Why Teens Choose Abortion

about.com/od/teenpregnancy/a/TeenAbortReasons.htm




This week we have been talking bout choice. We did an exercise in discussion last week, were we partnered up with a classmate and one us were pregnant and as couple we had to choose wither or not we would keep the baby, give it up for adoption or have an abortion. Some of the class decided to have the baby, give it up for adoption and only two couples decided to get an abortion. For us as college students its a little different cause we are a little older and if we make a decision to get an abortion it may be a little different compared to teens. This article I found discuss why teens choose abortion. When a teenager gets pregnant it can be very emotional and although it may be hard abortion can be a choice. As said in the article "A teen considering abortion is influenced by where she lives, her religious beliefs, her relationship with her parents, access to family planning services, and the behavior of her peer group. Her educational level and socioeconomic status also play a role." I feel this is very true, especially her religious beliefs. Most religions do not even allow teenage girls to have sex before they are married, furthermore get pregnant. They are many places where teens get pregnant and it is a disgrace to their families and religion, so they opt for abortion. A teens social surroundings and socioeconomic status are also other reasons why teens choose abortion. Most teen who get pregnant live in poverty, especially in Africa and if teens feel they can not support their baby, they do not want to have it. If it is hard for the teenager to eat, it will be even harder for the mother to feed the baby. I also feel friends and parents play a huge factor in teens choosing abortion. In 16 and pregnant there is not talk about abortion, but the word comes up. Mainly from the mom or parents. Parents want the best for their children and when they find out their children are pregnant, instead of talking the girls into keeping the baby, many parents talk their children into abortion. The article also gives reasons like

Not wanting their lives changed by the birth of a baby
Not being able to afford a baby
Not feeling mature or responsible enough to raise a child


Not being able to afford a baby can tie into socioeconomic factors, but not wanting their lives changed by the birth of a baby and not feeling mature or responsible enough to raise a child are reasons I agree and I don't.  I feel like the teens that are not mature and responsible to have a baby should not have one. The baby would be at risk for a lot of things. Not wanting their lives changed by the birth of a baby I do not agree. Teens have to learn of they have sex there are consequences. What do you guys think are other reasons why teens choose abortions and do you or do you not agree with them? 

Violence, What do we do about it?

Tuesday morning  between 4 and 5 am, while most people were fast asleep, on the University of Missouri campus, a young woman was assaulted and raped. To me, this violent act is terrifying.  The reasoning behind her late hour stroll doesn’t matter. She became a victim either way.

            After the lection on Teen Dating Violence one fact became all the more clear to me. Males seem to see some sort of dominance over the female body. Seen as weaker, fragile, they seem to claim ownership over something that is not theirs to claim.

            I’m sure there are cases of male abuse in a relationship, even on this campus. I’m sure there are males that have been verbally and possibly even physically abused. But in most cases, it is females.

            Females are the victims of rape, control, intimidation. All listed on the PowerPoint on TDV.

            Teens face more pressures than young adults in college. The social environment of a high school can clash with a home environment and parental values. High schools have always been riddled with issues of social status and power, just look at Mean Girls. Parents have always been seen as figureheads of families and uninvolved in their teens life. And to be fair, most teens think that they know it all and no one can tell them differently. This, as we have discussed in class, makes for a huge communication issue. Parents can’t talk to their kids about sex, kids can’t talk to their parents. What if the issue is no longer sex, but verbal abuse?  Mean boyfriends would be forbidden, reputations would be ruined, and so most victimized teens, who don’t get out on their own, stay trapped.

            Granted, this can be the case with adult dating violence. People can often feel locked into an unhealthy relationship.  Violence and victimization just makes things worse. So many issues stem off these two interacting factions.

            The websites and videos we watched in class may have been cheesy, they may be 100% ignored by teens and they may still need some work. Regardless, I thin it’s important there is an issue at least being addressed.

                        But what about the rape on campus? Walking around and hearing people’s reactions, I realized, most people think it’s just a urban myth. That stuff like that doesn’t really happen. And until they received an email from the campus police, they forgot.

            There’s a lot of violence that has taken place on our campus in my four years here. From destruction of property to now, in my last semester, a rape. Are women just supposed to lock themselves inside their apartments and dorms as soon as the sun goes down? How are we supposed to be safe without losing all freedom? What gives these men the right to be violent and controlling? Their size? Physical dominance can be a huge factor in violent acts. Society has given men dominance over women for years, it is an idea that would be almost impossible to change.

            The other day I overheard a conversation between two girls at the library. One girl was talking about how rude her boyfriend was to her. And while it wasn’t as extreme as the video, she talked about how he let a door slam in her face, he called her names and spoke down to her. And I realized, I have some of the same issues with my male roommates. I’m all for equal treatment of women in the workplace, home, society, anywhere. But I don’t think this gives any one the right to speak down or rudely to anyone else, man or woman.

            Is this where the deeper issue behind violence stems from? Society’s downfall into a world that lacks manners and cares about the protection of people? What do y’all think?

Samantha Brayer