Who is to blame for teenage pregnancy?

Question

As a teenager my honest opinion is that some teenagers do not know how easily they could get pregnant or get an STD. I am not going to blame the school because they do teach us about sex, condoms, birth control, etc. I mean what else can they do if teenagers are not listening to them? Who do you think is to blame school, society, media, what?

What do you think would decrease the rate of teenage preganancies? I think the condoms and birth control in school is a great idea. Its not really encouraging kids to have sex, I mean condoms have always been readily avaliable in my town and I didnt loose my virginity extremely young. What are your opinions on this?

They do not relize how EASILY they could get pregnant and get STD's. That meants that they know "sex= stds and pregnancy" they just dont think it will happen to them.

Answer 1

I get sick of people saying that condoms and birth control at school promote or encourage sex. Even if they did, safe sex is better than unsafe. I don't blame schools, but some schools could definitely give a better sex education program to the students. Chances are, if kids knew more, not only would they practice more safe sex, but also, knowing the risks, would be less likely to have sex at all. I'm not saying sex is a bad thing, but teen pregnancy is a big issue in our society today.

Answer 2

Firstly, it is BOTH of the teens' fault, in most circumstances. A teenager IS old enough to make logical decisions, so if pregnancy happens, they need to finish what they started. Parents do have some what of a responsibility when it comes to their child becoming pregnant, but not entirely. A teen is going to do whatever he/she wants whether the parent wants them to or not. It's proven. School is not to blame; the school has nothing to do with a person's free will, and mind. Society and media do influence teens into thinking they NEED to have sex, drink, smoke, etc, but still does not force them to do so. They should still be smart enough to know right and wrong.

If a teenager does not know that babies and STD's come from sex, then they are just plain stupid, and should not be having sex in the first place.

I really don't think anything will decrease teen pregnancies. If anything, pregnancies will increase as years pass. Now, we have 12 year olds asking if they should have sex or not. It's really quite sad how kids want to grow up so fast..

No, I still don't think schools should have condoms and birth control. Having sex is personal, and should have nothing to do with school. School is a place to learn, and having available condoms/birthcontrol will disrupt that. Teens should buy those at a pharmacy or see a doctor.. If kids are ambarassed to buy condoms in public, then maybe they should wait a while before having sex.

But those are just my opinions.

Go ahead and give me a thumbsdown.
It's what I think.

Answer 3

The blame is on themselves they should know better to use a condom. Sometimes media has a little to do with the ones who let it overwhelm them they wanna be cool just like everyone else cause everyone in school does it and they feel rushed. I mean think about all those lyrics that r in those hip pop songs about sex, so what do they expect young teenagers to do they get influenced by it and they go try it out without a second thought and they get pregnant, StD's and stuff like that.
Good Q though.

Answer 4

I want to immediately say PARENTS are to blame. But then giving it further consideration, a parent can raise their child(ren) the best way they can and that child can still end up pregnant (or getting someone pregnant) So I have to say my answer is the teenager themselves. It is all about taking responsibility for your own actions.

I do think the schools could do a little better job in educating kids about sex but then that really is the job of the parents - education begins at home.

I find it really hard to fathom that anyone over the age of 13, in this day and age, could not know how a girl/woman can get pregnant. Between the media, schools and society - its all over the place.

What we have to do is teach teenagers how to make good solid decisions - a moment of pleasure is not equal to a lifetime of regret...:)

Answer 5

Fist, I'd like to point out that the fact that sex is a hidden taboo subject is the starting point. Everyone wants to try this mysterious sex thing and their teen bodies seem to point them in this direction every day like a form of torture. In Holland, sex is a very open subject. Censorship almost doesn't exist on TV and anyone can tune into people having sex whenever they want. Basically, it's out in the open and they have a very low rate of teen pregnancies compared to countries such as Canada and USA.

So, the more open we are about it, the more we talk about it, the more young people are educated about it and exposed to it (just as we are exposed to death and destruction in the news daily) the less of a mystery it will all be and people will just wait until they meet the right person before or at least use 'protection'.

Sex education classes in school in Canada and USA has been around for a long time, and has done little to hinder teen pregnancies.. why? It's boring and no one pays attention just like in all the other classes. We need sex ed to be on MTV taught by 'cool' people, not some old lady in sex ed class. What the hell does she know -- she's ugly and old and probably hasn't had sex in 30 years...

Answer 6

I think that we should hold the teens themselves accountable for once.

Putting the blame on the media, the parents, and everything else in the world is ridiculous.

I've known since the 4th or 5th grade that sex equals pregnancy. You can get AIDS and other STDs from sex.

I think that *SOME* teenagers want to be adult and do what they want, and then want to blame everyone else when they are faced with the consequences for their actions. They suddenly want to play dumb, and blame TV and music and their parents, and say the school never educated them.

Whatever. What a load of crap.

Answer 7

Ultimately, we teenagers need to take responsibility for our own actions. If we do not have the maturity to realize the seriousness of sex the lasting impact it has on our lives, then all the sex ed classes and STD awareness won't change a thing.

At the end of it, it is the media that tells us that sex is a good thing, a mature thing, something that makes you grown up. But then it is also us teemagers trying to explore and be older. It's like when a guy gets his license or a chick has her belly button pierced, its a way of taking a step away from our parents and attempting to establish ourselves. A lot of us find this right of passage through sex, cause not only is it enjoyable, but it is something that our parents don't want us doing, and therefore by hooking-up and being sexually active, we can feel more complete and closer to our twenties.

I think we need to be more mature about our decisions and not worry so much about our immediate satisfactions. But putting condoms in the school nurse's office is just stupid. No one would take it seriously, people would just ask for them to mess around with in class. That would be like giving a monkey a comb and expecting him to brush his hair with it.

There is no fix-it remede to all this teenage sex. Parents need to be more involved with their children's lives, but a lot of adults have their own problems too, so its hard to alwyas make sure little Ashely is not having sex with Brad at those "study groups". As bad a sit sounds, I don't think humanity will ever escape this under age sex, it is too hard to control, and it's not like politicians are going to risk their relection by supporting more sex ed. for teens..god forbid the parents ever have to realize that their children aren't quiet the angles they thought they raised.

Answer 8

LOL. You do not think teenagers know about pregnancy and STDs? That's pretty ignorant and naive. Society is pressuring children to grow up a lot faster these days and kids know the risk of sex/unprotected sex whether you want to believe it or not. Birth control and condoms ARE encouraging kids to have sex, but at least it's safe sex. It's nobody's fault but teenagers if they decide to be sexually active, so lets not play the blame game here.

Answer 9

It's ultimately the fault of those who engage in that type of behavior. It is not the school's fault; it is not the media's fault (they might have influenced the teen, but the media did not make the choice FOR the teen). I'm sorry, but some people (not just teens) today are dumb. Dumb people will do what dumb people do best: dumb things. Once children are over 12 or 13, they begin to take their life into their own hands. Their parents can no longer make every decision for them and what decisions they make will effect their lives 100%... a concept that some teens have not fully grasped. They need to realize that they are no longer a little kid; saying "sorry" just won't make things go away.

Answer 10

I think teenagers DO know how easy it is to get pregnant, or diseases, because we have the lowest teen pregnancy rate in history right now.

You say, don't blame the schools because they teach about sex education, and can't be to blame if teens won't heed their warnings. Well, there you go....if teens are given the information on what the risks are and how to avoid them and they CHOOSE not to listen, then they are responsible for the consequences of that decision.