Teen pregnancy is an extremely crucial subject for most people.  The United States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate among developed countries. Each year, more than one million teenagers become pregnant.  One in nine women age fifteen to nineteen becomes pregnant each year. Forty-three percent of all adolescent women become pregnant at least once before age twenty.  Approximately 2,800 adolescents become pregnant each day.  About 1,300 will give birth; 1,100 will have abortions; 400 will miscarry. Forty thousand young mothers drop out of American schools each year.  Many endure dramatic social and economic hardships and become dependent on welfare.  Eighty-two percent of adolescent pregnancies are unintended, three-fourths of them because the couple did not use birth control.  In fact, most sexually active teens make their first visit to a family planning clinic to get a pregnancy test.

Teen pregnancy can affect a teenager in two ways, good or bad.  There is the good way when there is dedication from both parents.  The parent's mother and father are a great deal of help, if they are willing to help.  Basically, support from anyone will help the situation.  On the bad side, if there is only support from one parent, mother or father, would be awful.  It is a great deal of responsibility to take on as being a teenage parent.  The job is not easy in anyway.  It is very expensive to raise a child, if the parents decide to keep the child.  Teenage parents have a three decisions, abortion,  adoption, and keeping the child.  Yes, it is hard to know what is the right decision and what is the wrong decision.  It is based on how the parents of  the child are brought up.  Some kids are taught from a young age that abortion is wrong, and in that case, they are left with two choices.  Both ways the parents have to be willing to sacrifice their own feelings for their unborn child.

There is a new campaign to prevent teen pregnancy, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (NCPTP).  The NCPTP was founded in 1996; it is a nonprofit, non partisan initiative supported almost entirely by private donations.  High rates of teen pregnancy burden not only teenagers, but also their children, families, and communities, while imposing large costs on taxpayers as well.  To reduce teenage pregnancy, the Campaign provides a national presence and leadership to raise awareness of the issue and to attract new voices and resources to the cause.  It provides concrete assistance to those already working in the field.  The Campaign also tries to ease the many disagreements that have plagued both the national and local efforts to address this problem.

The mission of the Teenage Parent Council of Austin, Inc., is to implement programs that address prevention of teenage pregnancy, and to facilitate and provide essential services to pregnant and parenting teens and their families.  The Teenage Parent Council of Austin, Inc. believes that the delay of parenting in adolescent years is important to the well-being of teens, families and, ultimately, our community and society.  They are also believe that the quality and accessibility of services are crucial in the reduction of risks of problems related to teenage pregnancy and early parenthood.  The use of volunteers is a significant means to enhance services for pregnant and parenting teens.  Adolescent parents can become capable, successful parents, and productive members of society.  The Teenage Parent Council of Austin, Inc. seeks to address four goals.  Focus community concern and awareness on adolescent pregnancy and parenthood.   Provide essential services to pregnant and parenting teens.  Encourage networking and coordination among service of pregnant and parenting teens.  Encourage the development of public policies supporting the mission of the Council.

When adolescents become pregnant, they need the same physical care as adult women, as the symptoms are the same for both adults and teenagers. Although the pregnant adolescent is treated the same way as an adult with regard to the body, teenagers need extra care in the way of psychological and emotional support.  They need help and encouragement, as well as guidance on the transition from pregnancy to parenthood.  Loved ones should help the pregnant adolescent set realistic goals for life after pregnancy, such as returning to work or school and her relationship with the baby's father.  All of these need to be attended to for the well-being of the mother as well as the child and father.

There are problems teenage mothers can experience during pregnancy.  Teenage mothers have a higher rate of anemia and pregnancy induced hypertension.  Babies are more likely to be born premature and suffer from low birth weight.  The babies can also be predisposed to mental retardation, brain damage, and injury at birth.  The babies can develop problems such as poor weight gain, premature labor, placenta abruptio, preeclampsia, and can be born stillborn. The younger the mother, the greater the risk of complications for both the mother and her child.  Some of these problems are due to the teenager's physical immaturity, the fact that they are still growing and poor nutrition.  Other problems happen because the pregnant teenager denies the fact that she is pregnant or ignores it, which delays getting proper care for the growing baby inside of her.

Education about responsible sexual behavior and specific, clear information about the consequences of sexual intercourse (including pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases) is frequently not offered in the home, at school, or in other community settings.  Therefore, much of the "sex education" that adolescents receive filters through misinformed or uninformed peers.   Children need to be taught about the possibility of pregnancy.  They need to know the consequences of having sex at such a young age.  Years ago it was practically a sin to have sex before marriage, and now a days its casual and a everyday experience.  It is sad to see someone feel their life is ruined because he/she is going to have a baby at such a young age. 

Teenage pregnancy is crucial topic.  So many teenage girls are being pregnant for the wrong reasons.  More than half of the girls are not with their "so called" boyfriend, and they wish that they would have waited until they are older and married to have their next child, if she wants another.  There is so much pressure put on teenagers that pregnancy should not be their main focus.   Slowly, the percentage is decreasing, but it should stay decreasing.  It is better to wait to have kids until marriage, when two people are able to support the child.  Children need to be taught this idea at an early age when they can understand what is right and what is wrong.  Kids do not think like this because they are kids themselves.