16 year-old Chelsea discovers she's pregnant. What does she do? Change the age or the name- the fact is, thousands of single girls are pregnant and giving birth each year. Christians often have an opportunity to help or hinder her progress.
TEEN PREGNANCY RATES
U.S. teen pregnancy is on the decline among girls age 15
to 19. Data collected between 1991 to 2014 reveal a drop of 61% among all
ethnic groups. That's the good news.
The National Campaign
provides data for all 50 U.S. States, which reveal uneven progress. Overall,
the 2014 data indicate 24.2 births per 1,000 girls. Despite the progress, many
girls are still having children.
DIVISIONS AND
OPPORTUNITIES
Pregnant teens need support. They have physical,
emotional, social, and spiritual needs. They need medical care. Many need
housing and financial support.
Kicking them out of homes is not a moral option. In
providing support for single mothers, Christians holding diverse beliefs about sexuality and morality can
come together to meet the needs of two lives—mothers and the child they carry.
Sometimes, a young family may also need support when
fathers remain involved. In such cases, Christians can help young people build
a family that otherwise might dissolve under the weight of many stressors.
Although the focus is often on teen mothers, it’s
important to note that close to half (45%) of all pregnancies are unplanned.
The rate is higher amongst single women in their 20s (69%). Many of these women
also need assistance.
It’s no surprise that Christians disagree over many
issues regarding sexuality and the social issues surrounding sex. Christian Fundamentalists
and many Protestant Evangelicals and Catholics strongly advocate abstinence
only sex-education programs. While some young people abstain, many do not.
Obviously, sex without contraception can lead to
pregnancy, which in turn leads to stress when young lives are unprepared to
care for a new born.
There are many moral issues at stake. The policies of
churches and the moral principles of families and individuals are important. Sex education can be vital to mental and physical health when the information helps people make decisions about sex and pregnancy.
The pressing needs of a pregnant single mother pose a critical moral issue that
confronts people of faith with a choice to help or not help mother and child
build a positive future.
RESOURCES
Christian organizations and government agencies offer a
range of services to help pregnant teens and their families.
Care Net
links people to Pregnancy Centers sharing a Christian perspective.
Here’s a link to government resources. http://www.cdc.gov/parents/other_resources.html
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Read more
about sexuality and morality in Christian cultures in A House Divided.
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Only $9.99 on Kindle
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