Reducing Teen Pregnancies - Paper Sample

Introduction

Teenage pregnancies have significant effects on society and the teenagers concerned. Therefore, society needs to develop measures to reduce teen pregnancies and avert society's adverse effects. One of the significant ways of reducing teenage pregnancies is by providing different forms of contraceptives for use by teenagers (Apter 115). Studies have shown that the use of contraceptives is the main reason why teenage pregnancies have gone down (Holt & Johnson 191) since the same studies have also shown that the teenagers are having the same amount of sex as they were in the past, which shows that they have increased their use of contraceptives, and therefore increasing the use of contraceptives will increase the likelihood of total elimination of teenage pregnancies.

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Contraceptives

Teenagers should be introduced to contraceptives from the onset of adolescence since it is the period when they start getting sexually active. When they learn about sexuality and sexual activity, they will be likelier to see the need to start using contraceptives if they become sexually active. The different stakeholders concerned should develop different policies that will lead to the availability of contraceptives for teenagers. When this is made possible, teenagers will have different contraception forms to choose from and benefit from avoiding early pregnancies (Apter 127). Therefore, the stakeholders should ensure that they adopt different approaches and methods for family planning to ensure that the possibility of teenage pregnancies is reduced significantly.

Different methods of family planning should be used depending on different factors. Contraceptive use depends on different factors, which will determine the contraceptives to be used on teenagers. The main factor to consider is the teenagers' age. The contraceptives being used should be friendly on the teenagers' bodies and not cause any future damage or disruption to their reproductive health(Kirby 18). This, therefore, means that the contraceptives used should not have lasting permanent effects on the teenagers or lead to the reduced chances of the teenagers developing any forms of complications. Secondly, there should be different forms of contraceptives available for teenagers due to their health histories. The contraceptives should not react negatively to the contraceptives being used by causing any form of negative reactions or allergies that could cause damage to the sexual or general health of the teenagers who use them. This way, the contraceptives will not result in the health of the teenagers being compromised due to their use while also ensuring that they do not get pregnant before they are responsible adults.

Reproductive Goals

The variety of contraceptives should also consider the reproductive goals that teenagers have for their future. This includes how soon they would like to get pregnant after they get off the contraceptive use and how soon they are to becoming adults. When these factors are considered, then the appropriate form of contraceptives will be decided on and used on the teenagers. Also, the contraceptives used should consider the relationship factors that the teenagers are exposed to. One of the relationship factors to consider is the number of sexual partners that teenagers have. When one has more sexual partners, they should be provided with contraceptives, ensuring more safety and reduced chances of getting pregnant (Sherin & Waters 675). The number of times that one has sex should also be considered when determining the contraceptive applied to teenagers. When sexual activities are more regular, teenagers should be given stronger contraceptives, which will be more effective and likelier to reduce teenagers' pregnancies.

Religious and personal beliefs should also be considered when determining the contraceptives to be used on teenagers. The personal and religious beliefs should be considered to ensure that teenagers do not feel violated when contraceptives. They will not feel like they have broken a societal, religious, or personal belief in the process. These social considerations will lead to the prevention of pregnancies while also maintaining social and religious competence in teenagers. The contraceptive use should also consider different aspects of their use, apart from preventing pregnancies (Sherin & Waters, 675). For example, the contraceptives should consider the possibility of side effects of contraception by teenagers to not suffer from any negative health outcomes. The cost of acquiring the contraceptive should also be considered so that the teenagers, parents, or guardians do not feel economically burdened due to their use of the contraceptives. The contraceptives should also consider reducing sexually transmitted diseases so that they do not get infected with deadly diseases in the process of preventing pregnancies.

Conclusion

The availability of different forms of contraceptives could also be discouraged due to different reasons. For example, it could be argued that contraceptives' availability and use will lead to more pervasiveness and moral looseness in teenagers. When teenagers are assured of the reduced likelihood of getting pregnant, they will engage in sexual activities that may negatively affect outcomes. While they may not get pregnant from their sexual activities, the teens may be exposed to transmitted infections, which may not be prevented by the contraception chosen. Therefore, teenagers' health may be compromised while they are more concerned with preventing pregnancies.

Works Cited

Apter, Dan. "Contraception options: aspects unique to adolescent and young adult." Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology 48 (2018): 115-127.

Holt, J. L., and S. D. Johnson. "Developmental tasks: a key to reducing teenage pregnancy." Journal of Pediatric Nursing 6.3 (1991): 191-196.

Kirby, Douglas. "Emerging answers: Research findings on programs to reduce teen pregnancy (summary)." American Journal of Health Education 32.6 (2001): 348-355.

Sherin, Margaret, and Joseph Waters. "Long-acting reversible contraceptives for adolescent females: a review of current best practices." Current opinion in pediatrics 31.5 (2019): 675-682.