Teen pregnancy has been a growing dilemma in the United States for many years. In today’s society, it is common to see a teen that is pregnant, whether it is in your high school class or a stranger at the local mall. When asked, most girls say that they did not plan on getting pregnant. These girls not only suffer from physical effects of pregnancy, but suffer from emotional effects too. Some plan to keep the baby, give it up for adoption, or sometimes even get an abortion. Some of the consequences of being a teen mom include: not graduating high school, unable to maintain a job, and possibly unable to further education in a college. It may look like teen pregnancy is on the rise, …show more content…
The show was about teen girls who became pregnant in high school and showed how challenging and strenuous teen pregnancy could be. Some might argue that the show was glorifying teen pregnancy and encouraging teens to become pregnant, but it actually opened up a lot of teen’s eyes instead, which helped cause a decline in teen pregnancy. Research by Kearney and Levine (2014) supports that “The magnitude of the 16 and Pregnant effect is substantial. Our estimates indicate that the introduction of this series led to a 5.7 percent decline in the teen birth rate. This effect can explain a third of the decline in teen births in the 18 months after the show was introduced.” This fact of research clears up any misconceptions or judgments about people who argued about its intentions. Whether the objective of the show is to glorify teen pregnancy or not, it ended up benefiting teens around the United States with such a decline in pregnancies. Lauren Dolgen, creator of 16 and pregnant and Teen Mom, argues that the shows purpose is “An uneasy mix of messages from programs intended to document and deter teen pregnancy, not exalt it (as cited in Sun, 2011). With this in mind, the show has a significant purpose and was not trying to allure teens into getting pregnant, but rather to help then be conscious and knowledgeable about the hardships …show more content…
Many factors play a part in this decline, but the most prevalent factors consist of: joblessness, television inspirations and continuing use of devices and drugs to prevent pregnancy. Joblessness rates showed the hardships of what one must endure to financially instability. This factor allows teens to think twice before partaking in any risky behavior that could leave them unstable. Television inspirations, such as MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, gave encouraging, yet frightening insight on what can occur when you have a baby as a teen. Lastly, continuing the use of devices and drugs to prevent pregnancy, such as oral contraceptive pills and condoms, helping teens in preventing unwanted pregnancies and maintaining a sense of control in making their own decisions. Overall, patient teaching from nurses, whether it is from educational programs, activities, or handouts are essential to getting the word out to teens and needs to be readily