Teen Pregnancy Essay -- Teenage Mothers

     In the US, teen maternal quality rates cod been decreasing in the last decade plain though current rates remain twice as last as those found in other industrialized nations (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994). In break of decreasing rates, among African American teenagers, the maternalism rate is particularly high. In 1996, the maternal quality rate was 178.9 per thousand among Afro-American females aged 15 to 19 years, comp ard with a pregnancy rate of 82.6 among whites (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1999). Additionally, on the foot of the findings of the 1995 subject area comply of Family Growth, it was determined that African American females (48%) aged 15 to 17 were to a greater extent likely than their white (34%) counterparts to suck had sexual intercourse since menarche. On the basis of information provide by the National Center for Health Statistics (1997), African-American females aged 15 to 19 were more likely than their white peers to have ha d their first sexual experience (i.e., intercourse) with come out using effective contraception (24% versus 14%, respectively). Consequently, on the basis of such risky look, African American teenagers are at greater risk than their white peers for experiencing a pregnancy.pregnant, especially if it was with the babys father. A concluded by Harris, most of the mothers believed that sexual intercourse was a behavior they were going to continue to engage in, regardless of threat of disease or pregnancy. As compared to the adolescent fathers participating in the study, Harris reported that most of the fathers indicated that they were forthwith engaging in protected sex.      Environmental Influences     As many have suggested, while engagement in unprotected sexual intercourse at an early age places adolescents at risk for pregnancy, there are a number of other factors that influence African American teen pregnancy rates. According to Dervarics (2004), African American teen mothers and fathers are often correspond among the rising number of minority "disconnected" youth in the US. This gathering is comprised of teens ages 16 to 19 who are both out of school and out of work. Dervarics reported that nearly A quarter of African Americans ages 18 to 19 falls into the disconnected category. As a consequence of being disconnected, as explained by the author, African Amer... ...with poverty. It is these issues that attention must be directed towards in order to reduce teen pregnancy rates.ReferencesAlan Guttmacher Institute. (1994). Sex and Americas teenagers. NY The Alan      Guttmacher Institute.Alan Guttmacher Institute. (1999). Teenage pregnancy Overall trends and state-by-state      information. NY The Alan Guttmacher Institute.Dervarics, C. (2005). Minorities overrepresented among Americas disconnected youth.      Population Reference Bureau. Found onli ne at      http//www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=PRB& vitamin Atemplate=/ContentManagement     /ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11335Lardner, J. (2005). Arline Geronimus on teen parenthood. Inequality.Org. Found online      at http//www.inequality.org/teenparenthood.htmlNational Center for Health Statistics. (1997). Fertility, family planning, and womens      health New data from the 1995 National come off of Family Growth. Hyattsville,      MD National Center for Health Statistics.