JeanneMoman

Jeanne Moman – I just read an article last week that stated Teenage Pregnancy three percent in 2006. This is the first rise in teenage pregnancy in over a decade. Children are having children at an alarming rate. 750,000 girls under the age of 20 were pregnant in 2006.

Being a teenage mother has so many risks, including a higher risk for premature birth and low birth weight. In 2005, 16.4 out of every 1,000 babies of girls under age 15 died, compared to 6.8 per 1,000 for babies of women of all ages. There is also the continued risk of abuse with teen mothers. Children that are born to girls 15 and younger are two times more likely to be an "indicated case" of child abuse and or neglect. These facts definitely make this a forensic social work due to the possible abuse factor as well as custody issues that in turn may occur.



“The teenage **birthrate** in 2006 was 41.9 births per 1,000 women. This was 32% lower than the peak rate of 61.8, reached in 1991, but 4% higher than in 2005.”  In the United States it is estimated that one in every three teenaged girls will become pregnant. This is such a serious change in life for a teen as it becomes very difficult for the parent(s) to finish high school, let alone consider going to college. Only 40% of teenaged mothers will go on to complete high school. Jobs also become limited due to the lack of education and the demanding schedule of a teenaged parent. 25% of teen mothers have their second child within two years of the first. So this can be a continued pattern. Teenaged pregnancy is one thing that the United States does not want to be the leading country in, but unfortunately, we are.
 * ** Rank ** || ** [|Countries] ** || ** [|Amount] ** ||
 * # 1 || [|**United States**]: || 1,671.63 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 2 || [|**Slovakia**]: || 1,112.87 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 3 || [|**New Zealand**]: || 972.491 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 4 || [|**Hungary**]: || 916.858 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 5 || [|**Iceland**]: || 889.677 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 6 || [|**Poland**]: || 788.76 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 7 || [|**Ireland**]: || 781.375 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 8 || [|**Portugal**]: || 700.644 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 9 || [|**Canada**]: || 607.224 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 10 || [|**Australia**]: || 589.796 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 11 || [|**Czech Republic**]: || 589.298 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 12 || [|**Austria**]: || 400.122 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 13 || [|**Greece**]: || 392.107 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 14 || [|**Germany**]: || 351.809 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 15 || [|**Norway**]: || 349.88 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 16 || [|**France**]: || 296.508 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 17 || [|**Belgium**]: || 287.051 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 18 || [|**Finland**]: || 284.319 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 19 || [|**Spain**]: || 279.22 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 20 || [|**Luxembourg**]: || 236.89 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 21 || [|**Denmark**]: || 213.733 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 22 || [|**Italy**]: || 191.952 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 23 || [|**Sweden**]: || 178.294 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 24 || [|**Netherlands**]: || 172.061 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 25 || [|**Switzerland**]: || 145.814 births per 1 million peo ||
 * # 26 || [|**Japan**]: || 137.352 births per 1 million peo ||