U Tell Us
Teen Pregnancy - Your Thoughts
Hey, everyone! Here are your submissions from this week’s theme! What do all of your friends on PPJs think about teen pregnancy? Do you agree with them? Read below to find out!
It Is Preventable
Teen pregnancy makes me sad, because it's so preventable! 16 year-olds are not supposed to be having babies, they're supposed to be in high school having fun. I have a 1 year-old niece, and when I got out to the mall or something with her, I get a lot of "looks" from strangers, and I feel judged because they think she's my daughter. It's also so tiring to take care of her all day. I can only imagine the life of a real teen mother. I think it's incredibly unrealistic to assume all teenagers will be abstinent until marriage, which is why it's so important to practice safe sex and be careful!
liza, 19 from Florida
The thing about teen pregnancy that annoys me is that it is 100% preventable! Of course, if you forget about birth control (which, incidentally, many future teen parents did...) abstinence is the safest way to go. However, something as simple as realistic Sex Education in schools is another great preventive measure. Simply telling teens "Don't have sex!" isn't going to help stop the spreading of STIs or teen pregnancy. Sex Ed that covers all options, abstinence AND birth control, is the smartest thing for teenagers. You wouldn't believe how many pregnancies happened because some kids thought "pulling out" was a real method of birth control! Another myth - you can get pregnant if you have sex standing up. Widely heard and often accepted ideas such as these that often lead to teen pregnancies could easily be debunked in the classroom. Realistically, teen pregnancy is going to happen, but it could easily happen less often if schools ditched the religiously guided Sex Ed curriculum and integrated new and improved methods of dealing with the sexually active generation of teens.
Jalice, 17 from Pennsylvania
It's a Big Deal
Teen pregnancy is a big deal. I'm speaking from first hand experience. I have a ten month old son. And not only am I a teen mom, I'm a single teen mom. His father has absolutely no participation in his life, at all. Don't get me wrong, my son is the most amazing thing that has every happened to me, I love him more than life itself, but there are so many things girls don't consider when they aren't being safe when having sex. I'm not going to sit here and tell people not to have sex at all, because I've been sexually active since I was 16, but if you're going to be sexually active at a young age, you should definitely be careful.
Meg, 19 from Pennsylvania
My Opinion
Leah’s comment: Teen pregnancy is a very common occurrence nowadays, which is sad and definitely preventable. I believe if you are going to be sexually active, you MUST use protection every time. Condoms, birth control - there are many other forms of protection that are accessible to almost everyone. And if something goes wrong, there’s the Plan B pill, which is not birth control but an emergency contraceptive. It’s not as reliable as regular birth control which is why you shouldn’t use it every time you have sex, but it’s a backup plan for those you are concerned with getting pregnant. I know many teenagers, mostly my friends who got pregnant at 15, 16 and 17, and their lives are changed drastically. Abstinence is the best option by far, but instead of preaching abstinence I’m going to tell you to always use birth control.
Secret Life of the American Teenager
If you have seen Secret Life of the American Teenager, you know what it's about, but I'm going to explain it just so people who don't know will know!
The show is about a girl, Amy, who has sex. It was only her first time, but she still got pregnant. In the first season, the show was circled around how hard it was for her in her day to day struggle to go to school and to be pregnant. But all around her, there was still drama going around with having sex. Basically, if you really look at it, the show is written around convincing teens not to have sex.
In the second season, Amy has the baby. It now shows her struggles of taking care of the baby. She is always tired and upset about how she can't do other things that normal high schoolers can do.
It really is a great show! Be sure to check it out!
(This show has a rating of PG – 13, so always get the “all – clear” from a parent if you are under 13.)
Next Time On U Tell Us:
Child beauty pageants. As you probably know, there are many beauty competitions out there. But how do you feel about children competing in them at as young as nine months old? Are you for it? Are you against it? Were you a child beauty pageant star? Submit, submit, and submit! See ya next time!
If you have any ideas for a theme you'd like to see, don't be shy, go ahead and submit it!
Tags: pregnancy, babies, teen, safe sex, abstinence, american teenager
A Karmic Situation
Does everything happen for a reason? Read on to see what your fellow PJers think!
Do unto others as you would want others to do to youI like this week's topic!
I definitely think everything happens for a reason. I'm big on karma, and fate, and all of that. If you think about it, a lot of religions have the same basic idea of "The Golden Rule" thing. The whole, "Do unto others as you would want others to do to you," "What goes around comes around, " etc... Example: A guy's, let's say Jeff's, computer crashes. Which is really bad because he has all the songs he's written on there. So he goes to another guy he knows from school's house, Tommy. While he's there he learns that the files can't be saved. But... he also meets Tommy's little sister... Jacy! And the awesome romance of Jeff and Jacy is born. So there, everything happens for a reason.
*Jacy*, 15 from Texas
Everything happens for a reason
I think that things always happen for a reason. Your life is not mapped out for you. Everything that happens is a result of one of four things. 1. What other people do. 2. What you do. 3. Nature (Health Problems, disasters, death, etc) 4. Divine intervention.
opinionated, 17 from United States
What Do I Think?
Leah's comment: Do I think everything happens for a reason? Of course! I think that if you are nice to others, others will be nice to you! I believe that you are always in the right place at the right time. Many things that happen in our lives are not positive, but almost always something positive comes from it. Like, for example, just a week ago - I was in our Student Services office at school, because my lock on my locker was not working. It was a huge pain, because I had to give up my own time to talk to someone in the office. But when I was waiting in line, a new girl to the school introduced herself and asked me to kindly help her with finding a locker of her own. I helped her out, and I now have a new friend who I sometimes spend lunches with who has a locker right near mine! So it happens every day - a good experience comes from a bad situation.