“This mistake” has been a wonderful

Races as well as culture play a large influence in the numbers and percentages of statistics in teen pregnancy. The reason race has a big influence on teen pregnancy isn’t plainly just because some races are simply are more prone to teen pregnancy, but due to the different outlooks of sex they grew surrounded by, as well as influences, which is also followed by the socioeconomic status the teen mother grew up in . With many cultures come trends and footsteps, which become somewhat of an example and norm to follow.  For example, if getting pregnant before wedlock has happened before within the family it is most likely to happen again, because it has been witnessed and might not seem like a big deal.

According to the The National Campaign, in a study done back in 2000, the pregnancy rates among black women aged 15-19 were 153 per 1,000 women; while Hispanic teenagers aged 15-19 139 per 1,000 and white teenagers aged 15-19 were 71 per 1,000. Even looking before the year the study was done in 2000, the trend was still very similar and has not changed much.  While it may seem to be a broad generalization to point out that race can affect teen pregnancy, it is truly a combination of culture, race and support system that can put a teen at risk for pregnancy. Because while doing some research, I came across many different personal bibliographies of teen mothers who came from different cultures, and read about the rare support that was given by family and friends. This here surprised me for the reason that while the more conservative cultures such as the Asian and the Middle Eastern cultures proved to have a lower percentage in teen pregnancies compared to other cultures; I did notice that the girls that were victims of the situation were many times disowned for not offered any help at all. This made me realize that while neither culture out there expect for the girls to become pregnant young, there are cultures out there who accept it better than others. The reason I think this is because in some cultures it is a common thing while in others it is one of the worst things that can be done to humiliate the family name.

It has been argued for many years whether or not teen pregnancy might be the one of the effects for not having enough sex education in school or whether it’s because society and the media portray sex as an appropriate suitable act on television and magazines. Society seems to be very judgmental and looks down on teen pregnancy, but yet it’s society itself that tunes in every week to watch that one show where nothing but sexual content is being displayed.

It seems to me that more and more every year more shows are displaying things that they shouldn’t be such as Gossip Girl, Skin, Jersey Shore, and the list goes on and on. These of shows display underage sex and pre marital sex, but yet when it happens in true life and a baby comes out of the situation it seems like an inappropriate act has been committed and it’s going to be the end of the world. Therefore I feel that if society sees teen pregnancy as a terrible thing it should be society its self that puts a stop to the sexual content on the television shows. Furthermore it is not only television that is screening and displaying sexual content as a suitable act, it is also everyday teen magazines such as Seventeen, Cosmo Girl, and Glamorous, that not only how pictures of such actions but articles specifically just on that topic are always the attention getter on the front page. The point I am trying to get at is if society itself is making it seem okay in public then why is society still so taken back on teen pregnancy?

     This brings me to still support that while most teen pregnancies are assumed to promiscuity and careless behavior there are many underlying factors, and they are how time has changed that way teen pregnancy is viewed, race (culture), class, being seen as an “other”, and the way society/ the media, view and advertise the subject have a big effect on the likelihood of teen pregnancies. And while many people believe consider teen pregnancy as a big mistake, I am here to say that age isn't what matters when being a mother; it's how good of a mother you can be. If you can love a child, take care of a child properly, and care about and accept the child; that is the only qualification that is needed to be a good mother. Having gone through the experience “this mistake” has been a wonderful one that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Even though some people said my life ended when I decided to keep my daughter, I must disagree and say that my life really just started, and she didn't take away my future, you gave me a new one, a better one.