Teen Pregnancy

Teen Pregnancy
By: Selena Sanchez
“Pregnancy is not something uncommon, but is it at South East High School?”
Here at South East High School teen pregnancy is not something surprising. You see it here and there, but is it a problem? According to Montserrat Hernandez, a freshman at SEHS, “Yes, I do think teen pregnancy is a problem because I see many teens getting pregnant at an early age.” Hernandez has seen her share of pregnant teens around school.
According to the Guttmacher Institute teen pregnancy has declined due to more consistent contraceptive use, it also declined 39% since it peaked in 1990. In the United States nearly 57% continue and give birth while the other 43% either get an abortion or they have a miscarriage. Hernandez also commented on this “I think that there is a lot of girls that get pregnant but they have either an abortion or they have a miscarriage, because they don’t want babies as a result from there actions.” Many of these girls aren’t prepared for having a baby but they continue to have sex without protection at the risk of getting pregnant. When they find out they are pregnant many of them are clueless on what to do, many go to the school counseling office or the nurse for advice.
Carolina Mendoza, a freshman at SEHS, said “no I don’t think it’s a problem.” Mendoza has also seen her share of teens that are expecting but she doesn’t think it’s a problem. “Yeah, I’ve seen teens that are pregnant but there is not a lot of them like everyone thinks. I’ve seen about three that are pregnant.” Mendoza also said, “they should continue on living there life, and go to school. They shouldn’t stay home, they should go get a job to help pay the care of their baby while they are at school and work so they can make a better life for her and her baby.” According to the New York Times, the drop-out rate for pregnant teens is 80%. The 80% that drop-out should go back to school, maybe not to the high school they went to, but adult school. Many transfer to adult school after they find out there pregnant, so they don’t have to face everyone at school. Others just attend adult school so they have more resting time because being pregnant can be tiring.
SEHS offers the help to those who are expecting a baby. SEHS staff members allow any pregnant teen to come to them for school transfers if it necessary or come to them if they just need help because your parents don’t accept the fact that you’re pregnant. There may be “a lot” of pregnant teens, according to what Hernandez said, but they’re more than welcome to stay at SEHS.