teenage pregnancies question?
a lot of people say that girls get pregnant so they can get a free council house and benefits. Do you think this is actually true? What are the motivations behind choosing to have a child when you are too young to support yourself and the child? And would withdrawing benefits from under-20s, say, have any impact on pregnancy rates?
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24 Responses for “teenage pregnancies question?”
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very confusing…………………….
I think teenagers get pregnant for a few reasons. First, it’s because having a baby looks glamorous and so much fun (after all, those babies are pretty cute) and the teenagers don’t even think for a moment about how they will take care of the child. Sometimes they do it to trap a guy (which usually backfires when the guy leaves them AND the baby). And, I think for girls who don’t have any goals in life like going to college and/or getting a career, they feel that having a baby is an accomplishment. What they don’t realize is that any female animal can give birth, that’s no accomplishment, raising a child well is the accomplishment which usually they don’t achieve.
who knows what motivates young girls to have babies. Either way it is there decision and they will have to live with the conciquences
agreed, extremely confusing!!
People need to be afraid. No offense, but the girlss I know what got pregnant had young mothers so deep dont they believ its ok. Then they strain themselves, their families and the government.
Great! Just what we need! MORE people! ;-(=
i never heard of that. I doubt the teenagers would do that. that means they have to leave school and meet new friends, Right? i got pregnant at 20 and i think that is kinda young. I would hate to think teenagers are getting pregnant for stupid benefits or whatever they get.
My ex has done this. She got pregnant a year after she graduated high school (went off her birth control I later found out) thinking that I’d be her’s forever. She is on Medical and state assistance and since I now have costody of our child, she stopped getting a lot of the benifits (free stuff) when we lived together, so just a few months ago she started going to a bunch of parties and sure enough now she’s pregnant and already is getting the attention she wants.
I think they’re somewhat stupid because most of the ones I’ve heard about are the ones that say, “He said he wasn’t fertile,” or, “He promised he’d pull out.”
I think girls should use their heads and common sense before listening to guys with stupid excuses like that. Birth Control isn’t as expensive as raising a baby, and neither are condoms.
I know a girl who got pregnant just because he friend had a baby. How stupid of a reason is that???
I think that you should be considered mentally unstable and physically unable to hold a job before you’re approved for any type of assistance. And if you’re proven to be someone who can only work part-time hours and/or have no way to get a babysitter, then you should get half of the benefits.
Whew… sorry for the rant!
I don’t think the majority of teens CHOOSE to get pregnant. I think that the majority are accidents due to being irresponsible, however they CHOOSE to keep the baby. It’s scary out there being a mother but not even an adult yet. So I don’t put anybody down if they learn from their mistakes. It’s the teens with more than 1 baby on welfare they I don’t agree with. I know there are people out there that decide to have a baby just so they can get their bills paid for them, but I believe that’s the minority.
It all depends on the upbringing. Some people use having children as an excuse to get out of things and as a way to look more responsible. Some girls who get pregnant at a young age were to educated properly as well. There really doesnt need to be any motivation for it to happen. If by benefits you mean health insurance rates then i dont suppose it would make a difference at all. It would never happen for one and even if it did it would complicate things more. Withdrawing benefits would only do so much but what of those who are raped and such or are married and under 20?
I think that most girl’s who get pregnant when they are unable to support themselves do so, from a lack of maturity and low self-esteem. They are having sex, looking for love and approval. Therefore, they are afraid to ask the men to use protection. Half are not on the pill because their parents aren’t looking out for them, or they aren’t comfortable letting their parents know they are sexually active. I doubt that where they will live and the benefits they are eligible even come into play, until after they find out they are pregnant. Removing the benefits will only lead to a lot of homeless young women and children and a rise in prostitution, leading to more women and children in the street.
i don’t think most young girls get pregnant on purpose. just reading some of the questions from scared confused teenagers on this site tells me that there needs to be way more sex education taught in schools.
Welfare reform was to some degree successful in the United States where the benefits were never as generous as the UK. There certainly some misguided young women who think having a child is a ticket to what they consider freedom and independence from their family life, but most of the time they are simply victims of failed birth control or failure to use any at all.
Cutting back welfare does deter the former, however it should not be so sever that it punishes the latter.
I don’t think this is true, because the money from welfare and such DOES NOT cover all the expenses of a child, let alone leave any profit for the mother to buy things she wants. I think the motivation, when teenage pregnancy is on purpose, is either to get a guy to stay with them, to have a baby to love and cuddle, or to grow up quickly. Most of the time, though, it’s not on purpose…it’s a result of birth control not working, or young women not knowing their bodies or respecting them enough to protect them. If any impact were made on the teenage pregnancy rate, it would be minimal, because I don’t know ANY teenage girls who did it for a couple hundred bucks a month and crappy free housing.
By the way, teenage pregnancy rates are at the lowest they’ve been since 1940 (when they began recording the teenage pregnancy rate), it’s just not as hidden or secretive now as it was then. Girls aren’t sent off to “special schools” or made to drop out of school anymore jst because they are mommies.
I don’t even think that the girls having these children know why they’re having them…..but I don’t think it’s because of State help. I think receiving government help is something of a last resort for most of those girls. It’s a way for them to survive, they just can’t seem to avoid it once put in a position of caring for another life. They come from underprivileged families, usually one parent homes and they have no choice. It’s sad but true.
Not giving it to them really wouldn’t help either they’d still have babies
These young boys and girls need to be made aware of the life they may or may not lead if they choose to have children so young.
Yes it would effect the pregnancy rates only because the abortion rate would sky rocket.
I had my first child at the age of 15 and my second at 18. I, in NO WAY shape or form got pregnant for any benefits. My first daughter passed away at birth but with my second, I moved out of my mothers house when I found out and I got a job. When I gave birth to her, my husband and I got married and he joined the military (something that he was planning on doing anyway…he didn’t do it just bc he got me ‘knocked up’). I can’t speak for other teens but I am 26 years old and I have never, not for one day, been on government assistance. It was irresponsible to get pregnant twice in my teen years but I have handled my responsibility every day since. Now, taking away benefits from under 20’s is not only discrimination but it’s just plain wrong. I don’t think that will stop girls from getting pregnant at all. Young girls get pregnant for a WIDE variety of reasons……least of which I think is the ‘benefits’. I think good parental involvement could stop MANY teen pregnancies from happening. You have to have a clue when your teen daughter is having sex…..and when that time comes, take her and immediately get her on depo (the shot that she will get once every 3 months and she will not have to think about). Even if you SUSPECT your daughter is sexually active and she denies it, GET HER ON THE SHOT. Better safe then sorry.
Its true in some cases. I wasnt pregnant when i was a teen, but I know that i wouldnt have gotten pregnant just to get free stuff. And if I did get pregnant I probly wouldnt have taken advantage of the free stuff unless I needed to. When I was younger, my parents always told me that I should try to take care of myself and my responsibilities instead of relying on someone or something else. They didnt say welfare was wrong, but they said only people who REALLY need welfare should get it. But I know that there are some people who just get pregnant for benefits. That doesnt apply only to teens though. I’ve known people in their mid 20’s whove gotten pregnant to get benefits.
Withdrawing benefits may help a little, but not much. And it would harm the teenagers who got pregnant from rape or something. It might not help pregnancy rates, but it would proby definitely make some people think twice before they hop in the sack with someone with no protection.
Speaking from experience…I was 17 when I got pregnant (my choice) and 18 when I had my daughter. I had my daughter because I wanted her, not for any other stupid reason you mentioned!! I knew I was capeable of taking care of a baby and I was…hell I also supported her deadbeat father for 6 months before I kicked him to the curd for being such a loser. You can be 30 and be able to get LOWER cost housing and governement benefits as long as you are SINGLE with kids and DO NOT MAKE OVER THERE SET LIMIT FOR INCOME!!! Hell I was welcome to stay with my mom for however long I wanted to but I didn’t…that wasn’t being responsible, I moved out into my own place before my daughter was born and I paid my rent and utilities ALL ON MY OWN AT 18 while supporting her deadbeat father who was 20 at the time!! The only assistance I got was FOR MY DAUGHTER….(insurance) and that was only for a month or so because I found out she covered under my insuarnce with company. So no I do not think this is true at all!!!!!!!! Actually even if it were…I give teen moms that actually take an effort to be a mom mad props because it isn’t easy!!! I am now 20 and expecting my 2nd with my husband and I wouldn’t change mine or my daughter life for nothing!! Oh yeah and to add…9 time out of 10, TEEN PREGNANCIES ARE ACCIDENTS!!!
I think they get pregnant cause they are confused about what being a parent is . . . they do not fully understand the responsibility of raising a child . . . where I live welfare is based on family income. . a child (under 18) having a child does not automatically qualify unless her parents live within the poverty level . . although by the time the child turns 18 she will most likely qualify for welfare because . . lack of education will not provide employment opportunities that provide income above poverty level, Teens should be given information about planned parenthood so they can have options of abstinence, birth control, abortion or parenthood. I personally feel if you choose to have a child you can not support the child having the baby should never be given any welfare or benefits. . .we should not have to pay for the mistakes of others.
First off, I am nineteen and pregnant. I can say I most definitely didnt do it to get support from the government! I am a college student and I work (both full time). I can support myself so saying that teenage mothers cant is ridiculous and quite disturbing to me. It’s pitiful that people come on Yahoo! Answers to try to talk down on everyone else. I chose to get pregnant because I am in a stable, loving relationship with someone I know will be a wonderful father because he is a wonderful man. As for other teenagers, mistakes happen. Just because someone is young, never underestimate what they are doing with themselves because I have a really good job in the accounting department of an hospital. I have my own office, my own house, my own car, and I couldnt be any better!
I think teens get pregnant for different reasons but I don’t think they are the only group that has babies to get help from the government. I have an ex friend who gets pregnant every year…she is on her 6th kid…never has worked a day in her life and the father (of all 6 kids) is a deadbeat dad who doesn’t work either and does drugs all day. He even takes the money the government gives them and the food stamps and gets drugs. AND they keep having babies and telling the government he is not around meanwhile he’s living with her! I just don’t think that’s fair for anybody. I am pregnant now with my first kid and I’m already freaking out because I am not eligible for any assistance, at all! It’s not fair but I don’t think popping out babies for financial help is confined to one specific group, I think people everywhere do it…a small amount but still being a teen has nothing to do with it…it’s just how you are raised. Some people are raised thinking they don’t have to do nothing because the government will take care of them; all they have to do is pop out a few babies. That’s what happens when parents get younger and younger. I have seen it happen a million times, kids see their parents never having to pay for anything and when they grow up, they follow in their footsteps. Another example, I know this lady who has 6 daughters…all of them from different guys. They are all grown now, the youngest 18 but all of them have been popping out babies since they were 13…between the 6 of them they have 14 kids and none of them has worked a day in their life…including the mother.
that is soooo not true and im actually offended by that question. i am 18 and i have just had a baby. i am in a stable relationship and have a house-not with the council as you stereotypicly seem to think. the only benifit i recieve is maternity allowance which i will get until december and i also get child benifit which every1 gets anyway. if the government were to withdraw benifits from people under 20 i dont think it would make a difference to on pregnancy rates because at the end of the day teenagers are guna do wat they wana do and if they dont want to use contraception then they wont. sex ed also isnt very good in skools either. i wouldnt say im too young to have a child nor is my partner-hes 19 and our baby was planned because we thought it was the right time and we can afford to support ourselves and meet all of our babys needs to. i think 18-22 is the perfect age 2 have your first child because at least at that age your bodies can handle it. as for younger teenagers-ie under 16-i dont think there is any possible way that they would think that or have any motives to do so because they are realli young and i no at that age all i wanted to do was be out with my mates and have a normal life. at the end of the day the legal age to have sex is 16 so in reality people must expect some 16 and 17 year olds to get pregnant to an extent. my mum was 16 when she fell pregnant with me and ive had a great life. i dont think any person would be so stupid to have child just to get money and a house-nobody is that stupid. or do u think that think its just teenagers that want to do this because we are that stupid? i dont think so somehow. i think the reason there are so many teenage pregnacys is because kids arent taught enough about sex in skool these days and if they wana do something theyre guna do it! so whoever said that are just plain rude and obvoisly dont no alot because council houses arnt even free-you still have to get the money to pay the rent. as for the benifits they arnt even that much and any1 would be silly 2 get pregnant to get that money they may as well go and get a part time job for £5 an hour cuz theyd get alot more doin that!