Risking the Future Adolescent Sexuality, Pregnancy, and Childbearing (1987) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 1-14
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Young mothers, in the absence of adequate nutntion and appropriate prenatal care, are at a heightened risk of pregnancy complications and poor birth outcomes; they are also more lil~ely to experience a subsequent pregnancy while still in their teens. The infants of teenage mothers also face greater health and developmental nsks.
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Yet there is widespread disagreement a~nollg politick, educational, and religious leaders, as we] as parents, about the problems of adolescent pregnancy and what to do about them.
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Despite the magnitude of human and monetary resources that have been directed at tackling the problems of adolescent pregnancy, however, there has been no systematic attempt to assess the effects and effectiveness of alternative approaches In light of growing scientific understand~g of early pregnancy and parenting. With support fiom a consoriimn of pn~rate fotmdations, the Panel on Adolescent Pregnancy and ChildbeaIing undertook a comprehensive ex~mma~aon of issues associated With teenage sexual and ferocity behavior and reviewed what is known about the costs and benefits of alternative policies and programs to address these issues.
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3. Society must avoid Cueing adolescent sexuality as a problem peculiar to teenage gels.
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The issues involved are not only sclentirSc; they also reflect widely diffenng values. We also recognize the importance of families ~ establishing attitudes, behavior patterns, and traditional values ~ developing children, and we encourage efforts to involve families as an essential component ~ the solution of the problems associated with adolescent sexuality.
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Several strategies can assist in achieving this goal: enhance the life options of disadvantaged teenagers, delay the initiation of sexual activity, and encourage contraceptive use for teenagers who are sexually active. Unfortunately, very little scientific evidence is available on the electiveness of pro grams associated with the first two strategies, and so we can only endorse the development, implementation, and evaluation of such programs.
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Delay Sexual Initiation A second strategy for reducing the rate of teenage pregnancy is to help teenagers, both male and female, develop ways to postpone sexual initiation until they are capable of making wise and responsible decisions concerning their personal lives and family formats on. Several interventions are anned at helping young people delay sexual initiation, ~nclud~g sex and family life education, asseri~veness and decision-making training, programs to provide role models to yo',ng adolescents, and efforts to influence the media treannent of sexuality.
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to lisper myths about the health risks of pill use by girls in this ad egroup, and co n traceptive service programs should explore nonmedicaI mod ells for distnbution of the pill. The panel concludes that, to make this strategy effective, there must be continue~publicsupportfor contraceptive cervices to adolescents, such as has been suppliedipnmanly through Title X of theFamilyPlanning Services and[Popuia ~ tion Research Act, Medicaid, and other federal and state maternal and chill health programs.
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There is, however, growing endence that parental consent statutes cause teenagers to delay their abortions, if for no other reason than that those teenagers unwilling or unable to consult they parents must undergo the de facto waiting period associated with Owing a lawyer and gaining access to the courts ~ order to obtain a judicial bypass. Such delays may increase the health risks associated with abortion if they result ~ postponing it U=ti]
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Goal 3: Promote Positive Social, Economic, Health, and Developmental Outcomes for Adolescent Parents and Their Children Regardless of pregnancy prevention strategies or available alternatives to parenthood, some teenagers experience unpla$lued pregnancies and become parents. Many of those who do are at serious risk of health and nutntional deficiencies, dropping out of school, unemployment, single parenthood, poverty, and long-tenn welfare dependence.
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The pane, concludes that contraceptive services should be available and accessibZe to adolescent parents at low or no cost. Because of the special needs of this highrisk population, service providers should strengthen their programs by (1J enhancing their outreach efforts to encourage early use of contraceptive methods; (29 leveZoping intensive ir'dividuaZizel counseling and care techniques to encourage compliance; and (3)
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Thepanel urges that a broad array of special education programs and cervices for pregnant and parenting teenagers be developed and implemented to assist these young people in completing their education. Thepane2 concludes that efforts should be continued to strengthen and expand age-appropruz~e employment programs for pregnant girls and teenage parents, both male andiemale.
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Yet many questions remain unanswered, and they suggest priorities for future data collection and research. Program Evaluation Research Despite the enormous commitment of public and private monetary resources and human effort toward designing and implementing preventive and ameliorative interventions, evidence of program COStS, effects, and effectiveness is frequently unavailable or of poor quality.
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Iltepanelrecommends thatiederalfunding agencies, privatefoundations, and researchers cooperate in designing, implementing, and evaluating experimental approaches for pregnancy prevention among hith-nsk a doZescents anclfor improving the well-being of teenage parents and their children.
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