Teens, Sex, and Virginity - Teenage Pregnancy Essay -- Exploratory Ess

Teenage Pregnancy      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Teenage pregnancy has always been present in society. There is research stating that about half the women, born between 1900- 1910, who were interviewed were non-virginal at marriage (17 Ravoira). This contradicts some thoughts that premarital sexual behavior is something new. There was another study done in 1953, it found that one fifth of all first births to women were conceived before marriage (17 Ravoira). Even before our modern openness in discussing sexual behavior and acceptance that it does occur, it was quite routine. In earlier society, the incidence of teenage pregnancy was a moral problem. This was because people looked at the child as filius nullius (nobody's child), or illegitimate and the mother as bad, immoral, over- sexed, etc. (18 Ravoira). The child was being blamed for mearly being born, this is unfair to the child who had no fault in the matter (18 Ravoira). The real problem that was seen was the fact that the children were born out-of-wedlock. P eople seemed to have real difficulty accepting that the baby is still a baby no matter what conditions it was born under.    Many women were punished for being pregnant and were regarded as sex offenders or delinquents. During the 1950's, there were homes were unmarried young women were sent, along with their babies. They were made to stay in these uncomfortable, non-nurturing conditions for months, almost like prison, for the crime of bringing a baby into the world . This was thought to be a solution to any financial burdens the woman and her child might cause (18 Ravoira). More commonly, the young women were sent away to the homes of relatives, etc. to have their babies, and then a hasty adoption was secured. This was to prevent... ...rk Ca: Sage Publications, 1993    McCuen, Gary. Children Having Children. Gary McCuen Publications, Hudson. 1988.    Ravoira, LaWanda, and Andrew L. Cherry. Social Bonds and Teen Pregnancy. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1992.       Onilne Sources Consulted: Ez Sound Ideas. Baby Think It Over. [Online] Available http://btio.com/facts.htm, March 5, 1997.    March of Dimes. Teenage Pregnancy: Facts you should know. [Online] Available http://babynet.ddwi.com/tlc/pregnancy/teenfact.html, March 5,1997.    Noah Team. Teenage Pregnancy: Facts You Should Know. [Online] Available http://www.noah.cuny.edu/pregnancy/march_of_dimes/pre_preg.plan/teenfact. html, March 5,1997.    San Francisco Unified School District. San Francisco Schools Granted $2.6 million. [Online] Available http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/news/teenpreg.htm, March 5, 1997. Teens, Sex, and Virginity - Teenage Pregnancy Essay -- Exploratory Ess Teenage Pregnancy      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Teenage pregnancy has always been present in society. There is research stating that about half the women, born between 1900- 1910, who were interviewed were non-virginal at marriage (17 Ravoira). This contradicts some thoughts that premarital sexual behavior is something new. There was another study done in 1953, it found that one fifth of all first births to women were conceived before marriage (17 Ravoira). Even before our modern openness in discussing sexual behavior and acceptance that it does occur, it was quite routine. In earlier society, the incidence of teenage pregnancy was a moral problem. This was because people looked at the child as filius nullius (nobody's child), or illegitimate and the mother as bad, immoral, over- sexed, etc. (18 Ravoira). The child was being blamed for mearly being born, this is unfair to the child who had no fault in the matter (18 Ravoira). The real problem that was seen was the fact that the children were born out-of-wedlock. P eople seemed to have real difficulty accepting that the baby is still a baby no matter what conditions it was born under.    Many women were punished for being pregnant and were regarded as sex offenders or delinquents. During the 1950's, there were homes were unmarried young women were sent, along with their babies. They were made to stay in these uncomfortable, non-nurturing conditions for months, almost like prison, for the crime of bringing a baby into the world . This was thought to be a solution to any financial burdens the woman and her child might cause (18 Ravoira). More commonly, the young women were sent away to the homes of relatives, etc. to have their babies, and then a hasty adoption was secured. This was to prevent... ...rk Ca: Sage Publications, 1993    McCuen, Gary. Children Having Children. Gary McCuen Publications, Hudson. 1988.    Ravoira, LaWanda, and Andrew L. Cherry. Social Bonds and Teen Pregnancy. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1992.       Onilne Sources Consulted: Ez Sound Ideas. Baby Think It Over. [Online] Available http://btio.com/facts.htm, March 5, 1997.    March of Dimes. Teenage Pregnancy: Facts you should know. [Online] Available http://babynet.ddwi.com/tlc/pregnancy/teenfact.html, March 5,1997.    Noah Team. Teenage Pregnancy: Facts You Should Know. [Online] Available http://www.noah.cuny.edu/pregnancy/march_of_dimes/pre_preg.plan/teenfact. html, March 5,1997.    San Francisco Unified School District. San Francisco Schools Granted $2.6 million. [Online] Available http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/news/teenpreg.htm, March 5, 1997.