How often do unintended pregnancies
occur in the United States?
• According to a 2011
study by the Center for
Disease Control (CDC)
found that 49% of all
pregnancies in 2006
were unintended.
• Teens, not surprisingly,
continue to be at the
highest risk.
• Even though
unintended pregnancy
rates have declined
slightly among teens, 4
in 5 pregnancies in girls
19 and younger are
unintended.
Problems
• In The Scarlet Letter,
Hester Prynne is
challenged not only
with an unintended
pregnancy, but her
child’s father is none
other than the town’s
beloved single minister,
Arthur Dimmesdale.
• What challenges are
faced by Hester as an
unmarried mother?
 Fear
 Alienation
 Lack of support
 Depression
 Hoplessness
Of the Six PPA (Public Policy Analyst),
steps you are responsible for Three:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Defining the Social Problem
Gathering Evidence
Identifying Causes
Evaluating Existing Public Policies
Developing Public Policy Solutions
Selecting the Best Public Policy Solution
What are the causes and effects of
unintended pregnancies?
Using the provided links and worksheets, your
group must
• gather evidence,
• identify causes, and
• develop a public policy solution.
Each group member must be an active
participant in this process (taking notes, doing
research, communicating ideas, etc.).
PowerPoint Presentation
• Now that you have gathered evidence, identified
causes, and developed a public policy solution, your
group must now create a PowerPoint presentation that
you will share with the governmental agency (the class)
that will fund your proposal…hopefully. Your
presentation must be at least 6 slides but no more than
12 slides.
• Remember to be engaging, informative, clear, and
direct.
• Familiarize yourself with the rubric before beginning.
Resources
Use the following sites to
begin your research:
National Institute of Health
Illinois Dept. of Public
Health
Teen Pregnancy Statistics
National Journal
LA Times
Washington Post
CDC Statistics
Teen Pregnancy Statistics-2
These links are merely a
beginning point for your
research.
Feel free, in fact, feel
compelled to do research
beyond the links I have
provided. Remember, use
only reputable sites. A
good rule of thumb is to
limit your research to .edu
or .gov sites.
The Scarlet Letter
Seeing the full scope of unintended pregnancies
now consider the plight of Hester Prynne.
Obviously her the culture of this era has
significant differences from our own. Assume
that you are Hester’s only confidant, what
advice would you offer her? In your journal,
write a letter to Hester offering her support,
advice, and help.