i think its just become more popular to keep your child if you become pregnant.
in like the 50's and 60's there were homes for pregnant teens to go to so they could have their baby and place him or her up for adoption.
but now, it seems like its become a more common thing to keep your child.

In the 50's and 60's people HID teen pregnancy because it was a shame on the entire family! That is the reason there were Teenage Pregnancy homes to go to. Families would ship their daughters off to these homes for unwed mothers and lie to the neighborhood that the daughter had gone to stay with Aunt Ruth in Idaho.

It was all really hidden. Those mothers also never got to see their babies after they were born. They were told, in some cases, the child had died or the sex of the child was never revealed to them.

ya lol thats what i have in my human growth and development text book

its kind of sad what they did back then.
but in my eyes, better than abortion.
now they teen can go on, and when shes ready have a child

You can go on after an abortion as well...

i kno.
but to me its something i would not do.
if i were to get pregnant at a younger age like when im just starting highschool so like 15 16 i would still keep the baby, but place him or her up for adoption.
to me every life should have a choice to live.

In some cases it's probably better to keep the child with their natural family. I know if I had a daughter who was a pregnant teen, I would offer help rather than have her give the child up, or I would adopt the child myself. I'm not saying this is what others should do and I wouldn't tell her what to do, but the offer would be there because that child would be my flesh and blood too and I would be there to raise it if she was unwilling or unable to.

Having said that, I am going to do everything I can to prevent such a thing happening because I want her to reach all of her potential without any obstacles like an unplanned pregnancy. I seriously hope and pray it never happens but I would be there to support her if it did. Maybe it's extended family (grandparents) that are part of the reason the children are kept. Also, because the stigma of unwed motherhood is not what it used to be.

Oh and another thing is, and I'm not saying all teenage moms are like this but there are definitely quite a few where I live that keep a kid because they get more money from welfare. I have worked with a lot of teens and some of them are third and fourth generation welfare and they grow up thinking that it's like a career choice. I'm not even being sarcastic, they see their families doing this and they will tell you that when they grow up they will just go on welfare and have kids so they don't need to finish school. And they look so surprised when you tell them that's not what welfare is for because everyone they know is doing it.

i feel the same way killbill.
i would offer the help and support because it was given to me ,and because it is a challenge, giving the child to a family member is a good idea too.

You feel that way about birth control too, right? That it kills babies, like abortion.

no. its something to prevent, not take away.
i was using birth control before i got pregnant and got pregnant while taking the pill.
using the pill and abortion is different completely.
1 helps prevent pregnancy.
abortion takes away the pregnancy while it has already happened.

The sheer ignorance is almost unfathomable.

Are you referring to me or to them?

i kno a girl my age who is doing this.
she got pregnant with her first in 2007 and now is pregnant again with her second.
the more kids you have the more support from welfare you get aswell. i was shocked when i heard she was doing this.
i would never bring up my child with welfare money.

I thought you weren't taking birth control when you got pregnant...

no i never said i wasnt.
i was on it for about 2 years.

I don't think many people fully grasp the intensity of the responsibility of parenting.

I read a stat that 5% of pregnant adolescents put their baby up for adoption.

They also may keep the baby because they lack the ability to see more than two days ahead, parental defiance or even acceptance, low self-esteem, see having a child as affirmation in their worth, unconditional love, easy "career" choice, seek out respect, and for the attention.

I still think you need to pass a series of tests before you can parent.

thats why they brought in the parenting courses where you get a baby in high school if you take the class and you get to see how hard and not just fun and games it is to be a parent also there are other early education classes that students can take to learn about child development and what it takes to raise a child.

Actually, you kind of did say you weren't taking birth control.

just because it was unprotected does not mean i was not taking birth control.
i was on the pill he just wsnt using protection.

Hey futureshock, want to start a thread on designing a test potential parents would have to pass in order to have kids?

Do you think that thread would...uh, go over well?