altogether or delays it past the age at which teenagers are actually beginning to experiment. For some teens, pregnancy is a surprising result of sex.
For others, pregnancy may appear to be an answer to some of the other difficulties of adolescence. Young women may see having a baby as a way to escape from the pressures of school, to force a straying boyfriend to remain in a relationship, to provide welfare income, or to give them prestige or comfort. This paper does not address the issue of teenaged pregnancy resulting from rape; in such cases, even conservatives would not insist on marriage as a solution.
For the unwed teenaged girl who becomes pregnant, either by accident or design, her first problem is often finding someone with whom she is able to discuss her situation. Parents able to talk frankly to their children about sexual matters are less likely to have daughters who become pregnant at an early age. Regardless of the circumstances, however, telling her parents that she is pregnant is a difficult task for any teenager. Parents who consider themselves to be broadminded sometimes discover
...