How can we prevent teen pregnancy?

Answer 1

We can't. Unless it's our kids. Parents need to step up and educate & prevent.

Answer 2

Look, I don't know who you are or where you come from, but I am personally offended by this question. I know the media tells you that teen pregnancy is wrong and that it should be stopped or prevented, but its the same as anyone else having a child!
I went to a highschool called a "continuation" or "alternative" high school. 30-40% of the teens who went there had children, and they were far from bad mothers and fathers. They fed their children, had jobs, and changed diapers like any other parents.
This is the problem though, people like you think teen pregnancy is some awful thing, like its wrong and should be done away with, but some ppl are just ready to be moms earlier than others, don't hate! Congradulate!
I am 17 and I am 100% sure I am ready for a child. I won't have one until probably I am 19 or 20, but that is just me. My friend was born to a 14 year old mother, and she raised him awful, but he's still glad he's here today. I also know a 15 year old mommy with the happiest three year old I know. This child was a product of rape, but she embraced it as her own. I know grown women who can't even do that!!! They aren't strong enough!
Look, all I'm saying is that you need to think before you speak. Judging teen parents is not the answer. If you think that better education or better access to birth control will solve your "teen pregnancy problem" think again. I live where you have to take a health & sex ed class every year. there are 2 Plan Parenthoods and where it is legal to give free birth control in schools and hospitals. There is still teen pregnancy!
Its not a problem, People like you are the problem.
TEEN PREGNANCY IS 100000% BETTER THAN TEEN ABORTION!

Answer 3

There is no easy answer to this question. We need to encourage girls to have a stronger sense of self, so they don't feel the need to provide sex in order to be accepted. We need to teach both boys and girls that sex is more than just a recreational activity. The only way this is going to happen is if we actually TALK about sex from a much younger age than most people are comfortable. The average age in the US for losing virginity is 16 - 17. I personally know a 13 year old girl who got pregnant in 8th grade. Parents should not wait until their kids hit puberty - by then it's too late. Kids also need to know what they can do to be safe. You can push abstinence all you want, but if they don't abstain, they need to have the right information about preventing pregnancy and STD's. It's foolish to not provide birth control information in schools. To quote a teen soap from the 90's, "If you have a swimming pool in your backyard, you can put up a fence and lock the gate to keep your kids out, but don't you think it's a good idea to at least teach them how to swim?" Same goes for sex. Avoiding the issue benefits no one.

Answer 4

You can not prevent it all together. I think that parents need to talk to their kids and not let the school do it for them . I firmly believe that the more informed and the more open parents are to talking about it the less teens will want to experiment.

Answer 5

Education

Answer 6

We cant prevent anyone from having sex, if they think their mind is right to have sex and they want to have sex we cant stop them, but i wish we could. Teens are pressured to have sex these days, their friends talking about, movies, tv and music but no one ever looks at those, they just call the girl a whore and its the end of it. I had my daughter when i was 18 and people gave me HELL for what.. having sex and having a child which im taken care of? Wow im a better mother then some 30 year olds out there!!

How about we teach kids the risk of having sex, like showing them pictures of people with STDs and pictures of sick dying people that have aids? That would scare the hell out of me.

Answer 7

Educate your teenagers about sex. Simply telling them to not have sex does not and will not work. They need good, real sexual education. On top of that, the parents need to be active in their kid's lives. Parents should try actually talking to their kids and playing an active role in their lives. All the teens I knew that got pregnant had sh!tty parents who were not active in their kid's lives. Either that or keep making them sign an abstinence contract and see how well that works. We all know that simply telling a teenager not to do something guarantees they won't ever do it!

Answer 8

I think the parents need to quit being afraid of their children and beat their *** when they come home and announce to the world that they are having sex. Start acting like our parent's parents. Because they were strict and children had certain rules and chores and didn't have all this ipod cell phone crap. Quit rewarding your children for bad behavior. Its that freaking simple. But then again, i think it should be a government thing also.... if the parents of an overweight/obese 5 year old can be charged with child neglect then i think the parents of a pregnant 13 year old should be charged with it too. Because it is the parents fault that their teenaged daughter/son are pregnant. So the first step is getting the parents more involved with their children's lives and then the second step is enforcing rules that the parents stand by and the children live by. A child should be afraid to have sex before marriage because they should be afraid that their parents are gonna beat them with a shoe. Believe me I'm just 21 but I was terrified of my mother and i knew she would kick my butt if she knew i was having sex before marriage. And I didn't have sex with anyone before I met the man I married and even then we didn't have sex until he gave me my engagment ring. Now its not before marriage but I did have a ring from him. so i look at it the same way. So I think thats how we prevent teen pregnancy.

Answer 9

Oh, baby girl this is easy. (1) Don't have sex. (2) Keep your knees together at all times. Besides, what is the hurry for sex. Take your time, wait until you're older and in better control of your emotions so you do not wind up getting hurt mentally.

Sorry , birth control is not an option. In my opinion, it messes up the female body. they really do not know enough about birth control yet.

Let kissing be as far as you want to go until someone is really faithful about committing to you baby girl...

Don't jump off the cliff because everyone else is jumping....

Answer 10

It starts at birth.

Children should be treated w/ unconditional love and respect. As they grow, we should help them acheive a sense of autonomy and the skills for forming healthy relationships. We should make sure they love themselves and do not feel shame or disgust over their bodies.

As those children approach their teen years, they should be given more and more opportunities to be in control of their lives, as well as the guidance to make good decisions and help w/ the tough ones.

We should show them loving relationships between husband and wife and respectful relationships between all men and women.

We should teach them about their bodies and that they have the power to control themselves. They need to know we trust them to make good decisions. Teens are capable of deep though and patience! They just need the support and trust to do so!