How to reduce teenage pregnancies?

Question

Should sex education not only be compulsory for both males and females,
BUT for girls only- include medical footage of actual child births in full colour and from the clearest possible angle so as to deter them in a rather graphic manner.
And invite teen mothers to give class talks about their real-life experiences etc?
Perhaps 13 yrs old is an ideal age to commence?

[A thought experiment.].

what else can we do to decrease this most undesirable social phenomena (which statistically clearly illustrates continued poverty/welfare dependency)?

Your thoughts as mothers?

Answer 1

Information, Information and Information (with Education)

Answer 2

Actually, teen pregnancies are on the decline, thank goodness.

the best thing that a parent can do is talk to their kids personally and not leave it up to the educational system to tell them everything. Don't make stuff up if you don't know. Don't quote statistics that you don't know are true. Personal responsilbity for this subject is the best course. If your child has a question you can't answer, look it up on a reputable internet site or get a book that you can read together that has age-appropriate information on sex and STDs.

When i become a mother, i plan on talking to my kids early. As soon as they ask where babies come from or if they over hear things from people talking about sex, i will sit down and have the talk. This will probably happen around the age of 5 or 6. Because i'm a medical assistant and i work at a fertility clinic, i know a ton about baby-making. I won't get graphic, but i'll tell them all they need to know, as well as the responsibilities that come with having sex. These talks will continue over time. I would try to talk to them about it frequently when they first ask, and then again when they reach puberty.

Also, promoting abstinence will be my first measure, but i will tell my children about forms of birth control and which work the best for what age.

My parents bought me a book and hoped i wouldn't have any questions after that. Since i knew i couldn't depend on them for information, and my peers were just as clueless as i was, i started reading more books. Now that i am a medical assistant, all i ever do is ask doctors their personal experiences with patients who are trying to conceive and what happens when someone can't conceive.

i don't think talking to teen mothers will help, because i know a few teen mothers who are friends of mine who are perfectly happy with their lives as young mothers, some of which prefer having children young.

And i wouldn't want to scare them, because, when with the right person, sex and having children is a wonderful, happy, enjoyable experience and you shouldn't traumatize your kids with graphic pictures or scary statistics about STDs. The best thing i think that you can tell your kids is to respect their body and find someone who really loves them and respects their body as well to make love-making and having a family very special and fulfilling.

Answer 3

I think your idea is like convicting someone before the crime.

There are several things that can be done. Actual guys telling girls what lines guys will say and all of it just to get laid. Girls say yes because they want to feel loved and don't want to lose a guy. Yeah, stupid, but remember what you were like as a teenager. What lines did guys use on you? (well, not you because apparently you didn't have sex as a teenager).

I love you.
You would if you loved me.
But it hurts if you don't.
I'll just go find someone else. Too bad for you.
We don't need to use one of those. You won't get pregnant.

Secondly, where are the mothers of sons? Yes, you gals who aren't teaching your idiot sons to use a condom each and every time. There would be considerably less teenaged sex going on if the boys stop hitting on the girls to get laid. Gosh, you can't even keep alcohol away from them, how are you going to get them behave or at least rubber up? Do the boys know that some girls get pregnant on purpose to 'hold their man?' Yes, some have taken the used condom and impregnated themselves (I'm not kidding) as well as punctured them.

Finally, your graphics. You know, they show kids in driver's education a smashed up car where people died. It won't ever happen to them so they continue to speed, drink while driving, drive recklessly. The same thing with your graphic image idea. Perhaps time should be spent with the guys explaining to them where all their money is going to go while they support a child they conceived? That spiffy new car they dreamed of is history. If the father is underage, his parents should be paying the support. You think mothers of sons would teach them responsibility if they knew they would get hit with child support if their kid didn't pay?

Answer 4

As a mother of two little boys, I will start educating them early about safe sex, diseases, and pregnancy. I'll make sure that there are condoms in my house available for them. Not necessarily giving them permission but, lets face it, kids are gonna do it anyway. All we can do is hope that we've givin them enough information and hope that they use good judgement.

Also, if i had a daughter, she'd go on birth control pills. I'd also keep condoms available for her. My sister asked my mom at the age of 14 to be put on birth control and my mom refused. My sister ended up pregnant and had a baby at 15.

Parents need to stop being so stupid. They all think, "my childs not having sex" when in fact, they probably are. Parents dont need to approve of sex but they do need to educate them. If more parents did this, there would be less teen pregnancies and std's!!

Answer 5

as a mother, i hope that my child will be open with me when the time comes, but i will certainly be giving her all the information she needs.
schools do need to give better sex education, all i got was an explanation of how to put a condom on and a few pictures of what your insides look like. and after 2 children, i still cant relate those pics to me!
i dont think the government/parents will allow children to see a birth happening, but yes, teen mothers should talk about their experiences.
13 is about the right age, but why not just start when kids get to secondary school? that'd be arond 11-12years old. and maybe some parents need educating on how to pass on this information in the correct way.
some people worry that sex ed earlier will lead to more teen pregnancies, effectively putting thoughts in kids heads', but i dont agree.
i was 21 when i had my first and i think that was too young. and thats my rant, lol!

Answer 6

In my opinion, every parent should instil moral values in their children when they are young. Explain to them when they come across teenages who are pregnant. Sex education goes hand in hand with moral education. A child will eventually understand the consequences and costs of a pregnancy at an age when she could seek a college education.

Teenagers should not be given unlimited freedom and daughter mother open communication is also very important. Teach the child responsibility ... show her responsibility of a mother and she will know if she is ready for that. The choice is hers after that ...

Answer 7

Sorry, I disagree. Teenage pregnancies are not to do with ignorance of sexual matters.
These kids see their peers with children. It seems cute. The mother has her own flat - provided by the state. It is a way for them to have a 'cutie' and their own flat and independence at the same time.
The state must stop providing housing and benefit for these girls and make their families responsible for their keep.
What is not realised that is that we are robbing these children (because that is what they are) of the best years of their lives. They are either housebound with their children, or have to put on their families for support. And they will find it more difficult to marry when the wife-to-be comes with a ready-made family, fathered by another man.

This aspect of the issue needs stressing more than sex education.
.

Answer 8

i hear what you say but graphic detailed births can be to graphic i think, i think the government should be employing the use of funds better and make a video for all teenagers to be shown in school from the age of 14 and show them how living in a dingy flat with very little money and a screaming child of actual teenage mums/dads, i think that this might just have more of an impact rather than footage of mothers giving birth,xx

Answer 9

I think it could be good depending on how it is done. GW may also ask other religious leaders. I think the Pope could speak out more and use diplomacy to help with reduction of teen pregnacy. Some may not agree with the church's methodology, but the Pope has contacts and information that the president may not. If the church can find real ways of helping, that would be good cooperation with government in my opinion. It also can be done without undermining Catholic conscience. Also, I would disagree that this means theocracy. And I would not see theocracy as positive either way.

Answer 10

Too many parents believe if they don't talk to their kids about sex that they won't do it. Kids get misinformation this way and it leads to kids becoming parents at a young age, or dying from AIDS or getting other STDS. I think 5th grade is a good time to start with the basics because, sadly, there are kids that age starting to have sex, whether we want to believe it or not. I work with 2 women, one age 26, and one 17, and they both became pregnant at age 12, giving birth at age 13. If they are going to show films of births in school I think they should be all-natural births with no pain killers. Really scare them.

Answer 11

I'm not a mother but as an ex-teenager I would say that most kids need to know this earlier than age 13 as some girls start their periods earlier than this and they need to know about it before they start.