Teen Pregnancy.

Exactly...the right-wing has been trying to defund Planned Parenthood--which is possibly THE best place to get contraception ever. Yes, kids can find information about contraception everywhere on the net, but the actual access to that contraception is spotty and possibly expensive.

I don't think that TV shows glamorize having a baby, or that if they do, that it has a significant effect on teen pregnancy. In fact, the teen pregnancy rates now are the lowest in decades (source).

I might be the lone abstainer in this argument about sex ed, teen pregnancy and so called conservatives/religious policy on anything. One unless your from the backwoods or a christian school no one teaches abstinence. If you got pregnant then it your fault since no one pressured you to anything you didn't want. Sex ed in school is a joke because the parents are at fault for relying on the state to teach lil susie and johnny that sticking one dick inside and jizzing is bad and may need to a parasite name baby or you dick rotten off from some whore disease that susie dad left inside her when she was nine. I don't know about the rest of the people here but i knew the in and out of sex since i was seven when my dad told me where baby came from and thirteen when we had the sex talk and bought me a box of trojans, i also forget my family are really religious and my dad is a asst. pastor. Quote from the old man: ' Sex isn't wrong or right, it a boning and spiritual thing with someone you love and care for, a biological thing and a pleasure for the soul, has long as you take responsibility for your actions and are careful where you stick in then god doesn't give a fuck."

Maybe it harsh to blame the kid who and the one who got knocked up, but they are to blame.. even if you wear a rubber, she on the pill and you pull out.. there still a chance of pregnancy... man up and raise the kid, but it up for adoption.. or better abort.. since it a crying shame to raise a kid with two retards who can live without their mommy or daddy or adoption system in most of the world.. american system as still crap but better then others.

If your ready for sex then be ready for the consequences, or do anal.

It's the semi puritan society we live in. Everyone says you must not have sex cause it's a sin or things like that, I think they don't get enough information about anticonceptives for the same reason. its wrong cause many of tham are not mentally prepared for the huge responsability a baby is...

I can and will bring it down to their sole responsibility because in the end they are the ones who made the decision. There are plenty of alternatives to have sex if you can not find contraceptives, anal, oral, mutual masturbation, etc and even in the most conservative states it is never hard for a male to go and get condoms.

Even if they can't get a hold of them why should it be anyone's fault but theirs if they stupidly decide to have unprotected sex? Are we really going to hold up the environment and say "It forced them to have sex this way"? That is basically saying they have no ability to think for themselves. THEY chose to have sex, THEY chose to do it without a form of birth control and without using other methods to proven pregnancy and yes it is THEIR fault if they should happen to become pregnant.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm not some right-wing religious nut who thinks abstinence is what kids should be doing and that sex is wrong. I firmly believe that if you want to have sex then you should have as much as you want. But I will not believe that a teenager, or anyone of any age for that matter, can blame anyone but themselves should they become pregnant.

A person's ability to think is strongly constrained by the availability of information. Furthermore teenagers aren't adults yet. Their sense of responsibility, their willingness to think things through is not yet developed.

...so of course I won't agree with you.

When a kid comes from a household where *any* talk of sex is taboo, when they go to a curriculum that strongly advises abstinence and when contraceptives are hard to come by...

...and yet it is the *sole* responsibility of the teenagers that they end up with a kid? The same teenagers who are under different circumstances are quickly labeled immature, irresponsible? Who can go to war at 18 but not drink until 21?

I don't say that all teens are irresponsible and immature but American culture seems to do a lot to ensure they *are*.

One could also highlight the patriarchal values leading to this, since they value male conquest of females so high and is quick to put the blame on the girl.

Boy going around screwing girls = Damn big playa, a "big boy".
Girl getting screwed = Sluuuut.

...if one were to sum it up. Of course this disgusts me, but this is *the* standard attitude never the less.

I've already covered this, with the internet there is no excuse for being uninformed about sexual education. Yes it is the parents responsibility to teach this to their children and failing that it should come from a learning institute. However, if neither of those things work out then the teenager can still go to any library and look this up themselves. As a matter of fact most can do it on their smart-phones now a days.



If they're adult enough to make the decision to have sex then their adult enough to be blamed for doing it poorly or for lacking the proper knowledge about it.



Look, no one is forcing these kids to have sex. If they've decided to go against what they were taught and follow something else then that's their own decision and the fact that they chose to do this means that they alone bear the responsibility for it. As far as them being immature and irresponsible a lot of that comes primarily from not owning up to the consequences of their decisions. "Oh I ended up pregnant (or ended up getting a girl pregnant) but it's not my fault because I didn't know what I was doing." Bullshit.



I'm not going to argue about the level of maturity in America's teenager population or sexist stereotypes since I don't see the connection to the current argument.

I'd say as much as they are promoting 'safe sex' around the schools and shit, it's just not working.. That and I think they are telling people about sex WAY too early... But then again, i've heard that people are developing a lot earlier now a days too, which is weird, and also makes me wonder, why?

Also, I find it pretty horrible, some 12 year old wandering around town with a pram, and/or a humungous belly... I'd say a lot of them are sluts.. OR just people who think they are excluded from the pregnancy rate. Teens think they are invinsible, they don't think anything will happen to them, and then it does, like bam. And then they are fucked, cause they can't support themselves cause they have no job, cause they are fucking bogans living off centerlink and bashing people in town. /slowly serious talk turning into rant :s

My girlfriend got pregnant as a teen and she ended up having it aborted, I don’t know much else, we don’t talk about it much.
But it seems to me teen pregnancy seems to stem not from media influence but rather from things closer to home like alcohol or the simple fact that people don’t carry condoms.
As for the teen mom thing that isn’t as popular in England but we still have high rates of teenage pregnancy. It most certainly is a problem but the main problem is that there doesn’t seem to be a way to permanently fix it.
I say, just give them a condom.
And find some way to show that drinking and sex just don't mix.

Generally speaking teenagers, almost universally, make terrible decisions. This is due to several factors; naivety, hormones, and a sense of haughtiness.

Though I also think that the root of the problem lies in how repressed we are, sexually, as Americans. Look at the French, they're some of the most promiscuous people on the planet and their teen pregnancy rate is about a third of the United States, per capita.

We, as a society, put too much pressure on teenagers not to fuck that they do the opposite; partly due to their rebellious nature and partly because why the fuck not? --biologically speaking, a person will want to fuck at that age. There's no way around that---.

Then again, who are we to tell a 19 year old getting pregnant is bad?
It's more then acceptable in a lot of cultures. It's even quite late for some.
And 18 is the legal age here so...

Personally I feel that 21 would be the earliest "okay" time, but if they want the kid it's their problem, right?

I think its kinda funny that people are acting as if this is some new think. this shit has been happening forever. no yes before it was mainly cuz we died at 20 but even in are grand and great grandparents have been doing shit. only difference is that they ether hid it or forced a miscarige. humans are just as bad as we were back then. the media and moral outlook are the main reason we see this thing as new

Some teens nowadays use sex to escape some harsh thing in life even its was just for a moment!And the parent should be the one teaching this thing in they children

Most teens don't have sex to get pregnant. They just don't understand the harsh realities of having a child, because of outside influences so they aren't as cautious as they should be. It's the whole, "Oh that can't possibly happen to me" mentality as well as being ill-informed.

First off I will say this, "It has happened before and will happen again and again and again....."
I shall quote a law "It is illegal for anyone under the age of eighteen to have sex"
With it being a law everyone seems to be ok with it, and they are doing nothing about it.
The main cause of this is peer pressure and pure teenage rebellion and that is it.
I used to know a girl I went with in highschool she was fourteen when I first met her and she already had two kids, and the three years since I knew her she had three more kids, now either she wanted them or just did not care for precautions whatever her choice was it is hers to handle.
There is a lot of finger pointing and I say it is the fault of the parents, media, community, and most of all the girl herself.
Parents should pay regular attention to their kids if parents teach their kids right then there should be nothing wrong however in the end it is the choice of the girls.
In short, I disagree with teen pregnancy it should not be allowed and should be hammered on more than what it is, it should be in the greater interest for all people because if that girl has a child and does not want to take care of it, the countrymen will have to pay taxes more often on orphanages or if the girl wants to keep their child but goes on welfare that is still more taxes other people need to pay on someone elses mistake.

Actually you're wrong on something: It's not illegal to have sex under 18.

The age of consent determines how old someone has to be to give their consent to sex. Over that they can have sex with whoever they want.

However there's no law forbidding sex on the minor's part. It's just that if one participant is over the age of consent, while another is above it, the later would be committing statutory rape (in some states if they're close in age then it's still OK) which *is* a crime.

So if children are rutting in the hay, *they* are not breaking any laws. When an adult/teen of age is involved in something sexual involving children then the adult/teen *is*.

Next: Your libertarian agenda has some gaping flaws in it. It was also greatly influenced by all out psycho and serial killer groupie Ayn Rand a woman that if I've had the pleasure to meet would have sent me running for the hills.

Here is the "Anti-Libertarian FAQ" that lists several things that irk about your views:
http://www.raikoth.net/libertarian.html

However if it's tl;dr then here's a story that illustrates the problem well:
A libertarian complains at the saloon that nothing good ever came from state intervention. He downs his last beer (non-toxicity thank to the FDA), pays his bill leaves the building (built according FHA safety regulations) drives his car (built accorind DOT safety regulations) home (on a road built & maintained by the DOT), then calls his daughter over the telephone (which is was not monitored or had a jacked up price thanks to the FCC) to arrange his flight the next week (on a plane once again built & operated acording federal regulations, this time the FAA) for a visit...

...I could go on and on, but this is WAAAAY too easy.

The same principles also apply as to why society as a whole has to take care of *all* its members, instead forcing everyone to pay for everything. Granted it shouldn't be encouraged so that people can live off popping out kids... however it's not the child who should be penalized. The least they can be given is a chance to grow up, study and even go on to collage/university if they have the potential using state given scholarships... for otherwise we're just living in modern feudalism where the lords have money instead lands and advancement is based on rank instead merit.

I feel that Society and Education are factors Teen Pregnancy. I knew a lot of people including myself who didn't really have the whole story behind sex. Hell I didn't really get a full run through of the facts until I got stuck in a Health class my last year of high school. Other than that it what you heard was from other people who didn't really know what they were talking about. Lol come to think about it one of the saying back then was that the people with veeeeery back acne needed to go get them some to clear it up.

Teens can biologically be, and have a right to be, parents, if they are of the age of consent in their area.

The real problem is teens who are having babies they don't want, haven't planned on, cannot support, or either partner isn't willing to take care of a child.

If teenagers (ok, OLDER teens) decide to have a child together, that's their right. Perhaps not always the wisest choice, but certainly a valid one. Even if they aren't married, they can still do so.
The issue is that most cultures demonized unwed parents (and often more so, unwed mothers) who they deem "ruinous to society's moral fiber" just because they don't want to marry or aren't with a long-term partner.

But while there should not be a stigma attached to young parenting, it shouldn't be encouraged really, either.
It's best to become a parent when you can best support a family, and for most teens that isn't the time.

Despair!
The World have left me in despair.

I Give up with the people, community and the world..
for this suck human being~!!!

You ain't so great yourself hotshot.

Also I completely agree with Flaser.

I think its not only the media's fault but also the parent's. Kids are growing up to a desensitized society where sex & pregnancy is a norm and having shows like 16 and preg just makes it seem like its "cool" to be preggers.

Then you have parents continually telling their kids not to have sex before marriage or something like that or just saying its wrong. Seriously? When kids are exposed to sex in the media like this, who's to stop them? Parents are failing to explain that kids have to practice safe sex, even if they're against their kids having sex so early. It's a lot better than them being friggin pregnant or catching some dirty ass std.

I also blame Twilight. I haven't read it myself but from what I hear, Bella marries Edward at 18 and gets pregnant. Then you have that werewolf dude getting on with their daughter? Lol wtf? Anyways, back to my point...Twilight is evil and the antichrist.