Why Teen Pregnancy is Good
Posted on January 30th, 2007 by catalyst into the Comments From Others categoryA reader sends in this article from the National Review Online that shares why teenage pregnancy is a good thing. The essential argument is that younger parents are better than older parents, and so we should encourage teens to marry young and have children at a young age.
Clip:
But teen pregnancy, in itself, is not such a bad thing. By the age of 18, a young woman’s body is well prepared for childbearing. Young men are equally qualified to do their part. Both may have better success at the enterprise than they would in later years, as some health risks—Cesarean section and Down syndrome, for example— increase with passing years.
Teen pregnancy is not the problem *Unwed* teen pregnancy is the problem. It’s childbearing outside marriage that causes all the trouble. Restore an environment that supports younger marriage, and you won’t have to fight biology for a decade or more.
The article leaves out all the negative statatistics that come with early childbirth, such as poverty. And it also forgets to mention that the chance of divorce is significantly higher if you marry young. But eh, it's still an interesting claim.
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January 30th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
I read the article, and totally wish that it could still be the way of
life. I hope it for my children. I was married at the age of 17, and we
are getting ready to have our 15th year anniversary this year. The only
people that were supportive of this were my parents and his mom.
Everyone else thought we would be divorced in a year, five at the max. They
didn’t factor in one important thing. Steve and I wanted our marriage to
be based on God. We have had our highs and lows, our low income times
and our high income times, but I think Paul (bible) said, he had learned
to be content in any season, so I guess us being young wasn’t the only
factor in going through that.
What breaks my heart is that I see a lot of woman that want to get
married, and no men desiring that commitment. I think the desire and
attraction to be with one another is stronger when we are young, so I see a
relevance in the sexual desires of teens, and a connection to why people
use to marry younger.
Our first year was hard, because no one wanted to celebrate our
marriage with us, they wouldn’t even give my a bridal shower. Steve’s Pastor
at the time, told him he was just getting married so he could have sex.
He responded, “If that is the reason, it is still biblical.” God was
there to support us, and over time brought us into fellowship with
believers who have encouraged us.
I truly hope we have in our lives like minded families, so our children
have the opportunity to marry young, have the support and encouragement
they need, and our freely open to have ever God wants to move/bless
them.
Be blessed today and always!!
Christie
January 30th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
I imagine the divorce rates for people who marry young are lower among Religious couples than non-Religous couples.
I’m glad your marriage worked out, and I’m glad you’re happy. But you’re marriage is the exception not the rule. The Divorce rates for teenage marriages are higher than those who get married after the age of 25. Of course, you had a much stronger support group than most teenagers, which helped immensely, I am sure.
January 30th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Mathews-Green’s long meandering essay also left out that women’s equality has also contributed to why women now choose when they’ll have children. Effective birth control, women’s rights, no fault divorce, and pay equality (at least optimistically) give women the choice of when they may choose to have children. While there may be significant health advantages to having a child in one’s late-teens/twenties, there are significant disadvantages to putting-off school/career.
Also, her idea of simultaneously raising a family, going to school, and working may be a lifestyle many young people responsibly choose to avoid. After all, even the most frugal is probably not going to be able to work low-wage job(s), attend to intensive coursework without going into significant debt — nevermind provide their children with necessities such time, health care, etc.
While she has many valid points, what disturbs me about Mathews-Green’s notion is the “network of support” requires a young parent imposing their childrearing choice upon their extended family, church, society, etc. What if grandma/grandpa would prefer to enjoy their retirement and not raise or regularly babysit their grandchildren? While its nice to believe a faith community will assist in child-rearing, is it really ethical to purposely head-into a situation and expect charity from one’s faith community/public community (i.e. church, welfare, public school, etc.)?
I think it is far better and responsible for parent(s) to consciously choose a time when they feel they are financially and socially set-up to raise a child(ren).
January 31st, 2007 at 6:26 am
Christie, bring your kids to Alfred, NY. The entire Snyder family seems hell-bent on getting married before they turn 20 and talk about a support network - the whole town is related to one another!
January 31st, 2007 at 6:57 am
Hahaha… inside joke. But so true.