Teen Pregnancy Task Force Outline
Jessica Naddaff, Ashley Talbert, Wendy Hsin-Ju Huang, Blayne Lopes
I.
Problem Definition: For whom is teen pregnancy a problem? How
large is the population affected? What are the population trends? Who
will benefit as a result of the policy? What services should we provide?
“Social problems are labeled, constructed, and defined by individuals
and groups, and these labels are accepted or rejected by society
based more on the power and skill of the individual or group than on
any objective manifestation of the condition being defined.” (Popple &
Leighninger, p. 75.)
A. After dropping steeply since 1957, America’s teen birth rate began
edging up in 2005. Between 1990 and 2005, the teen pregnancy rate
decreased 41 percent, before rising 3 percent between 2005 and 2006.
B. In 2009, a total of 409,840 infants were born to 15−19 year olds, for a
live birth rate of 39.1 per 1,000 women in this age group.
C. Nearly two-thirds of births to women younger than age 18 and more
than half of those among 18−19 year olds are unintended.
D. On most measures of well-being, including education, workplace
attainment, and wage levels, the statistics are bleak for teenage moms.
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Example: Pregnancy and birth are significant contributors to high
school drop out rates among girls. Only about 50% of teen mothers
receive a high school diploma by age 22, versus nearly 90% of
women who had not given birth during adolescence.
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Example: The children of teenage mothers are more likely to have
lower school achievement and drop out of high school, have more
health problems, be incarcerated at some time during adolescence,
give birth as a teenager, and face unemployment as a young adult.
E. A sharp political debate exists over the best approach to sex
education. In late 2009, President Barack Obama and the Democratic
Congress approved a major change in federal sex-education funding,
declaring that federal funds now will be awarded mainly to programs
proven to be effective at averting teen pregnancies or for research and
development on programs that show “promise” in reducing teen
pregnancies. The change marks the first time in nearly 30 years that
the federal government will fund any school sex education other than
so-called abstinence-only programs.
II. Relevant Historical Background
III. Demographics/Defining Characteristics – Often lead to some
interesting hypotheses about how we deal with the problem. Ex the level
of concern, as indicated by $ spent on AIDS research/treatment, began to
increase dramatically when sig numbers of heterosexual, nondrug users
began to show up in the stats.
A. Age
B. Sex
C. Race
D. Family Structure
E. Geographic Distribution
F. How the above relate to issues of: racism, classism, sexism,
heterosexism, ableism, ageism, and other forms of oppression.