is available to adolescents, but not in a way that is unthreatening and unjudgemental. Teenagers are very conscious of how other people see them and would rather chance not being on the pill than risk other people thinking badly of them just because they were sexually active.

If being a sexually active teenager was seen as more socially acceptable, then the teenagers in question would be more concerned for themselves than others opinions and be less reckless when it came to allowing pregnacy to happen to them.

Lx

Answer 7

I would say the teenagers themselves. Even if parents are not helping to guide them right, they are still getting these messages on television and at school. I think much has to do with live by example too, if parents are living a not so moral life then the teen may not understand why it is wrong. If parents are living a good, clean monogamous life, then we can hope the teen will follow with this.
But once the teens are in bed together, and knowing they shouldn't be, they have only theirselves to blame

Answer 8

As a parent who has taught my children to wait for marriage, I still take responsibility for knowing who my children are with and what they are doing.
Promoting protected sex gives too much freedom to children who do not fully understand the consequences of "accidental" pregnancies and or STDs.
We allow open discussions in our family, so if my children are being pressured into sex, they could talk to us about it.
If after all that has failed, then both the parents and the teens are to blame.

Answer 9

I think the blame is on the individual having sex. There is enough knowledge out there today to prevent unwanted pregnancies. I know many young girls from high school who wanted babies for completely immature and selfish reasons. It wasn't based on whether or not the parents promoted abstinence. I believe that media and parenting play a big role in the teenagers life and decision but ultimately it is their choice.

Answer 10

Its the teens who ultimatly made that decision. So its there fault. Its so easy to get birthcontrol or condoms, you are taught from like 5th grade (here in cali anyway) to abstain from sex or at least use condoms. Parents can only do so much. You lay down rules and basicly cross your fingers and hope they follow them. I have a 15 year old step daughter and she knows sex=babys and std and all kinds of other things. I also have a 1 year old son so she KNOWS what its like having a little baby around. I figure if she messes up and gets pregnant after all this, which would have also had her breaking the rules we have laid down for her that is her decision that has led to that consequence. This is also one consequece that she would not be able to get out of. Another of our rules-as long as you live in my home you will not get an abortion. So its either raise it, or adopt it.

Answer 11

I became pregnant at 17. A month before I asked my mom to go on the pill and she said no. I just thought I was so grown up, I could have sex if I wanted to. I also had, and still do have, a problem saying no. I hate being rejected and am afraid to reject people. At times I ended up making out or having sex with a person I didn't really feel that way about.