Pregnant Teens and Fathers

This paper explores the question, "Should pregnant teens marry the fathers of their babies?" Conservatives argue that the responsibility of pregnancy obligates the parents to raise their child in an intact, traditional home in which the mother and father are married. This paper argues, however, that obligatory marriage adds another major problem to the situation rather than providing a viable solution. This paper contends that any unwanted, unplanned pregnancy is a complex enough circumstance with which to contend. Forced marriage, based solely on the fact of such a pregnancy, tends to compound the problem, not provide a solution. This paper argues that teenaged pregnancy should be dealt with separately in as unemotional and clear-headed a way as possible. This is also an argument for enforcing both the rights and responsibilities of fatherhood in such a circumstance. Fatherhood should be as solemn a responsibility as is motherhood; this issue needs to be addressed separately from the issue of enforced marriage. The best possible solution in most cases may be to give the child up for adoption, allowing more responsible people to fulfill the parenting role.

Though experts do not agree on exact statistics, the consensus of opinion indicates that many young people begin to become sexually active in their early to mid-teens. At the same time, the average age at which individuals marry for the first time is rising. Young people experience less pressure to find a mate

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counselling, many teenagers may not be able to weigh all the choices and make an objective decision; in any case, those who avoid the decision, either through denial or shame, eventually remove abortion as a viable choice. Left with carrying the baby to full term, unwed teens should be able to decide rationally on the best course of action for themselves and their child. This can of course include the possibility of marriage, but situations in which marriage is forced only serve to aggravate circumstances. James Collins calls single-parent households one of the social changes that currently threaten the well-being of children (58). Judith Martin observes, "Single motherhood at its best can be hard on both parent and child, although there are those who are heroically able to make a success of it. Nor is illegitimacy quite as easily accepted by modern society" (21). Nevertheless, parents who are forced to marry in order to legitimize a child's birth frequently make the child's life more miserable as a result. The same carelessness, immaturity in approaching decisions, and lack of commitment that led to the unwanted pregnancy are still present. Moreover, both mother and father cannot help but feel trapped by circumstance

Category: Psychology - P