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Teen Pregnancy

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Does access to condoms prevent teen pregnancy?

Adolescent pregnancies remain a concern in public health worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that annually about 16 million girls between 15 and 19 give birth. Indeed, in many countries policies and programs are developed and implemented for the prevention of teen pregnancy and reduction of risks and consequences it might cause. Furthermore, that a teenager becomes pregnant poses a risk to her health, her life and the fetus life. This situation also brings complications at psychological, family and social level. Being a young mother can affect education. Teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of high school. In fact, the correlation between early motherhood and …show more content…

A baby is a great responsibility that requires a lot of care and attention. Also, the cost involved is high. For example, a study conducted in Europe shows that only 15 percent of adolescent pregnancies are planned. In addition, half of all teenage pregnancies occur six months after a teenager becomes sexually active (Miller 1997). Adolescent pregnancy is considered a risk to maternal and child health, as well as a factor that contributes to the excessive growth of the population, dropout, and the perpetuation of poverty, by limiting the possibilities for personal and family development. Its causes are attributed mainly to early sexuality and lack of information and access to contraceptive methods. Public and private health institutions of many Governments have invested and developed numerous programs that seek to prevent pregnancy in adolescents. For example, three different approaches have been used in North America to reduce these cases: abstinence, safe sex education, and access to condoms in schools. Statistics have shown that some of these programs do not generally have a significant improvement in the rates of pregnant adolescents. However, programs with condom access policies have been shown to reduce pregnancy rates in that population. In addition, widespread use of condoms is promoted in all areas not only to prevent pregnancies but also as a method of preventing sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, scientific studies show that the condom is the method

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